In case you weren’t invited to the UFC cage match on the White House lawn, there’s another way to celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary.
OperaSLO presents America Turns 250: Patriotic Pops and Veterans Tribute at the Clark Center on Sunday, June 28 (3 p.m.; all ages; $40 to $50 at clarkcenter.org with student and senior discounts available. You can also meet the maestro and soloists at an exclusive pre-concert reception where refreshments and charcuterie will be served for those who buy the $35 add-on ticket during checkout).
OperaSLO General and Artistic Director Brian Asher Alhadeff said the Clark Center is the perfect venue for this event, noting it’s the only local hall with inner symphonic wall framing: “That’s just a throwback to me growing up in Los Angeles, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and going to see the Los Angeles Philharmonic as a kid and dreaming about being a conductor.”
For this concert, the 617-seat venue will be filled with a large-scale orchestral event that celebrates American music, culture, military service, and our nation’s anniversary through a mix of Broadway favorites, Hollywood classics, Americana, patriotic music, and a special tribute to veterans and active-duty service members. Don’t worry. This is a politics-free celebration.
“I’m not one to try and teach a lesson or to say, ‘You better be in the concert hall because you need to experience this.’ It’s more like, ‘I love programming dessert music,’” Alhadeff explained. “I feel like a modern-day Lawrence Welk. I’m an entertainer. I’m here to bring good wholesome family experiences, and I really love the idea of bringing families together and creating forever memories.”
By way of explaining what audiences can expect, he asked, “Do you remember that old ride at Disneyland? I think it was called Hands Across America, where you’d sit in a chair, and there’d be a rotating thing on the stage, and you’d go all across America?”
‘I think the best thing we can do is try to celebrate the good, the positive, uplift ourselves. We are Americans, for better or for worse. I feel like if there’s a reason for me to be here, it’s to entertain people and make them happy. I’m most fulfilled when I’m bringing together a community for celebration and joy.’
—Maestro Brian Alhadeff, Opera SLO
He’s thinking of Soarin’ Across America, the flight simulator ride that offered an aerial tour of U.S. landmarks such as the Grand Canyon, New York Harbor, the Great Plains, Mount Rushmore, and Hawaii while stirring patriotic symphonic music played.
“It was one of those sit-down-in-an-air-conditioned-room-and-do-nothing rides after you’ve been waiting in line for hours on roller coasters,” Alhadeff laughed. “It was a great sort of 5-minute tour of America. And so, in many ways, that’s what the program that I’m trying to do here by giving a 90-minute aural trip through the United States.”
During part of the concert, his orchestra will run through the theme songs from the various branches of the military, including the new Space Force theme, and when veterans or active-duty servicepeople in attendance hear their branch’s song, they’ll be encouraged to stand and be applauded for their service. That sounds like a wonderful tribute.
You can also expect a rarely performed Stravinsky arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner”; favorites by Leonard Bernstein, Henry Mancini, Walter Murphy, Leroy Anderson, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and George Gershwin; the “Official West Point March”; Victor Herbert’s “March of the 22nd Regiment”; the sweeping overture from The High and the Mighty by Dimitri Tiomkin; and John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.”
Alhadeff said audiences will even hear a little disco—a very American genre.
Two of the guest artists are baritone Ralph Cato and soprano Thalia Moore.
“Another sound of America is George Gershwin,” Alhadeff said. “I mean, when we think about Gershwin, I don’t think anybody can experience him anywhere on planet Earth without thinking of America. So, we’ll do the Central Coast premiere of ‘Bess, You Is My Woman Now’ from Porgy and Bess. Both Ralph and Talia are African American singers. Ralph is a fantastic baritone that I’ve worked with since, my goodness, about 2005, so about 20 years. And Thalia is brand new. She’s a young gal just making her way through the music world in Los Angeles, and just a wonderful soprano.”
OperaSLO principal cellist Megan Chartier will give the Central Coast premiere of Victor Herbert’s Cello Concert No. 2.
“Herbert’s most famous for Babes in Toyland, but he also wrote a beautiful cello concerto that’s rarely performed,” Alhadeff explained. “So, we’re going to uplift Chartier. She’s also the director of the cello program at Cal Poly and just a fine cellist.”
There’s so much more—expect a full 90 minutes of patriotic American music—but Alhadeff recognizes we’re living in politically divided times, and that for many, embracing patriotism can feel challenging in our current climate. Still, he hopes his concert unites.
“I think the best thing we can do is try to celebrate the good, the positive, uplift ourselves. We are Americans, for better or for worse. I feel like if there’s a reason for me to be here, it’s to entertain people and make them happy. I’m most fulfilled when I’m bringing together a community for celebration and joy.”
