Rock the Boat concert rocks

BY Amanda Martilla

About 300 boats and others floating in the water weren’t about to let temperatures still at over 100 degrees deter them from the free live concert Sunday night at Holiday Harbor. Both Makayla Phillips and the Kenny Marquez Band took the stage, with their backs to the closed amphitheater and entertained the crowd out in the lake.

American Idol and America’s Got Talent star Makayla Phillips belts out one of her powerful numbers during the Rock the Boat Concert Sunday. Photo by Donna Ritchie

The “Rock the Boat” concert was sponsored by the Canyon Lake POA and produced by Doug Schultz, who puts on Concerts at the Lodge for the POA. It was viewed by people on the boats anchored at the harbor, as well as those on kayaks and other water toys. People also listened in from their docks and some residents said they heard the music from Treasure Island and Happy Camp, Doug said. A 9’ x12’ video screen was erected next to the stage to help those from afar to view the performers.

Although the Concerts at the Lodge shows have been postponed due to the pandemic, the Canyon Lake POA worked with Doug to create the unique Sunday concert for the community.

“I brainstormed with Eric Kazakoff, the POA GM, and came up with producing a free concert for the community,” Doug said. “With COVID-19, the city would not allow people in the amphitheater, so we decided to do a free boat-in Concert on the Lake.”

Highly entertaining Kenny Marquez is all smiles while on stage at Sunday’s Rock the Boat Concert. About 300 boats and others in the water attended the lake-side concert. Photo by Donna Ritchie

The boats began gathering around 5:00 p.m. and Kenny took the stage at 7:00 p.m. He and his band, made up of seasoned pros, performed many classic rock hits.

“The Canyon Lake crowd was very responsive,” Doug said. “They had been waiting several months for some sort of live entertainment here and they exploded with appreciation.”

Next, Doug introduced Makayla who performed a half hour set of R&B and pop songs. She sang hits from Fergie, Carrie Underwood, Christina Aguilera, Demi Lovato, Miranda Lambert and others. Makayla is known for her recent Final 11 run on American Idol earlier this year and as a Golden Buzzer recipient on America’s Got Talent two years ago.

“Makayla  was mesmerizing with her powerful voice and star appearance,” Doug said. “She even had the audience singing with her on some of the songs.”

Although the heat was a bit of an obstacle, Doug and his team were able to keep the show running smoothly. They brought a backup generator in case there was a rolling blackout and took a short break at 8:00 p.m. to allow the performers and others to hydrate and cool off.

Doug said he is grateful for a production team who worked through the 115-degree heat to set up sound, lights and gear during the day leading up to the evening concert.

The Canyon Lake POA was careful, Doug said, to make sure COVID-19 restrictions were being adhered to. Several police officers, he said, were hired by the POA to be on site to make sure that the production crew was compliant with permit stipulations.

“This was truly a great concert experience for the residents of Canyon Lake and my phone blew up during and after the show with compliments,” Doug said. “There really has not been anything like this ever before in Canyon Lake. I would like to thank the tons of Canyon Lake residents for coming to Rock the Boat.”

Doug is still planning to produce Concerts at the Lodge later in the season. He announced to the audience on Sunday night that the next shows in Canyon Lake will feature Canned Heat (Nov. 7) and LA Guns (Feb. 13).