As the month of July comes to a close, so does the 21st season of the Friday Night Concerts in the Park. The city’s longest-running, outdoor music festival will come to a close on July 27th. The final concert will be headlined by local favorites The Brodys, who will bring their retro-pop sound to Cesar Chavez Plaza in their 15th Concerts in the Park appearance. Opening for The Brodys are local bands WRING and Hero's Last Mission. The free, all-ages concerts will take place 5 pm to 9 pm this Friday night. “It’s been an amazing Concerts in the Park season,” said Annie Stuckert, DSP Senior Manager of Event Operations and Development, “We entered our 21st year with record attendance, hugely p

The last show of the year had 3 bands playing that evening, This Luxury, Phantom Jets and  the Brodys performed Friday night. I got to Cesar Chavez Plaza too late to see This Luxury. Traffic from Folsom to downtown was pretty slow today. Thanks to Jerry Perry for putting on a great lineup week after week. Some of the same people showed up week after week and others were there for the first time, both are included in the shot below. (Mariana, DJ, Amanda, Brendon, Gabe, Damien) The begining of the Concerts in the Park in May signals, to me, the beginning of summer. The last concert of the season likewise may not be the end of summer but for many it's back to shool. Thanks to everyone t

Here it is, folks. Your very last chance to catch Friday Night Concerts in the Park at Cesar Chavez Plaza! This finale, outdoor, all-ages concert features The Phantom Jets and This Luxury and Headliners The Brodys. The music and festivities begin at 5 p.m. and run till 8 p.m. The concert features local rock and punk bands. In its 19th year, Friday Night Concerts in the Park still attracts huge crowds from all walks of life. Interesting vendors, delicious food stands, great live music and the ever-popular beer garden make for a fun and inexpensive summer evening for the whole family. Stop by The Sacramento Press booth and pick up a free balloon for the kids, enter a raffle, and sign up f

Consider this the weekend guide for anyone not heading out to San Francisco for Outside Lands. For those of you who are descending on Golden Gate Park on Saturday and/or Sunday, these are the bands you simply cannot miss: Beats Antique, Langhorne Slim, Dawes, the Whigs, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, and the Devil Makes Three. Don’t think, just do it. For everyone staying in town, it’s Second Saturday and the streets are sure to be packed. A couple of 2nd Sat music highlights include Radio Orangevale at the Bike Kitchen (7 p.m., 1915 I St.) and Ricky Berger at Sugar Plum Café (8 p.m., 2315 K St.). Both shows are $Free.99. Here’s what else is on deck for the week. Cheers! The Brod

The Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP) has released the 2010 schedule for the Friday Night Concerts in the Park. The free, outdoor concert series will rock Cesar Chavez Plaza (10th and J streets) every Friday night from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. starting May 7 though August 13. For the latest concert news, visit www.downtownsac.org/concerts. 2010 CONCERT SCHEDULE* May 7 - Kepi Ghoulie The Kelps, Dog Party, Simpl3jack May 14 - Rick Estrin & The Nightcats Low Down Dirty Dogs May 21 - Dance Gavin Dance Phallucy, Con of Man, Desario May 28 - Mike Farrell Aaron King & The Imperials, One Eyed Rhyno June 4 - Method Echo The Nibblers, Live Manikin June 11 - The Nickel Slots Los Blazing Hangovers

The Brodys bring more than musical instruments to their Concerts in the Park shows: They also bring props. They like to up the entertainment value of their shows by bringing a little something extra. One year, they brought a fake 30-foot shark to go with a beach theme. Another year they brought in a Brodys cover band who played the band's instruments while the group listened from the beer garden. Once, they brought the entire Cal Aggie Marching Band to play a song with them. "Every year we raise the bar for ourselves; we can't just go back to showing up and playing," said The Brodys' lead singer Tony Brusca. "People coming out will get good music and chuckles, too." This year they will