Rap, mariachi, country, and rock
Good Vibez at the Fremont Theater has a quartet of concerts from very different genres this week. Baltimore rapper Shordie Shordie plays on Friday, June 19 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $33.96 general or $154.73 VIP meet and greet at prekindle.com). He got his start in 2015 with the trio Peso Da Mafia alongside his brother Lor Dee and cousin PDM Purp, scoring a 2017 regional hit “Money Man.” When he went solo, he scored a big hit with “Bitchuary.” Poiison opens
Mariachi Sol de Mexico de José Hernandez brings south of the border sounds to SLO on Saturday, June 20 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $32.93 to $63.32 at prekindle.com). If you’re a fan of lively mariachi music, Hernandez is a master—a Grammy Award-winning world-renowned musician, composer, and music educator.
Austin-based Western swing act Asleep at the Wheel (AATW) plays on Wednesday, June 24 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $50.96 to $87 at prekindle.com).
“Austin was and has been everything I could have ever wished for and more,” band leader and sole remaining founding member Ray Benson said in press materials. “It’s been 55 years for AATW as a band, and 50 of them have been spent in Texas. We are known worldwide for being a Texas band and playing Texas and Western swing music. It brings us great pride to carry this torch and responsibility. We don’t take it lightly!”
Finally, virtuoso guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Buckethead plays on Thursday, June 25 (doors at 7, show at 8 p.m.; all ages; $46.32 at prekindle.com). It’s impossible to attach a single genre to his sound because he’s very eclectic, and to say he’s prolific would be a gross understatement. He’s got 31 studio albums, but he also has released hundreds of mini albums in his Pike series that’s numbered sequentially like a comic book series.
Hair metal, covers, horror pop, and psychedelica
The Siren’s got something for everyone this week, starting with The Dirt—a celebration of sexy Hollywood Sunset Strip glam rock on Friday, June 19 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $18.48 at tixr.com). This hair metal ’80s tribute hails from the source: the Sunset Strip.
According to their bio, “The Dirt is a group of sleazy dirt bags dressed in leather, makeup, and long hair. The energy from the show is contagious and every No. 1 hit from the biggest ’80s hair metal bands is played to perfection. You get all the biggest songs in one night without having to hire multiple bands.”
Hear hits by Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Guns N’ Roses, Poison, Ratt, Skid Row, Bon Jovi, and Quiet Riot.
Faultline Band plays a matinee show on Saturday, June 20 (2 to 5 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). Expect a dance party with rockin’ country, rock, and blues covers from the ’60s to today.
Later that same day, Russian act Messer Chups brings its surf rock and beyond sounds to Morro Bay (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $23.77 at tixr.com). According to their bio, they appeal to “fans of rockabilly, horror punk, vintage surf records, Italian slasher films, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Pulp Fiction, lounge music, the theremin, The Cramps, and the theme song from The Munsters.”
They mix Russian melodies, lounge loops, and scratchy historical recordings into their sound, and they perform before “a video-collage backdrop of mid-century trashy cult and horror movie clips featuring Russ Meyer and Ed Wood, and superstars like Vampira and Bela Lugosi in a zombie mash-up.”
Finally, psychedelic trio Crystal Moon Wizard plays on Thursday, June 25 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; free), creating soundscapes inspired by Pink Floyd and King Gizzard.
Reggae and Pride
SLO Brew Live at Rod & Hammer Rock presents reggae legends Israel Vibrations & Roots Radics on Wednesday, June 24 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $44.20 at ticketweb.com). One of Jamaica’s most enduring reggae vocal groups, Israel Vibration emerged from Kingston in the 1970s with “a sound rooted in harmony, spirituality, and resilience,” their bio explained.
The three founding members were each affected by polio as children and met at the Mona Rehabilitation Clinic in Kingston. The group remains deeply committed to their Rastafarian faith. They continue to tour globally with backing band Roots Radics. Rastan opens.
Pride at the Rock with DJs Hungry Boi, Sam Stearns, and Dylan Riley happens on Thursday, June 25 (doors at 8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $20.79 at ticketweb.com).
“Join us for a Pride celebration built around what matters most, community, connection, and a great night of music,” the club announced. “Enjoy an evening full of feel-good house music, disco, pop edits, and plenty of reasons to stay on the dance floor. Whether you’re celebrating with old friends, making new ones, or just looking for a fun night out, this is a chance to come together and celebrate the incredible diversity that makes our community special. Come as you are, bring your people, and help us kick off summer with a night full of love, acceptance, and good vibes.”
Music near the Mission
It’s that time of the year again when every Friday afternoon turns into a community party. I speak, of course, about the annual Concerts in the Plaza series that kicks off on Friday, June 19, with reggae superstar Ras Danny opening at 5 p.m., followed by the R&B, soul, and funk of The Groove Collective. The free concert in front of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is open to the public and family friendly. Refreshments are available for purchase. Bring your reusable cup. ∆
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Winning Images 2026.
