NJ.com: Everything Jersey All Points West festival on track for Liberty State Park by Jay Lustig/Star-Ledger Staff Monday January 21, 2008, 5:58 PM
In April 2007,
Ken Tesler attended the
Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., and met that event's producer,
Paul Tollett, for the first time.
The conversation turned to
Liberty State Park in Jersey City, where Tesler's Liberty Event Management company had produced boat shows, the 2006
Cheap Trick-headlined LibertyJAM concert and other events. He said that, historically, immigrants who came to Ellis Island would go to the Central Railroad of New Jersey terminal, which is still on the park's grounds, then board trains for "all points west."
"Paul looked at me and was like, 'What a perfect name for a festival,'" he said.
Tesler, who had been thinking for years about producing a major multi-day rock festival at Liberty State Park, and Tollett, who has had a similar dream of bringing a Coachella-style extravaganza to the East Coast, are now partners. On Aug. 8-10, they, working in conjunction with the New York nightclub the HighLine Ballroom, will mount the first
All Points West Music & Arts Festival at Liberty State Park.
Dozens of pop and rock acts will perform on three or four stages, though the co-producers are not ready to announce the lineup. They anticipate crowds of 25,000-30,000 per day.
"It's probably the only green oasis like this near New York City that can hold the kind of crowd that we want to have," said Tesler. "What better place than a beautiful park environment, looking at the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the city skyline?"
Coachella, which takes place on April 25-27 this year, has attracted more than 60,000 people a day in the past, and is known for its scenic desert setting, its cutting-edge alt-rock and dance bookings, and its ability to attract stars ranging from Madonna to Radiohead. All Points West will have a similar, but not identical, musical vibe.
"The show will have its own personality; it's not going to be Coachella Jr.," said Tollett, whose Los Angeles-based company, Goldenvoice Concerts, is affiliated with the country's second-largest concert-promotion company, AEG Live.
So what exactly will that personality be? "That's what we're working on right now," said Tollett. "The first year of any festival is exciting, because we're still finding our way."
The All Points West title doesn't really offer a clue.
"We're going to incorporate that theme, in a subtle way, into the festival," said Tesler. "We're not going to hit people over the head with this, but the music will have a world-influenced feel to it."
He said ticket and lineup information will be released "very shortly." Updates will be available on allpointswest.com, though at press time, the Web site was not yet up and running
There will be no camping at All Points West, as there is at Coachella.
"People will be able to leave every day, and come right back," said Tesler. "But the park is very specific about not allowing camping."
Tesler and Tollett anticipate some overlap from the lineups of the Coachella festival and the Vineland Music Festival, which takes place in the South Jersey city of Vineland on the same weekend as All Points West. "There are bands on tour that are looking for festivals to do," said Tollett. (The Coachella lineup will be announced today; no acts are confirmed yet for Vineland.)
Tesler said he and his partners had selected Aug. 8-10 as the weekend for All Points West before they knew about Vineland, and that they don't view that festival as competition, even though it's just a few hours away.
"I really think it's two separate markets," he said. "Technically it's in New Jersey, but that's really a Philly market."
Jay Lustig may be reached at jlustig@starledger.com or (973) 392-5850. 
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