What it was like
Coronado does not rush anything. The bridge slows you down on the way in, the beach holds you still, and by Sunday evening the whole island seems to agree that the correct use of a summer night is nothing at all. Spreckels Park fills with people who worked that out years ago. One band, one park, one sunset, no cover — the formula has not changed in decades because there is nothing in it to fix. Somebody spreads a blanket. The kids run laps around the gazebo while the adults lean back and let the music do the work. Tribute bands one week, a swing ensemble the next, Americana, classic rock; the lineup rotates and the feeling never does. Seventeen shows across fifteen Sundays, free, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Bring a picnic and the neighbor you keep meaning to invite to something.