“Sometimes
you wanna go where everybody knows your name.” If you show up regularly at Mesa
Arts Center for the free outdoor lunch concerts, there’s a good chance you’ll
make new friends and people will start to know your name. That is the
atmosphere and camaraderie at the Out to Lunch concerts. People who haven’t
seen each other for a while run into each other, people sit and listen to good
music, people watch other people listen to good music. It’s all good! At every
concert, the concert hostess, Shawn Lawson, has fun raffle giveaways and
information for attendees. Visit the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum at no charge
before or after a concert, learn about local businesses, or visit the box
office if you are interested in shows that are coming up.
Bring your
own lunch, or buy wonderful food such as chili, wraps or brownies from Life of
the Party catering tent. Come early if you want premium seating, as hundreds of
people attend each concert. There is seating around the campus, and you are
welcome to bring your own folding chairs, or stadium cushions. If you want to
fly under the radar, shade trees and corners of campus offer a more private
spot to hang out and hear the show. All ages enjoy live music and beautiful
weather: teens from a nearby charter school, college students from the new
downtown Liberal Arts colleges, downtown office workers and store employees,
empty nesters and retired people, and parents with small children. Judy of Mesa
said, “I used to attend with my sister. I had to drag my husband to the first
one. Now he never wants to miss a concert!”
Concerts
start Thursday, November 7, 2013, at 12:30 pm-1:30 pm, and are every Thursday
through December 19, 2013, except Thanksgiving. The first concert is Nuevo
Nuance, Devon Bridgewater’s Latin jazz trio, playing upbeat jazz and standards
such as “But Not for Me.” The music this fall includes classic rock, a handbell
ensemble and holiday classics. Concerts in the spring include 50s, 60s, 70s
music, Beatles and Beach Boys tribute bands. The Employees Community Fund of
Boeing Mesa is the sponsor for Out to Lunch and the entertainment.
We’d love to
see you and get to know your name; come and join the party! For a complete list
of fall Out to Lunch concerts, check the Mesa Arts Center website: http://www.mesaartscenter.com/index.php/events/free-events/FallOuttoLunchConcertSeries.
