Picnic blankets, lawn chairs and the riff of a lead guitar dominated Chase Palm Park on Thursday evening as the children’s playground turned into a music venue for Santa Barbara Concerts in the Park.
A fan favorite and returner from previous years, Captain Cardiac and the Coronaries, headlined the first concert in a series of four that will be held every Thursday evening in July.
These performances, put on by Santa Barbara Parks & Recreation since 2000, have become a local tradition as kids, parents and dogs crowded the lawn to hear live music.
The lawns open at noon, and the most dedicated fans stakeout their spot — marked with their picnic blanket — hours before the show begins.
“The idea was that we would start a concert program; Attendees would be community members and we would provide the concerts for free,” said Judith McCaffrey, recreation programs manager.
“At the first one, I think we had 50 to 150 people and it just grew in popularity,” she said.
Since then, the concerts have exponentially grown, and now, there are between 4,000 and 5,000 people at the concerts enjoying picnic dinners, dancing and tapping their foot to the beat.
Moments after Captain Cardiac struck its first chords, concert-goers were out of their seats and creating a dance floor on the grass in front of the stage. The music, ’50s and ’60s rock and roll, was fit for all ages.
Even without their instruments, Captain Cardiac and the Coronaries would’ve been hard to miss. The group entered the stage wearing red sequined dinner jackets and engaged the crowd throughout the entire show.
Over the years, Concerts in the Park has had only a select few repeat performers — with one exception. Captain Cardiac and the Coronaries has played the last sixteen years in a row and Thursday evening only solidified their status as a successful returner.
The six-man group, complete with a keyboard and saxophone, worked the crowd as they crooned covers of The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Steppenwolf, Chuck Berry and many more.
After intermission — and an outfit change into turquoise dinner jackets — they created a massive conga line to snake around the venue, being careful not to step on toes or takeout dinners.
But, there’s more to Concerts in the Park than just the music. For Santa Barbara local Lisa Love, it’s the atmosphere that keeps her coming back.
“This is our home. We love music, people, sharing experience with others. We’ve been numerous times. We love it here,” she said.
Phil Sedillos has been to every concert since they started 17 years ago and for him, “it’s just fun. It’s better than staying home,” he said, with a huge grin on his face.
Events like these are “just the beauty of Santa Barbara,” Sedillos added. “The best part is the smiling faces. It’s hard not to have a good time.”
Concerts in the Park encourage “people from every age to come out, enjoy music, spend time together and enjoy summer,” McCaffrey said.
The evening ended with an encore and as the sun set, the crowds only became more energetic.
Even after the music stopped, the lawn was buzzing with laughter, and you can bet that the crowd will be back for many more nights, just like this one.
— Noozhawk intern Sarah Scarminach can be reached at sscarminach@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
