A killer concert from a handful of rock legends capped off the City of Oldsmar’s yearlong centennial celebration on Saturday night.
All year long, the Oldsmar 100 People’s Centennial committee has done a masterful job of creating, promoting and putting on a slew of special events in honor of the city’s 100th birthday, including dinners and concerts, parades and festivals.
But after last weekend’s Legends of Rock Centennial Concert at Tampa Bay Downs, there was no doubting the committee saved its best for last.
Nearly two thousand classic rock fans packed the horse track on Race Track Road to hear their favorite tunes from select members of Journey, Kansas, Blue Oyster Cult and the Beaver Brown Band, and after the electric show concluded at 10:00 p.m. on the dot, it was clear the city closed out it’s yearlong centennial celebration with a bang.
“We did it!” concert chair Becky Afonso said to Oldsmar100 committee chair Dan Saracki as soon as former Journey lead singer Steve Augeri finished his show closing set.
“The volunteers and the city staff did an amazing job—everybody did their job and knew their positions—and when you have that, it makes everything go smoothly,” she added. “We couldn’t have done it without their help.”
Saracki, who for the past two years has juggled his chairperson duties with his full time job and his position on the City Council, concurred.
“I could not ask for a better ending to the City of Oldsmar’s 100th birthday celebration!” Saracki wrote Oldsmar Connect. “Steve Augeri, Buck Dharma, John Cafferty, Michael Antunes, Robby Steinhardt and the whole Stormbringer band. These guys rocked the house!”
“When the volunteer Centennial Task Force was formed back in October 2014, our goal was to bring the people together, and music is a great way to do that,” he continued.
“The Centennial Concert was a vision that would not have been possible without the teamwork of the City of Oldsmar, Concert Chair Becky Afonso, Promoter Mike Vandiver, City Clerk Ann Nixon, Mayor Bevis, Gina Rogers, Tampa Bay Downs and all our sponsors and volunteers. Seeing the smiles on the nearly 2,000 people who came to the show made it all worth it!”
Indeed, there were smiles all around as radio hits instantly recognizable to people of a certain age (yours truly included) were belted out by the legendary artists, who were capably backed by local rockers Stormbringer.
“Don’t Fear the Reaper,” “Dust in the Wind,” “On the Dark Side,” and “Don’t Stop Believing,” among others, had the crowd singing along from the box seats to the trackside apron, with some fans having traveled across the state to see the show.
“I’m here to see Steve,” Orlando resident Julie Bragg said of the former Journey frontman from her spot at the front of the fence. “I love Journey so much, I had to drive out here to see this show.”
While Bragg said she thought the track wasn’t an ideal location for a concert, Saracki insisted the musicians loved it.
“Each one loved the venue and said they should have more concerts at the Downs,” he said.
Time will tell if the Race Track Road venue plays host to any more concerts.
But what’s not in doubt is the future of Saracki’s side career.
“Someone asked me the other day if I wanted to organize another event, and I said no, absolutely not!”
Here’s a photo gallery from the Legends of Rock Centennial Concert on Saturday night:
Leave a Reply