Mariachi madness hits Vegas

Friday, Sept. 22, 2000 | 8:47 a.m.

You think the Rolling Stones have been around a long time?

They're mere babes (still in diapers) compared to a band that will entertain Saturday at the 10th annual Mariachi Festival at Mandalay Bay.

Festival organizers note that Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan was formed 106 years ago in Mexico by Gaspar Vargas and Manuel Mendoza.

"A couple of the band's members are descendants of the original group," said producer Juan Elias, who created the first Las Vegas Mariachi Festival in 1991. "They are very proud of their heritage. All of them are world-class musicians."

Elias said Mariachi Vargas is considered to be the best in the world, and its members rarely leave until they retire.

"They are never forced out of the group and there is not a great deal of turnover," he said. "If they left, where would they go? Mariachi Vargas is recognized as the finest in the world. When a musician reaches that plateau, they wouldn't want to leave."

The band tours year-round all over the world.

Two other mariachi groups will share the stage with Vargas -- Mariachi Sol de Mexico (based in Los Angeles) and Marichi Los Reyes de Mexico (based in Guadalajara, Mexico).

"Sol de Mexico is a little more avant-garde," Elisa said. "They put a different twist to the music. In addition to traditional mariachi, they might play something like 'New York, New York' or Elvis' 'Are You Lonesome Tonight.' They try to be more appealing to all audiences."

Los Reyes de Mexico is a relatively new group. "They, too, are very exciting," Elias said.

The popular festival, which will include several other entertainers, including singers Humberto Herrera and Lucero, in addition to the bands, attracts between 6,000 and 10,000 people every year. Many of them are repeat customers -- and several generations of the same family.

"The festival has sort of become a family reunion," Elias said. "Families from all over the country and Mexico come to Las Vegas for the event year after year."

He noted that his own father, Carlos, 73, is postponing a heart operation so that he can attend the festival.

Elias, who is a member of a ranching family in Chandler, Ariz., had no idea how successful the Mariachi Festival would be when he planned the first one, which was held at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"We knew there were a lot of Hispanics in Las Vegas," Elias said. "But we had no background in the entertainment industry -- we've always been in ranching and farming. But this was something I wanted to do. I didn't really know anything about it. I just thought it would be an interesting project."

About 10,000 people came to the first event.

The following year it moved to the Aladdin, where it was held annually until the original hotel-casino closed in 1998, when the festival returned to the Thomas & Mack. Last year the event was held at Mandalay Bay, where more than 9,000 people attended.

After the initial success of the festival, Elias became a concert producer and now creates shows around the nation. His company, Elias Entertainment, is based in Phoenix.

The Mariachi Festival remains one of his personal favorites. "Mariachi is the music style that is the most representative of Mexican culture," he said. "It's been around for 200 years or more."

He said some people are not familiar with the music.

"A lot think it can be two guys strumming a guitar," Elias said. "A mariachi band is a group of 12 to 14 musicians. The band includes violins, trumpets and guitars that create a totally different sound. It is a different experience."