CAMPBELL IS READY TO GROOVE again after one of the region’s largest free summer concert events was canceled last year.
The annual Campbell summer concert series is returning this year after downtown construction led to a yearlong hiatus, and the city is anticipating the economic windfall. The free concert series, featuring live music from local cover bands belting out classic 1980s tunes, begins July 10 in Orchard City Green at 6:30 p.m. and will continue every Thursday until Aug. 28. It’s an event local officials and residents said not only uplifts the community, but also boosts the city’s small business economy.
The event typically draws between 1,500 to 2,000 people to historic downtown Campbell, a block away from the main strip. Concert-goers often grab a bite or shop around the city before, during or after the show. Last year they were unable to do so because of ongoing construction at the new library and police headquarters. The projects are adjacent to Orchard City Green and are expected to be finished late summer or early fall thanks to Measure O, a $50 million bond voters approved in 2018.
Bands taking the stage this year include Smokin’ Slice of Mojo, Chain of Fools, San Benito County Line, The Cocktail Monkeys, Soul Kiss, Misspent Youth, Maneck and The Houserockers.
Nathan Donato-Weinstein, economic development manager, said the series’ return could help build on Campbell’s economic development plan as music lovers flood downtown streets again. The plan was implemented last year and partially focuses on boosting the downtown through community events while the city projected multimillion-dollar deficits.
“Economic spillover of events is real,” Donato-Weinstein told San José Spotlight. “Events like this absolutely do drive foot traffic, especially in a very compact downtown like Campbell.”
Ismail Duman, owner of downtown’s Naschmarkt, said he’s looking forward to the series’ return because it will likely help his business on a weeknight. The small restaurant serves up Austrian cuisine, including buttery spaetzle noodles, crispy fried schnitzel and smoked pork bratwurst.
“We need some more crowd and it should be good,” Duman told San José Spotlight.
The concerts have been a summer tradition for decades, drawing music lovers from all over Santa Clara County to the city’s grass dance floor.
Ken Johnson, executive director of the Campbell Chamber of Commerce, said even though the concerts were only gone for a summer, they were sorely missed. He said the economic boost to downtown’s business district is an added bonus to community spirit the event brings.
“It became a regular Thursday night thing for a lot of people,” Johnson told San José Spotlight. “It’s great music, and it’s just another thing that makes Campbell special.”
Other cities across the county also host free summer concerts, including San Jose, Cupertino and Sunnyvale.
But Campbell musicians and residents said they’re not as special because they don’t hire hyper-local bands year after year to rock the stage.
Campbell resident Fletcher Baker, lead singer for rock and blues cover band Chain of Fools, said he’s thrilled to play the summer concert series after applying to it for years and getting rejected. The band, which started in 2014, has played Campbell’s Boogie Festival about five times — but Baker said the summer concerts are exceptional because of the local bands.
“That makes it special,” he told San José Spotlight. “Everybody knows somebody in the band, there’s a lot of connection between the friends, family and fans of bands.”
Contact Annalise Freimarck at annalise@sanjosespotlight.com or follow @annalise_ellen on X.
This story originally appeared in San José Spotlight.
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