The TD Concerts At The Pier series got off to a good start last Saturday night, according to White Rock BIA director Douglas Smith.
The free concert on White Rock's waterfront – with rising indie band Good For Grapes and opening acts David Sinclair and Keith Bennett and Rich Hope – drew strong attention from restaurant patio patrons and the post-dinner, promenade-strolling crowd Smith said.
"Between 7 and 10 p.m., I'd say some 2,500 people saw at least part of the concert," he said.
"At any one time, there was between 500 and 750 people by the stage, although people were coming and going all the time."
Sponsored by TD Canada Trust, and RE/MAX, and co-presented by the City of White Rock and White Rock BIA, with assistance from the Peak Performance Project, the series is aimed at raising the profile of the city as a musical destination with a high-visibility event.
This Saturday's headliner (July 11, 7-10 p.m.) will be Fast Romantics, with opening acts Tea Petrovic and Sarah Wheeler.
Coming up will be The Boom Booms (July 18, with Colleen Rennison and Bend Sinister); Gary Comeau and the Voodoo All Stars (July 25, with Ben Rogers and Lester Quitzau); and The Matinee (Aug. 8, with Tonye Aganaba and Blue Moon Marquee).
"It's a perfect setting," Smith said about the series' stage location, adjacent to the iconic pier.
"It's all about the music and showcasing our community to a wider audience."
Smith said an informal survey of listeners at Saturday's concert identified a lot of out-of-town visitors.
"There were lots from Washington State, lots of people vacationing, or coming in from places like Langley and Abbotsford."
Smith, whose past credits include New Westminster's Concerts at the Quay series, said the series is being studied closely to see how it can become a sustainable continuing event.
"The next step is to determine how we would like the concert series to evolve," he said.
"We're considering involving food and other vendors, identifying other sponsors, and how we can improve the whole customer experience. We would try to get our local restaurants and businesses involved – we'd want them to participate, rather than bringing in food trucks, but we weren't able to get that organized in time for this year."