Big Blues Bender sells out, becomes international destination

Call it motivation by adjective, a lone syllable that stripped his ambitions of any parachute.

“I put the word ‘big’ in there. I had to live up to it,” explains Big Blues Bender founder A.J. Gross. “I always thought in my head that our goal was: ‘We’re going to put a little Vegas in the blues. We’re going to be a little flashier, a little classier. And we’re going to go big.’ ”

Gross put his money where his mouth was — literally.

Now, as the Bender enters its fourth year, it’s thousands of blues die-hards from around the globe who are ponying up the dough to sell out the four-day fest, where scene luminaries like Dr. John, Mavis Staples, Tab Benoit and over 50 other acts will perform for a total of 18 hours a day on five stages at the Plaza.

Much like the recently completed second edition of the Psycho Vegas music fest, where a heavily out-of-town audience paid a higher ticket price for an impeccably curated lineup of acts, luring a dedicated, knowledgeable crowd, the Big Blues Bender focuses on true-blue blues fans willing to absorb higher costs for a premium experience.

“If you go to a standard blues festival where you pay $25-$30, you’re going to get the guys who are just there for the beers or just the good times,” Gross says. “But when you charge $499 and you can’t buy a single-day ticket, you must find value, you’ve got to be a music lover. And these are music lovers. That’s why it’s become so easy for us to find artists to come, because the audience is listening. They’re not just casual fans.”

Launching a festival is an incredibly costly and time-consuming process. Acts often charge more for a fest appearance, and even more so during an event’s first year, before it’s a proven commodity, to justify their risks in playing it.

Losing money the first year is a given.

After that, it’s often about lessening the losses year by year until the fest has an entrenched identity and fan base. It’s usually a boom-or-bust proposition: If a given event can make it four to five years, building its audience each time out, it can turn profitable and remain so.

The Big Blues Bender did lose a little money in its inaugural run, with Gross paying big to secure B.B. King as a headliner, but by year two it was profitable.

By its third installment in 2016, it grew bigger still, selling out in advance, which it did again this year, a remarkably swift ascent to becoming an international destination festival.

Gross built his following in grassroots fashion, traveling to other festivals to get the word out about his, like hitting the New Orleans Jazzfest prior to the Bender’s first year.

“I stood out in the sun with a team of people, sweating in that New Orleans heat, and we put out 20,000 fliers to get the word out to music fans who travel for music,” he says.

A veteran of the Vegas music scene who’s booked shows and ran clubs since 1990, and who was once synonymous with now-shuttered venues like Fremont Street Reggae & Blues and the Huntridge Theater, Gross knew that he’d have to look far beyond the city limits to establish an audience.

“Vegas is a tough market, man,” he says. “I never envisioned Vegas supporting the blues — I’ve tried it, and been dealt death blows, put money in a pile and just set it on fire. So I always knew that this was going to be marketed internationally. And if I had to be truthful, I’m not sure I could have made this thing work before Facebook. Facebook helps create friendships. Friendships help create word of mouth. Word of mouth helps build a festival.”

The Bender is now a year-round endeavor for Gross, who oversees a team of five employees who work full time on the event, with the staff mushrooming to 100 when it comes time to actually put on the show.

And there’s more to come: Gross is about to announce the April 2018 debut of the Bender Jamboree, another multiday music fest, which will also be held at the Plaza.

“It’s going to be bluegrassy, jammy, rock and roll, very eclectic,” Gross says.

“I’d like to see a Bender every month,” he adds with a laugh, his chuckle indebted to no joke.

Blues Bender highlights

Ten of AJ Gross’ can’t-miss acts at Big Blues Bender 2017:

Bender Brass Band jams

“That’s something to catch. One of the things that was important to me since the beginning was creating magic moments, things you will not see anywhere else. Literally hundreds of blues artists are on-site, and we create once-in-a-lifetime jams. Every night, you never know what you’re going to get.”

Eric Gales

“Joe Bonamassa, who many consider one of the finest guitar players, he thinks Erik Gales is the best guitar player in the world.”

Jimmy Hall

“Jimmy Hall is the voice of Jeff Beck when he tours. And he had a band that was very famous in the early ’70s, Wet Willie. He’s just got this great Southern rock blues voice. We’ve got the Bender Brass Band backing him up.”

Toronzo Cannon

“He drives a bus at his day job in Chicago, but the reviews on this cat are going through the roof. He’s the real deal. Blowin’ up in Europe.”

Southern Avenue

“They just got signed by the guy who is the host of ‘Jam On’ on Sirius XM. He manages them. They got a record deal through Stax Records, their first signing in, I don’t know, 30 years? It’s fronted by this woman who’s the reincarnation of Tina Turner, but in her 20s.”

David Bromberg

“A classic legend and a true master of music.”

Jack Broadbent

“He was busking in Amsterdam, somebody took a video of him. Next thing you know, he’s got a million views. Next thing you know, he’s got an agent, and I’m finally able to track him down and say, ‘I want you to come to the Bender and play that amazing slide.’ ”

“One for the Brothers”

“We’re going to be doing a very cool tribute to the Allman Brothers with a band called Southern Hospitality, which is a musical piano genius by the name of Victor Wainwright. He’s going to be with a who’s who of people who are coming up to jam, there will probably be 30 guys.”

Mike Zito

“Dude, this guy does so well, I could really see him blowing up into the mainstream.”

Tab Benoit

“Tab’s done our festival every year. He’s our most popular artist. We do a survey when you’re buying your package, you get one pick: Who’s the one artist most made you want to come? He gets double the votes that, say, Dr. John got this year. People who’ve heard him, love him. He’s the real deal, man. We call him the ‘Mayor of Benderville.’ ”

Contact Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476. Follow @JasonBracelin on Twitter.