Glendale planning for May launch of downtown music series

By Steve Stockmar
Twitter: @stevestockmar

An outdoor Glendale music series that was to debut last year before coronavirus put it on hold is still trying to commit to a safe schedule.

The Live!@Murphy Park Music Series was to launch in April of 2020 before, like most everything across the state, it was canceled on March 17 to prevent gatherings during the early stages of the pandemic’s outbreak. One year later almost to the day, the spring series that the city was tentatively hoping to re-launch in April has been postponed to a hopeful May opening.

“Although the numbers of COVID cases in our state are trending down, in coordination with our incident command team, we believe it is in the best interest of our community to move the event to May,” Heidi Barriga, the city’s special events administrator, stated in an email to The Glendale Independent.

The free series will eventually take place at the E. Lowell Rogers Amphitheatre in Historic Downtown Glendale. Local and regional music acts will take the stage between 7 and 9 p.m. from Thursday through Sunday for a month-long series.

The inaugural series was to kick off in 2020 with Valley blues legend Carvin Jones. The varied series also was scheduled to include everything from country to hip hop to Latin to reggae and rock and roll. The series was also designed to draw visitors to Glendale’s downtown shops and merchants.

Steve Stockmar
News Editor | Sun Life Magazine & Arts & Entertainment YourValley.net
@stevestockmar

sstockmar@iniusa.org

Meet Steve
Steve Stockmar joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2017, and has been an Arizona journalist for almost 30 years. He serves as editor of Sun Life Magazine and contributes to West Valley communities where he focuses mostly on arts & culture, education, and profiles of neighbors making a difference.

Community: Every season Steve serves as a “buddy” with the Miracle League of Arizona in Scottsdale, has volunteered his time with Family Promise in Glendale, and previously served on the Ghostlight Theatre board in Sun City West.

Education: Graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff with a Journalism major and English minor.

Random Fact: Steve once won a 50-player live Texas Hold ’Em poker tournament.

Hobbies: Anguishing over his beloved Chicago Cubs and Bears; listening to Beatles and Grateful Dead music.