The American rock band Smash Mouth will perform at Cohen Stadium on June 26 as part of the Music Under the Stars series. The performance will be the fourth of eight shows in the 33rd season of El Paso’s annual free outdoor summer concert series.
This is the first year that the series will be divided between the stadium and its previous sole location at Chamizal National Memorial Park.
According to Erin Ritter, public affairs coordinator for the El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department, the change is due, in part, to the El Paso City Council’s recent investments in Cohen Stadium.
The stadium has undergone thousands of dollars in renovations since its use for baseball games by the former El Paso baseball team, the Diablos, to allow for its continued use as an entertainment venue.
“(It’s an opportunity to) share the community event with other parts of the city, build new audiences and strengthen our relationship with Fort Bliss families,” said Ben Fyffe, assistant director of MCAD.
Ritter said that the series, being somewhat of an El Paso tradition, also requires them to always be looking for ways to “keep it fresh and interesting.”
The ban on outside alcohol at the Chamizal hurt attendance for the concerts, said Ritter, but the addition of touring acts such as Los Lonely Boys in 2014, and Jenni and the Mexicats and Smash Mouth this year have helped their social media following and turnout.
“I used to go a lot with my fraternity, but I stopped going when they stopped serving beer,” said Jesus Placenia, a graduate student in environmental engineering. “The music was good and it was fun, but when they started charging for beer, and you could only have like two drinks at a time, it got kind of crazy.”
A recent show on June 12, which featured Mishael Coss and the Jackpots, had 1,400 attendees, and some people such as Myrna Allen, a summer camp coordinator at UTEP, are still very interested in going.
“I’ve never been to Music Under the Stars, but I really want to this year,” Allen said. “Just to sit back, relax and listen to the music they have and just to hang out with other people.”
Musical groups selected for Music Under the Stars also give free music workshops to under-served youth the day after their performances.
Smash Mouth will be the final show at Cohen Stadium this year.
The second half of the season will continue at the Chamizal beginning with the Fourth of July spectacular that will feature the El Paso Wind Symphony. The Spanish rock band Volta and cumbia group Discipulos de le Cumbia will perform the following weeks. The series will conclude on July 24 with Mariachi Alegre performing on Noche Ranchera night.
All shows are on Sundays from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
For information about Music Under the Stars, visit the MCAD website or call 212-0110.
Andria Granado may be reached at [email protected].
