DENVER — Mobile DJ concerts are popping up across Denver this weekend in an effort to inject optimism and joy into what has been a stressful time for many.
In the spring, the Riverfront Park Association recognized the format of its annual summer concert series was not conducive to safety in a pandemic.
“If everything had been the same, we would have been standing down in Riverfront Park with a few hundred people on the lawn and a big stage and music,” said Don Cohen, president of the Riverfront Park Association.
After canceling the event, Cohen searched for an opportunity to inspire hope and give back to a greater number of people.
He landed on the concept of socially distanced, pop-up discos.
The concerts started Friday and last through Sunday. Each night, a different DJ is shuttled to underserved Denver neighborhoods in "That Party Truck," a fire engine turned all-inclusive DJ booth.
“What we’ve found by having these mobile DJ concerts is that we can touch a lot more people," Cohen said. "It has been really exciting to see people show up, dance and have a really good time in neighborhoods that don’t usually have concerts."
Cohen called the series “an oasis in the middle of a lot of anxiety.”
On Saturday night, people of all ages gathered in the Sun Valley neighborhood to hear DoubleCrush.
Corra Smith and her three kids were among the crowd. Smith has lived in Sun Valley since 2015.
"I love to bring the kids outside and let them interact with everybody, dance, and have fun," Smith said as her kids danced to the music.
Smith has not been immune to the stressors of the pandemic. Her two eldest children, in first and second grade, are learning remotely, which has required her to stay home from work.
"I have been stressed a lot, but it’s been giving me time to really learn my kids, honestly," she said. "I think the hardest thing was the schooling, but we’re getting through it."
The pop-up disco provided Smith with the break she didn't know she needed.
"You can’t let the virus get the best of you or the situation. You have to keep going," she said.
"I think that offers up some optimism in a time when there’s been a lot of pessimism," Cohen said.
Smith and her family hope the series becomes an annual tradition.
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