Brave Combo Kicks Off Levitt Pavilion Arlington’s Free Fall Concert Season This Weekend
Happy 10th birthday, Levitt Pavilion Arlington! In a decade-long tradition that has yet to be broken, Levitt Pavilion Arlington opens its fall season of free concerts this Friday night with everybody's favorite Grammy-winning nuclear polka band, Brave Combo.
Friday, August 31
Friday's concert, presented by Prince Lebanese restaurant, starts at 8 p.m. Brave Combo was the first band to perform on the Levitt stage on Oct. 10, 2008, when the brand-spanking new Levitt Pavilion Arlington opened as the Levitt Foundation's first Texas pavilion and the first Levitt to be built from the ground up. This year marks the 10th Brave Combo concert, making them the band that has played on the Levitt stage the most often.
Brave Combo performs at Levitt Pavilion Arlington this Friday, August 31, 2018. Photo Courtesy of Brave Combo.
There is no other band quite like Brave Combo. The songs in their groove-infused repertoire range from revved-up Russian dirge to tripped-out Latin cha-cha and rockified old-school lounge to lowdown Tex-Mex hippie shake with a little trancey Greek circle swing to the obvious stuff, like polka, twist, samba, hora and the heaviest, most demonic Hokey Pokey ever. Brave Combo concert night also serves as the Levitt's official birthday celebration.
Saturday, September 1
Opening weekend continues at 8 p.m. with the 2016 winner of NBC's The Voice, Sundance Head.
Known in music circles as the founder of country/soul, Sundance has written and recorded with ZZ Top, been a top finisher on not one, but two major network talent competitions, and has had three number one songs on the Texas Music charts. After honing his skills in high school and recording 100 hours of his own songs, Sundance traveled to Memphis to audition for American Idol. After several tries, he landed a spot on the show, and ultimately placed in the Top 13 on season six, impressing the judges with his searing vocals and lung power. Flash forward almost 10 years, and Sundance went after another singing competition title on NBC's The Voice, and was the 2016 winner. His concert is presented by Baylor Orthopedic & Spine Hospital at Arlington.
Sunday, September 2
Rock royalty comes to town at 8 p.m. when The Drifters make a return visit to the Levitt, presented by Dr Pepper/Snapple brands, 7Up, Squirt and Clamato. "Up on the Roof," "Under the Boardwalk," "This Magic Moment," "Spanish Harlem" "Stand by Me" - The Drifters' list of hits goes on and on. Since their inception in the 1950s as one of rock "n' roll's founding vocal groups, The Drifters have had decades of hits that made them the second most successful recording artists of all time, according to Billboard magazine. Along with fellow inductees, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Supremes, The Drifters were in the first class of legends to be initiated into the Rock "n' Roll Hall of Fame and the first African-American group to be inducted. Their classic tune, "Under the Boardwalk," is the most played R&B record of all time.
Click here to see the Levitt Pavilion's fall concert schedule.
Levitt Pavilion Arlington is located at 100 W. Abram St. in Founders Plaza. Audiences are seated on an open lawn and can bring lawn chairs and blankets, picnics and coolers with beverages. Concessions are sold at the pavilion, including beer and wine.
The Levitt's only paid-ticket concert wraps up the fall concert season when Texas Health/Arlington Memorial Hospital presents Barenaked Ladies Oct. 13, featuring special guest Daphne Willis. Tickets for Barenaked Ladies are on sale now on the Levitt website, levittpavilionarlington.org.
All concerts are free and family friendly except for Barenaked Ladies, which requires a ticket purchase. The Levitt has a 24-hour information line at 817.543.4301 and a free mobile app, Levitt Arlington.
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