AEG Presents' Danny Bell talks Portola's lineup and third-year festival hits

Ever since Danny Bell of AEG Presents Portola first launched on the water's edge at Pier 80 on San Francisco Bay, he had a strong sense of what the festival could become. The VP of Talent Buying managed numerous Bay Area dance music events (including Porter Robinson's Second Sky Festival), but Portola was his crown jewel. Now entering its third year this weekend, September 28th and 29th, Bell has outdone itself and put together a near-perfect lineup for dance music enthusiasts.

The line-up includes performances from Justice, Bicep, Jamie xx, Gesaffelstein, Disclosure, Soulwax, Rüfüs Du Sol, Barry Can't Swim and countless others. For both fans and music industry members, the main problem heading into the festival is managing the set conflicts.

In previous conversations with PollstarBell emphasized that he wears comfortable shoes to walk from stage to stage, and his goal is to attend at least a small part of each performance. This year Bell won't be the only one running between the stages: Four Tet and Gesaffelstein fight between Crane Stage and Warehouse, Jamie xx in conflict with Natasha Bedingfield, Bicep in conflict with Soulwax and Rüfüs Du Sol – and that's all at first day.

“The festival site is not that big and is very easy to navigate,” says Bell. “So keep moving and see as much as you can. The most fun festival days I've ever had were the ones where I saw 20 artists in one day. You watch 20 or 30 minutes of each set if the mood is right, or you catch a magical moment and just stay. But the good news is that there are no wrong choices, so just keep moving and have fun.”

According to Bell, the timing of this year was perfect because so many influential dance artists happened to be on tour at the same time. Justice, Gesaffelstein and Jamie xx all released new albums this year and Portola, now in its third year, has gained such a reputation that it has become a must-attend event for many in the industry. “It’s just one of those years where it worked out,” Bell said. “Everything has found its place.”

Bell is enthusiastic about everything. From the new production facility, lighting, LED wall, air conditioning, bathroom to the lineup. Some of the artists he's worked with for years and he's looking forward to seeing their latest shows.

“I've been working with Gesaffelstein since he first came over when I was at HARD,” says Bell. “He is a special artist. He makes this amazing, dark, passionate music. The live show he has put together and debuted at Coachalla is outstanding, so it is really exciting to see him on the revamped Crane Stage on Saturday.”

Rüfüs Du Sol was in Portola last year and Bell asked if they wanted to play the event in 2024. They decided to only play Portola at this point of the year as the group prepares to hit the road in support of their latest album. Inhale/exhalewill be released on October 11th.

The fact that Justice is performing at this year's festival also means enormous significance for Bell, who became a fan of electronic music as a result.

“My love for this genre started back in 2007/2008 when they put on their first light show,” says Bell. “The way they have developed and evolved their live show over the last 15, 16 years is phenomenal. And their current live show is beautiful. It’s a spectacle.”

Bell shares that his ultimate goal for the lineup was to tie everything together so that each stage has a different vibe but can easily transition from one to the next. He stressed that he didn't want fans of one genre to just sit on one stage all day and that people should move around to experience everything the festival has to offer.

“Every year you try to do better than the year before,” Bell said. This year we made some stage improvements. We have learned from the last year that we are overly critical of ourselves. We added a VIP area in the warehouse and changed the location of the VIP area on the Crane Stage. We expanded it and actually merged it with a new VIP viewing area by the ship’s tent.”