Watcha Tour Gears Up For Round Two

The second run of the rock en español package tour Watcha is scheduled to open on Friday (8/11) in the Los Angeles area. This year's line-up--which varies from city to city--includes Mexican rock band Café Tacuba, Columbian rock/trip-hop act Aterciopelados, A.N.I.M.A.L., Los Enanitos Verdes, Molotov and Los Angeles-based Ozomatli.

Though most of the dates on the itinerary are in the U.S., stops in Puerto Rico and in the Dominican Republic are planned.

Watcha essentially is being marketed as a Latin version of the Warped Tour, and shares the same co-creators and producers. It is scheduled to visit 18 cities in 2000, up from a dozen in its debut run. The tour's format has been revamped so that bands are allowed more time on stage this year, according to organizers.

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities will receive 50 cents from each ticket sold, and the organization will award scholarships to students in each of the markets the tour visits.

Watcha did not have a title sponsor in 1999, and organizers admitted that the event lost money. This year, Coors Light has signed on as the tour's national sponsor, a development that is expected to put the event on a more solid financial footing.