Ten years after steadily growing its attendance, South San Francisco’s annual Concert in the Park expects its largest-ever turnout, as the genre-bending rock band Ozomatli headlines the event next month.
The concert, which takes place at Orange Memorial Park, was originally conceived as a jazz concert, but city staff quickly realized the community was looking for more variety.
“Initially, after talking to community members, they said, ‘that’s not so much what we want,’” Parks and Recreation Director Greg Mediati said. “It wasn’t what folks wanted to go out and gather in the park for … then we got Pacific Mambo Orchestra, and it was a big hit.”
Since then, musical artists have spanned countless musical genres, from the ‘90s rock bands like Blessed Union of Souls to Latin jazz and groups like Malo.
“We want bands that we think the community would resonate with and have in the past resonated with — something that is representative of our community makeup,” Mediati said.
Last year’s concert likely drew more than 6,000 people, though Mediati said the city expects significantly more people for this concert, which will be held 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 20.
Ozomatli, originally hailing from Los Angeles, is known for unique blend of hip hop, rock, salsa and jazz, with lyrics rooted in political activism and social issues. Mediati said the city had been trying to book the band for several years.
“This is our third year trying to get Ozomatli. Each year they have shown interest in participating, and we got really lucky with their schedule this year,” he said. “They’re on their 30-year anniversary tour so the stars aligned for us this year.”
The event will also include a performance from the Bay Area-based cover band Livewire.
Unlike prior events, vendor tents will be located in parking lots, opening the meadow area for more attendees to sit and enjoy the space, and the city also partnered with private sponsors such as South City-based Genentech for the event.
“It’ll be hard to outdo ourselves next year,” Mediati said.
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