Fab Fun
Summer Soundzz series kicks off with a night of ‘The Beatles’ on the steps of the Civic
By Carl Kozlowski 07/08/2010
Andre Vener has long been a popular figure in the Pasadena social whirl as the owner of the popular redwhite&bluezz restaurant and nightclub in Old Pasadena. With his father, Victor Vener, conducting the CalPhil, the two have staked claims as two of the most innovative and visible music men in town.
Now Andre is taking Pasadena’s music scene to a new level with the four-concert Summer Soundzz series of concerts produced by his company, Pasadena Entertainment and featuring four of the hottest rock cover/tribute bands in the nation performing in the city’s hottest new showplace: the Pasadena Convention Center Plaza.
The inaugural show kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Friday night with a performance by Beatles tribute band The Fab Four, which puts on a high-energy show with three full costume changes designed to spotlight the three distinctive eras of the group’s career.
Subsequent shows will feature Superdiamond — a Neil Diamond tribute band whose fans include the singer himself — on July 23. After that, disco cover band Boogie Knights takes to the steps of the Civic Auditorium Aug. 6. The schedule wraps up Aug. 20 with a show by America’s No. 1 ’80s cover band, The Spazmatics.
Every one of these bands are great individually. Together, Andre says, they form a lineup that any city would envy, and which makes the younger Vener particularly proud.
“The Beatles are without a doubt the world’s best rock band of all time,” says Vener. “We work with their music at CalPhil and they’re the only band that works through generations, and it continues to get handed down through the generations. Superdiamond is blessed by Neil, and the Spazmatics are the ultimate ’80s band in the nation. And Boogie Knights will get everyone up and dancing.”
The series marks the most ambitious attempt in years at staging outdoor rock concerts in Pasadena, mainly because the city pulled the plug on loud events after complaints from nearby residents derailed concerts in Central Park, including the Playboy Jazz Festival. Vener is determined to prove naysayers wrong.
“I think the reason why a cover band/tribute band series works is that there’s a lot of people who want to revisit those memories, and then newer people want to see the closest thing they can to the real show of back in the days,” he says. “All they needed was 12 tenants from the Castle Green to shut down jazz festivals. But when the U2 concert was here or the [college football] Bowl Championship Series is in town, it’s an extra $50,000 profit per restaurant, plus hotels are booming for three days straight. This is a great thing for the city and we’re going to make it work.”
The Summer Soundzz concert series presents The Fab Four at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Pasadena Convention Center plaza, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Gates open at 7 p.m. General admission is $20, $30 for a table seat and $250 for a private table for 10. Season tickets for all four shows are $60 for general admission, $90 for a table seat and $750 for a private table for 10. Call (800) 745-3000 or visit coolpasadena.com, ticketmaster.com or the Pasadena Civic Auditorium Box Office on Fridays.
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