In October 2009, serial entrepreneur Shaul Zislin had an idea: he would create a music festival. And not just any festival. This would be something exceptional, something huge: the first and only major music festival held on a beach.
Seven months later, this crazy idea became a reality, and Hangout Music Festival was born.
“I have no history in the music industry,” Zislin confessed in a phone interview. “I love music, but ultimately, I’m the only rookie in a room full of experts I hired to make this thing possible. I wanted to create an event notable enough to put our sleepy beach town of Gulf Shores on the map, to become a major player in the same category as something like a Bonnaroo or a Coachella.”
Already the owner of a 24-unit retail chain called Surf Style and The Hangout, a hugely successful restaurant and family entertainment complex located in the sleepy beach town of Gulf Shores, Zislin says that his initial reason for creating the festival was simply to stretch the tourist season. “For me, the venue is the main event,” Zislin said. “It’s part of a multi-year plan to make Gulf Shores not just a tourist destination, but a destination for music lovers and music makers. Our biggest challenge is convincing the rest of the world that we’re for real, that our venue is for real, and that our beaches are still clean and beautiful, despite the oil spill.”
In fact, it was Zislin and his team who created the beach venue itself, making it the destination not just for Hangout but for a summer 2010 music series called Concerts for the Coast. Free performances by everyone from Jimmy Buffett to Bon Jovi brought thousands of visitors and much-needed economic stimulation to struggling Gulf area businesses after the spill.
“It’s important to create a memorable experience for not only the audiences, but the artists too,” noted Zislin. “Jimmy Buffett told me afterwards that it was the best show he’s had in 20 years. That kind of feedback is why we’re able to book the big names that we do, even as a brand new venue.”
That and some serious work ethic (not to mention some serious cash).
“I’m going to be honest with you,” Zislin told me. “Nothing about this project has been easier than I thought it would be. It’s all been harder. You can’t imagine the amount of work and the number of crucial little details that go into putting on an event like this, and it takes awhile for it to become anywhere near profitable. But you know what? It’s worth it. There’s magic stardust associated with rock ‘n’ roll music, and that’s something worth making sacrifices for.”
So far, so good. In only its second year of existence, Hangout Music Festival 2011 has snatched up some of the biggest and brightest names on the scene today, not to mention a significant portion of Bonnaroo’s top headliners, including The Black Keys, My Morning Jacket, and Widespread Panic. Oh, and the Flaming Lips. And the Foo Fighters. And Cee Lo Green. And Paul Simon.
Okay, let’s cut the formalities for a moment and break it down. When I first viewed this brilliant line-up, I hyperventilated and did a little jig. Then I had a panicked feeling, noting the eerie similarities between this list of performers and the so-called “leak” of the Bonnaroo 2010 line-up I saw last year, the one that ignited the fires of musical utopia in my loins and then left me devastated when I found out it was a total fraud. But no. Hangout Music Festival is for real, ya’ll, and it’s happening in Gulf Shores, Alabama, May 20-22, 2011. So be there, or be a square. I rented a goddamn condo.
