Elkhart’s second annual Celebration Under the Stars concert Saturday night seems to have exceeded organizers’ expectations. Will it return next year?
Last year organizers were excited when Kool & the Gang and the Commodores drew 15,000 people for a free concert on downtown’s Central Green. On Saturday, they say nearly 26,000 turned out for the Jacksons, represented by sole Jackson 5 survivor Marlon, followed by Boyz II Men, which had three of its four original members.
Putting on the show was the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Friends of the Lerner. Lerner Theatre Director Carl Thompson says there’s an art to picking the performers and they seem to have done well so far. They'll soon start thinking about whether to try again next year.
“We sort of survey the national market, determine what’s available, what we can book that’s most conducive to our market and to our community’s taste and needs and interests," Thompson says. "We do find that having two distinct acts makes for a really exciting evening so that’s the goal, to bring in two acts for the performance and try to appeal to the broadest audience possible.”
