Category Archives: Meet the Artist

Get ready to dance because the Levitt National Tour is back! After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the tour will return in 2022 with a six-venue run, highlighting the collective impact of the Levitt network and a common mission to build community through music. Sharing that vision, The New Respects, a rising trio known for bright, feel-good tracks stacked with lush harmonies and propulsive beats that get all ages dancing, will headline the Levitt National Tour this summer. The tour kicks off at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks, on Saturday, June 4, and continues on to Levitt Pavilion Dayton, Friday, June 10; Levitt Pavilion Denver, Wednesday, July 13; Levitt Shell Sioux Falls, Saturday, July 16; Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles, Saturday, August 27; and concludes Labor Day weekend at Levitt Pavilion Arlington on Sunday, September 4, 2022.

Women's History Month

After listing the definition, Merriam-Webster refers to stereotype as “an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic.” Breaking this “his”tory of bias, we continue to celebrate Women’s Herstory Month by highlighting some past Levitt performers who inspire us, not only by their artistry on stage, but what they represent off the stage. Continue reading

shutterstock_1628365282There are so many valuable contributions from musicians and performers that bring joy to our lives and feed our musical souls. While we can’t know every artist in the history of music, there are many who are not household names, but should be! In honor of Black History Month, we’re sharing the stories of three powerful female trailblazers—Florence Price, Mamie Smith and Sister Rosetta Tharpe—who by the nature of discrimination toward their race and gender, haven’t reached the echelons of notoriety their musical genius deserves. Learn and listen below!
Continue reading

LNT

Next summer, Southern raconteur Paul Thorn and his six-piece band will team up with five-time GRAMMY-winning Gospel legend, Blind Boys of Alabama, for a one-of-a-kind musical collaboration as headliners of the 2018 Levitt National Tour. Levitt audiences across the country will experience these exhilarating, soulful shows blending old-school gospel with rock, blues and country.

Taking place next June and July, the 2018 Levitt National Tour will stop in seven cities including Arlington, Texas; Bethlehem, Pa.; Dayton, Ohio; Denver; Los Angeles; Memphis; and Sioux Falls, S.D. (the future home of Levitt Shell Sioux Falls). The Tour follows on the heels of the 2017 Levitt National Tour, which featured Gulf Coast Soul sensation The Suffers, and previous Levitt National Tours featuring genre-busting violin outfit Black Violin (2015) and the world-music fusion of Playing For Change (2014).

Continue reading

Dirty Revival

Tonight audiences at the Levitt AMP Jacksonville Music Series, presented by Jacksonville Main Street, are in for a truly eclectic night of music with Portland big band Dirty Revival. Their kaleidoscopic take on funk, jazz and gritty soul is thrilling audiences around the country on an ongoing tour – and they’re making a stop in Jacksonville to welcome Levitteers at Central Park joining in on the fun!

Continue reading

The inspiration for Los Gaiteros De San Jacinto’s music is rooted in tradition; technically, the band started 77 years ago. As they share in this Meet the Artist video, their music narrates their experiences growing up, “the villages, the farmers, and the men who work the land” in their native Colombia. That’s why it was such an honor for them to take the stage at Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles back in 2012 on Colombian Independence day.

Dedicated to preserving their culture, and encouraging the practice of traditional Colombian Cumbia – a genre that has become less ubiquitous as generations pass by – the GRAMMY-winning Los Gaiteros De San Jacinto is recognized as one of the most important musical groups from their native country. They have even recorded music on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, a label that continues to press decades-old songs from the traditional North and South American songwriting canon.

The new generation of Los Gaiteros are passionate about bringing their music to the world, and spreading the joy of their music to cultures that aren’t typically exposed to Colombian Cumbia. Having an opportunity to perform at a community-building space like a Levitt Pavilion, for families from near and far, is a great joy for the group.

Meet more artists who have performed on Levitt stages on our website!


Last week we celebrated International Women’s Day by spotlighting a few of our favorite female artists, including several who’ve performed on Levitt stages. With Women’s History Month still in full swing, today we’re turning our attention to four more talented ladies. Blame Sally—an all-female collaboration of San Francisco-based singer-songwriters—is no stranger to Levitt stages. Since forming in 2000, the group has moved audiences across the globe with their rich harmonies, eclectic folk/pop/Americana instrumentation (from stompboxes to fiddles) and heartfelt performances—including at Levitt pavilions in Arlington, Texas (2011, 2009) and Pasadena Calif. (2014, 2010). Continue reading


Singer-songwriter Paul Thorn has a heavy touring schedule of about 150 shows a year, but what keeps the Southern rocker energized through it all is the “collaboration of joy” between artist and audience.  “I go out and try to lift people up,” he told us for this latest Meet the Artist video.

The Levitt veteran artist uses his music to spread positivity to the masses, because he knows that for many of his fans, there’s nothing like ending a long day with a night of music, especially at the Levitt Shell Memphis. It’s here where Thorn witnesses the power of music firsthand, with neighbors of all backgrounds coming together for a good time. “Magic,” indeed! 


Rocking and bopping across the country six months out of the year, the Emmy Award-nominated kindie rock group Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band share their music with the youngest of Levitteers! In 2014 and 2015 their tour stops included free concerts at both Levitt Pavilion Pasadena and Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles

In our latest Meet the Artist video, the band tells us why they love performing and making music for kids. “We have so many parents come up to us, beaming and totally joyful—like, ‘That was my kid’s first concert!’” said Alisha Gaddis, who co-founded the band with her husband Lucky Diaz. “It’s a really beautiful thing to be a part of their family’s memory and something that affected them so profoundly.”

Tonight, Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band returns to Levitt Pavilion Pasadena for its fifth Levitt concert, so bring out the kids for a hip-shaking good time! Want to learn more about Levitt artists? Check out the Levitt Foundation YouTube channel!

You might remember last summer’s Spotlight Series feature on Brave Combo, the genre-bending polka band that has wowed audiences for over 35 years. This week they’re highlighted in a new Meet the Artist video filmed at Levitt Pavilion Arlington, where the band has performed eight times including on the venue’s opening day back in 2008. Check out the video above to find out more about Brave Combo’s origins, eclectic musical style, and why they keep returning to perform at Levitt venues. Want to know more about this lively band’s history? Read below for five fun facts!

Continue reading