Live Music Goes On Despite Nixed Festival

Quiksilver's first professional surf competition to hit the east coast sounded off Sunday, and although the surrounding festivities were canceled, Long Beach venues have made it a point to keep music alive throughout event.

Long Beach city officials last week announced that the festival portion of the Quiksilver Pro competition — including live music, BMX, motocross and skateboarding events — were canceled due to the damage wreaked by Hurricane Irene. Acts such as Taking Back Sunday, Interpol, Badfish and Flaming Lips were scheduled to play Sept. 1 through Sept. 15.

Quiksilver rented out the Allegria Hotel from the third floor to the rooftop for the length of the two-week competition. Being the only boardwalk venue, the hotel hopped on the chance to provide more entertainment for the now surf-only event.

"We feel that the cancellation of the festival is an opportunity for the Allegria Hotel to contribute more by adding a lineup of musicians and special events," said Laura Vivonetto, manager of public relations and marketing for the Long Beach establishment on National Boulevard. "Our restaurant and lounge will be featuring live music in the afternoon and DJ music in the evenings."

Vivonetto said that while it’s disappointing that the festival was eliminated, the surfing competition survived and was always the center of the event.

"The fact is the best surfers from around the world are stepping foot onto our beach and riding our waves, and that is epic,” she said.

The Allegria will feature live music nearly everyday throughout the next two weeks, including the reggae band High Tech this Sept. 6 from 7 to 11 p.m., indie-rock performer Mike Krum this Sept. 7 from 3 to 6 p.m., the Mike Lewis Trio playing swing and jazz tunes Sept. 8 from 3 to 7 p.m. and Jeff Jacobs Sept. 9 from 3 to 7 p.m. All performances will be held in the boardwalk-level lounge overlooking the ocean and Quiksilver event.

In addition to the hotel, other Long Beach bars and restaurants will hold live performances through the day and night to fill the void of the Quiksilver concerts.

On Labor Day, acoustic artist John Rafferty will play the Cabana from 4 to 7 p.m., and George Martin's Grillfire will host Long Beach regular Steve Adelson with legendary drum master Frank Bellucci on Sept. 6 from 7 to 10 p.m. Also, on Sept. 10, Lola's Kitchen and Wine Bar will offer live jazz music all night.

Husna O'Connell, a Long Beach resident whose husband was supposed to headline a night of the Quiksilver concert festivities, said she is disappointed the live music could not be restored, but stressed how excited she is to see Long Beach residents and businesses uniting to keep spirits high and music playing.

"I was walking around today and saw a band playing in front of the apartment building across the street and I saw a band playing at a restaurant on Beech Street,” she said. “I just think it's great. In the end, Long Beach is an amazing city, and it's great that we still have so many restaurants and bars letting bands play.”