Bands on the Bricks: free summer concert series
Published: Jun 30, 2009
When the free concert series called Bands on the Bricks gets going each summer on Boulder’s beautiful Pearl Street Mall, people by the hundreds get moving and shaking to some of the best bands in the area. It’s been bringing out the crowds for 11 years, and will be happening this summer from 7 to 9 p.m. every Wednesday night.
Although the band lineup changes with the years, the music tends to be the kind of classic rock, R&B and funk that gets a lot of gray-haired Baby Boomers — along with other age groups — out on those red bricks dancing.
Past favorites have included the long-established Freddie-Henchi Band and the much more current Wendy Woo Trio. The Legendary 4-Nikators have long since dropped the “4,” even as they continue grooving to ’60s and ’70s Motown.
In other venues, they’ve shared the stage with Elton John and The Beach Boys, and will be playing on July 29. Don’t miss the everlasting, ever-popular and always good Hazel Miller, on July 15, belting out her blend of R&B and blues.
While the oldsters meet up and hang out in front of the bands, in recent years, a scene all its own has sprung up behind the stage. Some of the best b-boys and b-girls in Boulder-Denver tape down their slick performance spaces on the bricks and show the impromptu audiences what break-dancing is all about. They’ll bust out their windmills, swipes, flares and other power moves with gymnastic prowess, even if the bands are playing jazz instead of hip-hop.
If you’re in the mood just to relax, that’s not a problem. Bring a blanket and spread it out on the Boulder County Courthouse lawn near the fountain.
Bring a picnic dinner, too. Plenty of people do just that, gathering with friends and family in one of the nicest public places anywhere. What could be better than having light meal under the night’s first stars as you kick back to the sounds of children laughing and some great, free music?
- by David Zindell, Denver Reporter for HelloMetro
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