LA VERDAD [photo credit: Levitt VIBE Pasadena Music Series]
La Verdad, a Los Angeles Latin funk and salsa ensemble, plays a free concert Saturday, Sept. 5, at Pasadena’s Memorial Park, the ninth of 10 shows in the Levitt VIBE Pasadena Music Series.
Doors at the band shell, 85 E. Holly St., open at 6 p.m. and the show begins at about 6:30 p.m., according to the series’ website, which lists The Midnight Jazz Project as the opening act on The VIBE Set, a warm-up slot sponsored by the Rose Bowl Stadium. No ticket or registration is required.
Led by Gabrielito Gonzalez, a former member of the band Quetzal, La Verdad has spent more than a decade blending salsa and funk with jazz and contemporary urban rhythms, according to the series’ website. The band’s shows lean on horn lines and high-energy rhythms, and its members lead workshops and songwriting residencies in schools, community centers and correctional facilities through partners including the Alliance for California Traditional Arts, the site says. The group has played Grand Performances, Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles and the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts.
The Levitt VIBE series, presented by the Pasadena Recreation and Parks Foundation and produced with the city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, returned free concerts to the WPA-era band shell in July. Memorial Park was home to Levitt Pavilion Pasadena from 2003 through 2017, when free summer concerts drew more than 75,000 people a year, according to the Levitt Foundation. The foundation said this year’s lineup was built around the city’s Latin, African American, Asian Pacific and Armenian traditions, with an eye to Northwest Pasadena’s recovery from the Eaton Fire.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who said her office supports the series, urged residents to catch the show in her Sept. 4 newsletter.
Lawn chairs, blankets, outside food and coolers are welcome; alcohol, glass containers, pop-up tents and pets in the seating area are not, according to the series’ frequently asked questions. There is no dedicated parking lot. Concerts go on rain or shine except in extreme weather, ADA seating is limited and first come, and the event includes a Kid Zone.
The season’s final concert on Sept. 12 features Jon B, the R&B singer-songwriter whose albums “Bonafide” and “Cool Relax” went platinum, and Troop, the vocal group started by five Pasadena teenagers who parlayed a TV talent-show win into a record deal and scored No. 1 R&B singles with “Spread My Wings” and “All I Do Is Think of You,” according to the series’ website. Angie Fisher opens.
Levitt VIBE Pasadena Music Series: La Verdad, Saturday, Sept. 5, Memorial Park band shell, 85 E. Holly St., Pasadena. Doors 6 p.m., show about 6:30 p.m. Free.