Rock the Plaza

We support efforts to put Thousand Oaks’ best local rock bands on stage at the city’s impressive Civic Arts Plaza. Teenagers are citizens of the city too, and they are overdue for a musical event aimed directly at them.

Once young music lovers have checked out Ventura County’s premier concert hall, we predict they will be more inclined to return for other performances. Even some older rock fans might welcome the chance to check out some of the local talent. And from the musicians’ point of view, making the leap from jamming in suburban garages to playing a concert from an actual proscenium stage would be awesome.

City officials are considering presenting a concert next year at the performing arts complex’s 400-seat Scherr Forum. It would showcase local teen bands selected by their peers.

The Civic Arts Plaza presents a lively array of music, theater, dance and children’s performances but it offers little in the way of current pop music--if your definition of hip happens to be more contemporary than this season’s headliners: the Beach Boys, Olivia Newton-John and Anna Maria Alberghetti. Although many of the offerings appeal to audiences of all ages--last season’s “Stomp” leaps to mind--a special event for local teenagers would fill a gap in the demographic spectrum.

We like the idea of the 13-member Thousand Oaks Youth Commission handling the audition and selection process. This group has credibility with young and old alike, and will be crucial to effectively promoting the show and making sure every seat is filled.

In the Conejo Valley and all across Ventura County, high schools are filled with talented young people who deserve more opportunities to show their stuff and polish their performance skills. Showcasing some of them in a classy concert hall like the Civic Arts Plaza sounds like a hit to us.