Hi friends,
This week marks the anniversary of the most famous speech in American history, MLK’s monumental 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Sure, you’ve heard it before. Snippets of it, especially its majestic closing stanza, seem to pop up in different contexts all the time. But, like a grand or beloved piece of music, “I Have a Dream” deepens with repeated listens. Given what is sure to be a pivotal do-or-die election season, this Labor Day weekend is an opportune time to sit down and absorb the speech anew, marvel at both its poetry and its performance, and reflect on its meaning this election year. “Let freedom ring” never gets old.
Now, on with the show.
THIS JUST IN
The distinctive voice of R&B singer Macy Gray can be experienced live and in person Oct. 18 at the Rio. How many Mongolian folk/metal bands have you seen live this year? Here’s your chance: The Hu plays the Catalyst on Oct. 12. Actor/comedian Nick Colletti drops into The Catalyst on Nov. 15. The annual “Music for the Feast of Christmas” happens this year on Dec. 6 and 7 at Holy Cross Church … and the “Concert for a Winter’s Eve” takes place the very next weekend, Dec. 13, also at Holy Cross. The classic spiritual reggae group The Meditations comes to Moe’s Alley on Sept. 27.
Be sure to check out Lookout’s carefully curated and constantly updated planning guide, Down the Line, for the staggering riches and amazing choices awaiting Santa Cruz audiences. It’s our look ahead at the best shows, concerts and events through the rest of the year at clubs, stages and venues all over the county.
Here they are, nine necessary know-abouts for the week ahead. It’s the Labor Day B9:
One more time!
Lookout’s monthly Trivia Night is a summer thing, and that means we’re gearing up for our final event of the year. It happens Wednesday evening, Sept. 4, at Abbott Square in downtown Santa Cruz at 6:30 p.m. It’s free, it’s a fun time, and studies show that everyone who participates comes away at least 5% smarter. Yes, I made that up, but just try to prove me wrong.
Everyone’s welcome, but be sure to register, so we know you’re coming. Hook up with a team and show off your trivia chops. We’ll all have a good time. In fact, it’ll be just like the Democratic National Convention … well, at least in one way. Beyonce won’t show up to our event either.
See you at Abbott Square.
Coming Sunday
We’ve been talking about new ideas for a big annual event in Santa Cruz for a few weeks now. And on Sunday, we’ll publish some of the more intriguing ideas that have come from you, our readers.
This is kind of like that moment when the family gathers in the living room and Dad announces, “We want to go on a big vacation next summer. Where should we go?” Right now, we’re in the brainstorming stage where Tanzania, the Australian Outback, Antarctica and “Do you think we could get a seat on the next SpaceX flight?” are all acceptable ideas. Soon, we’ll all have to focus on what’s doable. But right now, why not let the wild ideas out to roam? Let us know what you’d like to see.
SCS looks to 2025
In case you haven’t heard, Santa Cruz Shakespeare recently announced its 2025 season, and the news isn’t quite as big as it was last year at this time. That’s when SCS decided to colonize the fall with a new production and bring back the holiday show.
Both of those things are returning next year, but the fun new wrinkle is that SCS is doing a musical, specifically Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods,” as a natural pairing with Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
What makes this especially intriguing is that Cabrillo Stage has always occupied the musical-theater slot in the local entertainment calendar (it actually staged “Into the Woods” back in the 1990s). And SCS is now offering up direct competition where before everyone more or less stayed in their respective lanes. Cabrillo Stage isn’t expected to announce its 2025 season until around New Year’s Day, but it will be interesting to see whether SCS’s plans figures in its decisions. Stay tuned.
Still burning
I remember the days when Santa Cruz seemed like a ghost town when Burning Man was happening in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. I also remember when I visited the Playa at Burning Man that Santa Cruz seemed to be a big presence there.
How the iconic event has evolved over the years isn’t something I know much about. But news coming out of this year’s event, now ongoing, is about expensive chartered flights and celebrities, which certainly wasn’t the vibe when I attended in 2002. Santa Cruz’s contingent of burners, known as “unSCruz,” is still around (and presumably now at the event). For years, unSCruz would plan a regional Burning Man-style get-together, to reconnect with friends from the Playa. They have an event planned for 2025 already — May 1-4, in fact. But it’s a bit far afield, happening at the San Benito County Fairgrounds in Tres Pinos, a bit south of Hollister. Sure, it’s a bit of a drive, but it beats the Mad Max apocalyptic trip getting to and getting back from the Black Rock Desert.
That’s all I got, friends. Come at me with comments, ideas, complaints, or thundering insights. Thanks to all Lookout members for your faith and support, and please, spread the word on what we’re doing.