Cool Canyon Nights Are Back At McKelligon Canyon

An entire series of free concert lies ahead for us. Here are the details and a couple of stories from past shows.

I wrote about some of my favorite concert memories recently and, now that the WestStar Cool Canyon Nights Summer Concert Series is finally up and running again, I thought I'd look back at a couple of those shows.

Every one of these shows has been great and the fact that they are FREE makes them even better. You can upgrade to the VIP section if you would like but, the shows themselves are all gratis. I've seen some of the Borderlands best "Local Locos" on the amphitheater stage and watched some, like the legendary Fungi Mungle, become "repeat offenders", tearing that stage up every year. (Find their 2022 date here.)

The weirdest Cool Canyon Nights experience was probably the show last year during which Mother Nature took hostages. A freak rain storm washed the road in and out of the canyon away and no one could leave. The food trucks were the real heroes that night, putting people ahead of profits and giving their food and drinks to the "captives" for free while a bulldozer cleared the road.

The best show I ever saw up there had to be the year that we flew Aranda in to perform. They killed it with a very special, acoustic ... but not exactly "mellow" ... set and it marked the first time we ever brought a big act like that in specifically to play the series. Those guys have always brought over the top performances with them and they are currently out supporting their new album; Recollections Of A Painted Year. It will hit stores on July 29th. Here is a sample for you ...

Hopefully, their travels will bring them back to El Paso. In the meantime there are plenty of Westtar Cool Canyon Nights concerts coming 'atcha. See the schedule here.

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