The lead singer cried out, “Did we rock your world tonight?” and truer words could not have been spoken as the entire island definitely felt rocked that night.
Concert in the park is one of Coronado’s most beloved traditions and has been for forty-five years. Locals, tourists, and San Diego natives alike join together in a fun evening festivity, all summer long on Sundays. This year the series began May 24th and will last through September 6th. A new feature this year of the summer series, is that there is a free bus service from the Coronado Cays which means grab your blanket, bring your wine, become better friends with your neighbors, and stay safe! Last Sunday, Spreckels seemed to be at full capacity (it was announced that there were 6,000 people in the park); kids played on the playground, couples danced, friends broke bread and drank wine, and families with dogs sat along the perimeter, all within prime hearing distance.
Spreckels is typically packed during Concert in the Park with concert goers often claiming stake in their spot about a half an hour ahead of time. For this special forty-fifth anniversary concert though, there was more reason than ever to join in on the fun. The World Classic Rockers truly rocked Coronado. The band consisted of Aynsley Dunbar formerly of Journey, Fran Cosmo formerly of Boston, Randall Hall formerly of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Nick St. Nicholas formerly of Steppenwolf, Greg Walker formerly of Santana, Michael Monarch formerly of Steppenwolf, David Coyle, Mark Hoyt, and Juan Del Castillo. Having rockers of such huge bands meant plenty of fan favorites songs were performed like Black Magic Woman, Anyway You Want It, Gimme Three Steps, and Free Bird. The success of the concert cannot be measure solely by the popularity by the songs, but by the dynamic energy. The excitement. The passion that all of these musicians still encompassed. Michigan tourist, Erin, explained that her favorite part of the show was “the energy that was present in the park.”
Coronado is proud to be a multigenerational town. Some of the younger company don’t know who John Denver is, some of the older crew may not be able to name even one of the Jonas Brothers, but it would be flabbergasting had anyone not been able to sing along to “Don’t Stop Believing” originally recorded by Journey or “Sweet Home Alabama” originally recorded by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and performed last weekend by World Classic Rockers. Having a band play that could connect people of all generations, was truly special in itself. Tracie from Coronado who says she has grown up with Concert in the Park, gushes that “It was epic. All of the bands were unbelievable. Don’t Stop Believing’ was incredible and Sweet Home Alabama’ is my favorite song! It was amazing to watch live!”
The event was also about community. Legends from different bands all got together, ego cast aside, and created something beautiful. The parallel could also be found in the community of Coronado. Sometimes, we get so focused on the tough part of tourist season in Coronado- longer lines, drivers who don’t know when to speed across fourth and have us wait behind them for twenty minutes, the frustration of the throngs of people crowding the ferry landing when you are just trying to take your dog on a walk and then we have something like Concert in the Park. You can look around and not even be able to pick out tourists from locals. Everyone is able to enjoy this experience together. CHS student, Claire, remarked “I liked to see the whole community get together to have a good time.”
Concerts have a tendency to be an event where the crowd thins out starting at least twenty minutes ahead of time so people can leave without difficulty. That was not the case for the World Classic Rockers. They played two bonus songs after their set ended (Wheel in the Sky by Journey and More Than a Feeling by Boston) and still the audience pleaded for more, staying until the very end.
A big THANK YOU for the event goes out to Cathy Brown who is the President of Coronado Promenade Concerts as well as the sponsors of this event- Newman Charitable Trust, Boney’s Bayside Market, and Kennedy Publishing Company. Cathy writes online about the event that “[T]he all-volunteer Board of Directors wanted to present a very special concert to acknowledge all the wonderful music we’ve listened to throughout the years and to thank the community for their years of support. This concert series does not receive ANY funding from the city of Coronado. We raise all the money through donations.”
What feedback can audience members give? Well, San Diego local, Michael, said it was “Awesome. Awesome.” and Arizona citizen, Mark, raves that “you could hear every instrument.” Find the rest of the list for the Coronado Summer Concert Series upcoming bands here.
