Concord Pavilion Lineup Is NOT Helping the Concord Image

The Concord Pavilion lineup for the summer concert series is…well, judge for yourself.

The April 20 kickoff concert is headlined by none other than Sammy Hagar. And not to poo poo the former Van Halen front man, but Concord is not exactly Cabo Wabo and we’re nowhere near living in 1980. The next name to take the outdoor amphitheater stage will be Florence and the Machine, which is an awesome band in their own right…for a select crowd.

We’ve got some soul sprinkled in with Maze, Maxwell and Eric Benet; some KING & COUNTRY for a dose of blessings; followed by Bush, LIVE, Elvis Costello, Lynard Skynard, Heart, Breaking Benjamin and they’ll close out the jamming good time with Peter Frampton.

Now, it goes without saying that Concord is not really at the top of the list in terms of cultural enrichment but it is a rapidly changing city with a demographic becoming more diverse by the day. The Concord Pavilion is missing an opportunity here by choosing to cater to the, um, older spectrum of local concertgoers. Simply, the Pavilion is not keeping up with the shift in the city it strives to entertain.

Mancini’s Sleepworld Concord Pavilion in Concord, Calif. Photo courtesy of Ticketmaster

You should totally go see Elvis Costello at some point in your life, and how dope would it be to watch a legend like Peter Frampton live? But can we get some other options, please? The tone of the 2019 lineup makes one wonder if the space is allergic to hip hop or anyone under the age of 50, with few very tame exceptions.

The venue can pack in over 12,000 people in a city with a population of over 130,000 residents. With nearly 30 percent of that population being between the ages of 20 and 40, it would behoove the Pavilion to step up their game. Just saying, I haven’t heard Elvis Costello bumping from any car speakers recently.

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Carlyn Obringer praised the Pavilion for this year’s lineup quality. Although, yes, many of the artists performing are talented musicians, they are not exactly on the front lines of today’s music scene and we just thought we’d inform the venue of this fact in case they hadn’t noticed.

Come on, man. Don’t make us drive all the way out to the Shoreline.