BAND TOGETHER
THEconcerts are coming. And they’re coming at such great frequency that even the local promoters are a bit surprised at their good fortune. Jamie Lenfestey and Tim Franke created Lensic 360 last year in the hopes of bringing more acts to Santa Fe. Now, 16 months later, it seems as though they’re adding another concert or act every time you check their site.
“Tim and I both laugh at it; we don’t know why we do this to ourselves,” Lenfestey says of Lensic 360’s crowded summer schedule. “We’re all gung ho and booking like crazy and making these shows happen and then all of a sudden, you go, ‘Oh, god.’ The summer is supposed to be a relaxing time. People have vacations, and we just kick our asses all summer long.”
It seems the concert-loving public appreciates the efforts: Lenfestey and Franke say that about 90 percent of the Lensic 360 shows at the Lensic Performing Arts Center and the Kimo Theatre in Albuquerque are selling out.
Lensic 360 also recently released the schedule for the 2024 Summer Scene series at the Santa Fe Plaza and Railyard Park, among other venues. The lineup will include more than 50 free concerts and a slate of seven movies — including Barbie, Kung Fu Panda 4, and The Wizard of Oz — that will screen at Railyard Park this summer for free.
“I understand the ticketed shows pay the bills and some of the big shows are fun, but I get more joy out of the Summer Scene than anything else,” says Franke. “Attendance last year was record-breaking. We’re excited for it, and the community is so behind it. The businesses and the sponsors and the city have been very positive.”
Franke rattled off several free shows that he predicts will offer a great audience experience, including the Digable Planets, who will be headlining a hip-hop festival at the Railyard on August 9. Franke also singled out La Dame Blanche, who will play the Railyard July 12, the night before the International Folk Art Market, and Fantastic Negrito (playing August 26) as acts that might be flying under the radar.
For the younger crowd, there’s Santa Fe Salutes: Taylor Swift, a tribute that will include several local artists who will converge on the Railyard to play songs for Swifties.
“We do Santa Fe Salutes every year, and that’s been wildly successful,” Franke says. “We aggregate all the musicians in the community, and generally where it started is we’d pick an artist who had passed away and do a tribute to them. But there’s so much Taylor Swift fever; we talked to people in the community, and it felt like that’s what they really wanted to do.”
Headliners and pop concerts aren’t the only game in town. This summer will also be packed with symphonies, sopranos, and sonatas. The following is a preview of the season’s lineup that might make you want to save the date.