Families swarmed Central Park on Saturday as they kicked back, listened and danced to Spice Girls tribute band Wannabe during 2019’s first installment of Concerts in the Park.
The park was full of families and friends who gathered to hear Wannabe perform a slew of Spice Girls hits, such as “Wannabe” and “Say You’ll be There,” and other songs like “Lady Marmalade” and ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.”
Friends and co-workers Mary Jo Rossiter and Jessica Bakshi wanted to spend the night out while staying in town.
“Who doesn’t love the Spice Girls?” Bakshi said. “It’s definitely my era, I don’t know about her era.”
Rossiter replied, “My kids all love the Spice Girls.”
Halfway across Central Park, Tabitha Kafesjian and Willow Aragno laid out two large blankets, where they sat with their dogs Pirate and Rebel. Saturday was ladies night, they said.
“We grew up with the Spice Girls,” Aragno said. “We’re glad to be here — (we’re) super-fans.”
Kafesjian said she’s tried to attend each installment of Concerts in the Park, while Aragno remembered 40 Oz. to Freedom, a Sublime tribute band that performed last year. Like Rossiter and Bakshi, they liked spending time together and having fun without needing to go far.
LeShon Carter and her husband, Rickie, said they decided to stop by after they started their day with a long bike ride. LeShon said this was a way to end the day “just perfectly.”
“It’s a nice day to just chill out and enjoy the music,” LeShon said. “Good times, I like it.”
After a morning of biking, the Carters saw this was happening in their neighborhood and decided to check it out for the first time.
“I’m sitting at home on the couch, I’m about to fall asleep,” said Rickie. “Then the next thing you know (she said), ‘Let’s go.’ And I’m glad we did, because it’s better than falling asleep on the couch.”
LeShon said she looks forward to seeing Mirage, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band, on Aug. 3.
“My dad had me listening to Fleetwood Mac,” she said.
For the full lineup of Concerts at the Park for 2019, go to calendar.santa-clarita.com/concerts_in_the_park.