Electric X Dance Band performed a free show at the Port of Redwood City, aiming to energize the audience.
“We’re bringing joy to people, and that’s something really special. I love that. It’s our contribution to make someone’s weekend happier and fun,” said David Szabados, the guitarist for Electric X. “Most of the good bands are playing for the crowd.”
The show was part of the Rock the Dock concert series, which is organized by a volunteer-led nonprofit, Live Music Fostering Community. The concerts are held at the port every Saturday, weather permitting.
Given the opportunity to play, Electric X and other bands have created a positive audience experience for multiple concertgoers.
“Here it’s always very festive. People are happy. They’re dancing, just enjoying the music, and it’s such a beautiful setting,” said Mary Tessier, a Rock the Dock concertgoer.
Officials are consistently investing in free concert series across the Bay Area even as pop artists’ tours continue to attract millions of fans and gross billions of dollars.
The California State Legislature invested $2.5 million in a six-month concert series in San Francisco this past April. It was free and open to the public.
The Levitt Foundation, which has given out more than $3.7 million in grants, chose the East Oakland neighborhood for a two-year pilot matching grant program for live music.
“There are so many concerts that a few people know about, but I haven’t heard of,” said Claire Lee, a Carlmont student who has gone to Celebrate the Music and Palo Alto community concerts. “I feel like cities should do more citywide announcements to promote the concerts.”
Free concerts give more local residents an opportunity to experience good entertainment, creating a sense of community in ways paid concerts cannot.
“In the concerts you have to pay for, there’s a bunch of people you don’t really know, and people are just cheering on the artist,” Lee said. “Local concerts provide a sense of belonging in that everyone is very accepting of each other. People will try to get you to join them in enjoying the music.”
These local concerts also offer opportunities for musicians to expand their playing while they adapt to audience tastes.
“I love the variety that Electric X plays because I’m learning different guitar styles that I would have never really done. A lot of the disco era stuff is sort of funk guitar style, and it’s very rhythmic, clean, and percussive” Szabados said. Szabados grew up listening to and playing metal guitar.
Although Szabados originally played original music, he says Electric X wants to play pop songs to invoke vivid memories and distract the audience.
“We thought it would be fun to play music that people are familiar with, that they would enjoy, that they could dance to and forget about their problems or their work stress,” Szabados said.
Attendees note that the opportunity to have a good time attracts crowds week after week to Rock the Dock.
“Being outdoors and in the sunshine and with live music, that’s my happy place. That’s the audience’s happy place,” said Jill Wetterstem, a regular concertgoer.
