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After near-constant rain Friday, things got a little sunnier for the second day of the 80/35 Music Festival in downtown Des Moines.
The Greater Des Moines Music Coalition, the nonprofit festival organizer, is still tallying figures, but it estimated that 7,500 people paid to attend Saturday’s lineup, compared with 4,500 on Friday.
The weather may have helped the numbers, but they also could have been a commentary on the popularity of festival headliners: Friday had Public Enemy, a historically important, socially conscious rap group whose commercial peak was nearly 20 years ago. Saturday was anchored by Ben Harper, who has played in Ames several times this decade and whose “White Lies for Dark Times” debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart in May.
80/35 Project Manager Amedeo Rossi characterized the second year of the event as a success.
“Despite (the weather), we had a tremendous atmosphere for every act that played,” he said. “It seemed like everyone had a great time.”
Rossi said the bigger lineup and extended hours on Saturday helped account for the disparity between the two days but felt the weather dampened total weekend attendance. Twelve thousand paid attendees over the two days was the break-even point for the festival that Rossi cited when bands were announced this spring.
Last year, 80/35 attracted 13,000 to its paid main stage over two days when the Flaming Lips and the Roots headlined. The attendance then was more evenly split over the two days.
Another difference from last year was the location. In 2008, the festival was held where the Pappajohn Sculpture Garden is being installed. This year, it was moved east to just outside the Central Library. The change meant that instead of having uninterrupted green space, the festival grounds were split by 12th Street, giving the event more of a street party feel.
Beer sales may tell the tale. Olde Main Brewing Co., the festival’s beer vendor, emptied 80 kegs Friday compared with 180 Saturday. The brewer sold 284 last year.
“It was a great opportunity for us,” said Matt Sinwell, sales and distribution manager for the brewery. “Being able to showcase our local product at an event put on by the people of Des Moines for the people of Des Moines is fantastic.”
The festival also included two free stages and the Young Professionals Connection Do More Village, where various organizations, vendors and performers had booths and stages set up. Festival organizers estimated that between paid and free areas, more than 30,000 people attended the event.
“Overall, everything was very successful for us,” said Shawn Harrington, co-chairman of the Do More Village. “The plan had been to shut down at 8 p.m. on Saturday, but a lot of people stayed open because of the crowd in the street.”
Des Moines police said the only problem connected to the festival was a person who tried to charge for parking at 1501 Grand Ave.
The setting also meant fans could take in much of the main stage music for free. People watched from the windows at Nationwide Insurance and the nearby Arlington Apartments.
Jessica Shoeman and two of her friends visited the free stages at 4 p.m. Saturday and stayed to the end of Harper’s set, listening from outside the gate.
“There’s pretty much always something free and awesome going on,” Shoeman said.
Rossi said that the music coalition’s board of directors would meet this month to discuss festival finances and that he expected an announcement about 80/35 2010 within 30 days.
