Twilight Concerts

My staff and I were digging through boxes of archival material and other "old stuff" recently when we stumbled across a treasure trove — T-shirts, posters and fliers spanning our 35-year run of the Twilight concerts (aka Twilight Dance Series, Twilight Concert Series, and Twilight on the Pier). Great stuff, right? They're available now on our merchandise page for you to own.

Twilight holds special memories for so many people, especially for me. I began working at the old Boathouse Restaurant on the Pier in September 1989, just after year #5 of the beloved series, and the whole town was still abuzz about how great those concerts were. In 1990, I found out for myself, and they were right.

Twilight did more than define summer in Santa Monica. It put the Pier back on the map at a time when many people believed the Pier was still closed, done in by the devastating 1983 storms. The concerts brought people back to see for themselves: the Pier was open, being rebuilt, and reimagined.

There are enough Twilight memories rattling around in my head to fill a book. Here are a few of my favorites:

In the 1980s and early 1990s, the stage sat where the Pacific Park Ferris wheel spins today, with the speakers facing inland. Bo Diddley, mid comeback at the time, headlined one of our shows, and it was so loud that noise complaints rolled in from as far away as 20th Street, nearly two miles inland. Coincidence or not, the next year we flipped the whole configuration: stage on the eastern end, speakers facing the ocean.

Another memory that still makes me smile: during the 26th Annual Twilight Dance Series in 2010, a legendary guitarist everyone had circled on their calendars canceled just days before the show. Our producers scrambled and booked soul singer Bettye LaVette instead. With barely any time to spread the word, most people showed up expecting to see him. Instead, they got one of the most inspiring performances the Pier has ever seen. The joy and awe in that crowd was something else.

There are so many more Twilight stories where these came from, and I'd love to hear yours.