Do You Realize?

Intimate, eclectic, and electric, Langerado is a gift to South Florida

Comments (0) By Jonathan Zwickel Thursday, Mar 16 2006

Another defining feature was the expanded presence of Hollywood artist Dave "Lebo" LeBatard and his six-man production team. LeBatard's slick, vivid, cartoony images were ubiquitous around the festival grounds. Four 40-foot-tall murals of hepcat musicians hung on either side of the main stages; stage names, beer booths, bathrooms, the VIP area, and random decorative pieces of ambience were all decked out with his work.

"The promoters really care about artwork; they care about visuals," explained painter Dave Guy, who was lounging with LeBatard and his mom in his gallery tent. "We've been working on it for five weeks, so they come over to our warehouse, and they've seen what we've been doing. They know the work it takes, and they've made it a priority in the budget."

Dave Vann

Chris Robinson's Black Crowes closed out Langerado.

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Consensus was that details like that — the artwork, the atmosphere, the spirit of eclectic collectivism — elevate Langerado from a fun weekend festival to the cultural cornerstone for an entire region. Like a rite of spring, it heralds all the other musical gatherings that take advantage of our ideal outdoor backdrop. It's time to realize that these festivals — Ultra, Winter Music Conference, Langerado, and this year's Global Gathering and Spring Bling — are events we can and should be proud to have in our community, beacons for a new kind of experience, one you can get only in South Florida.