Ramón Ayala continues Gallo Center’s success with Spanish-language singers

By the time Ramón Ayala picks up his accordion and walks onto the Gallo Center for the Arts stage Friday night, he will be the third Latino superstar in a row to sell out the Modesto venue.

The downtown Modesto performing-arts center has had a string of success with high-profile Spanish-language artists this year. International superstar Pepe Aguilar kicked off things in September with a show that could have sold out twice over, Gallo Center Chief Executive Officer Lynn Dickerson said. His show was followed by a packed house at Mexican pop, ranchera and grupera singer Joan Sebastian’s show earlier this month.

Grammy-winning Mexican artist Ayala continues the trend. Dickerson said the center is reaching a new audience thanks to these artists, with fans accustomed to seeing them play much bigger venues.

“I feel like we’ve finally hit the jackpot with Latino programming. This season has been exceptional in terms of booking very popular Mexican artists – Pepe Aguilar, Joan Sebastian and Ramón Ayala,” she said. “They are all very expensive acts, so a bit of a financial risk for us. But so far, the risk is paying off because patrons are very excited about these artists and the tickets are selling quickly – even at fairly high prices.”

Tickets to the acts ranged from $49-$139, depending on the artist. But they were snapped up regardless, as with “King of the Accordion” Ayala’s upcoming show.

The Mexican accordionist, singer and songwriter is considered an icon of norteño music. He has been playing the accordion since age 6 and performing with his band Sus Bravos del Norte since 1971. They have released more than 100 albums with hits through the decades including “Tragos Amargos,” “Ya No Llores,” “Chaparra de Mi Amor” and “Bonita Finca de Adobe.”

While he has been an undisputed hitmaker with Spanish-language audiences, Ayala also has found more mainstream success over the years. Last year, he played a three-day engagement at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. He has taken home two Grammy Awards (in 2010 for best norteño album and 2001 for best Mexican/Mexican-American album) and two Latin Grammy Awards (for the albums “Quemame Los Ojos” and “El Numero Cien”).

Ayala’s show comes just as an upcoming show by another Mexican music legend has been announced at the Gallo Center. Paquita la del Barrio (which translates to “Franny from the Neighborhood”) has been booked to appear Nov. 14, 2015. The show has been put on sale a year in advance, and depending on ticket sales, a second show could be added Nov. 13, 2015.

The singer has become a superstar, particularly among Mexican women, for singing about the slights and sexism present in the country’s male culture. Her radio staples reflect her attitude with titles like “Rata de Dos Patas“ (Two-Legged Rat), “Hipócrita” (Hypocrite), “El Fracaso de Mi Amor” (The Failure of My Love) and “Hombres Malvados“ (Wicked Men).

“We strayed from normal procedure and actually announced the Paquita la del Barrio show a full year in advance,” Dickerson said. “Waiting until our normal new season rollout next spring would mean that the Nov. 13 date would no longer be available. It’s an experiment, and we’ll see if patrons are willing to buy tickets a full year in advance.”

Tickets are on sale now and run from $59 to $119. Dickerson said the success of the Spanish-language shows is an exciting development for the arts center and bringing in new audiences with each booking. It’s a trend she hopes to continue.

“These shows have enhanced our credibility and relevance among our Hispanic audience. Many of these ticket buyers had never been to the center before these shows,” she said.

“With almost half our community’s population being Latino, it’s a very important segment of our audience. Until this season and these big shows, the Gallo Center had not broken through in a big way with the Latino community. Now we’re on the map, so to speak.”

This story was originally published November 20, 2014 at 1:00 AM with the headline "Ramón Ayala continues Gallo Center’s success with Spanish-language singers."