Symphonic Spectacle

OUTDOOR SUMMER “POPS” CONCERTS are as American as hot dogs, fireworks and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. Too bad Tchaikovsky wasn’t born in Washington, D.C., like John Philip Sousa. But has there ever been a San Diego Symphony Summer Pops season that did not end with Tchaikovsky’s music accompanied by cannons firing and the red-white-and-blue glare of skyrockets bursting in air? However, Sousa does get the very last word, with “The Stars and Stripes Forever” blaring during the aerial explosions.

This year Sousa is a “bookend,” a term used by symphony executive director Edward B. “Ward” Gill to describe the first concert (“An American Salute,” June 30–July 2) that helps prop up a shelf-long stack of programs stretching to the other bookend (“Tchaikovsky Spectacular,” September 1-3). All that happens in between is a bit like the old Ed Sullivan Show, to use another Gill metaphor: It’s a whole variety of things, ranging from Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons (July 7 and 8) through the return of the Peking Acrobats (July 21 and 22) to “Red, White and Bluegrass with Ricky Skaggs” and “Kentucky Thunder” (August 4 and 5) and “Motown’s Greatest Hits with the Contours” (August 11 and 12).

“Something for everyone” is clearly the motto. The series also includes Righteous Brother Bill Medley (August 18 and 19); Burt Bacharach (August 20); “Sinatra Sings Sinatra” with Frank Sinatra Jr. (August 25 and 26); and “The Music of Led Zeppelin” (August 31).

Fans of Middle Earth had better hurry. Almost sold out already is “Lord of the Rings: A Symphony in Six Movements,” an added multimedia event involving more than 150 performers and requiring a reconfiguration of the Embarcadero Marina Park South venue for one night only (July 20).

Using about 65 percent of the regular-season musicians, the Summer Pops has found its formula for success, one that pays its own way (although not for the winter season, as so many believe). “Pops” concerts elsewhere may present light classics (in concerts originally conceived for the Boston Symphony back in 1885, and carried forth memorably between 1930 and 1979 by Arthur Fiedler), but the programs here find time for things like “Broadway Today! Andrew Lloyd Webber and More” (July 14 and 15) and “Classics from the Movies” (July 28 and 29). Of course, the Boston Pops has had the same sort of programming under the more recent directorships of John Williams and Keith Lockhardt.

The names Lockhardt, Williams and Fiedler say “Boston Pops.” But our Summer Pops has no permanent figurehead for its brand name. That may change. According to Gill, Marvin Hamlisch will assume leadership of the Winter Pops programs. Until then, Matthew Garbutt is the Man of Summer.

What makes the San Diego event so special, says Gill, is its “exquisite setting” surrounded by water and boasting beautiful sunset views. Food concessions and additional entertainment are adjacent to the main concert space. On Padres game nights, it’s a good idea to come half an hour early (gates open at 6 p.m.) and park in one of the several available lots. All concerts, except on July 20, start at 7:30 p.m. (Rings fans should be there by 8:15.)

Gill claims the bay breezes usually die down around 7:30 p.m.—but have those light blankets handy. When you hear that first Sousa march, you’ll know summer’s arrived.

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