Picnic with the Pops is back after a year of disruption due to COVID-19, and the lauded event is set to kick off Saturday with a performance of rock band Queen’s greatest hits.
Lead Vocalist MiG Ayesa
Joined by Windborne, the Columbus Symphony, conducted by Stuart Chafetz, will be joined by a full-fledged rock band in Windborne to perform Queen songs as they were made to be played. The night will include performances from the albums Classic Queen, A Night at the Opera and The Works, among others.
General admission lawn tickets for those 13 and up cost $36.75 and can be bought in advance here or at the gate. Children ages 3-12 cost $10.50, and children 2 and under are free. The gates open at 6 p.m. at the Columbus Bicentennial Pavilion in the John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons, 160 S. High St., and the performance starts at 8 p.m. Guests are more than welcome to bring blankets and chairs for lawn seating.
Daniel Walshaw, vice president of operations and artistic planning for the Columbus Symphony, says they wanted to start the summer with music everyone knows and loves.
“I think a lot of people are hungry to get outside and experience live music together again and be together again, and we wanted to pick something that crossed as many generations as we can,” Walshaw says. “I think that the music of Queen is certainly one that fits that bill of just being music that can reach anybody.”
Walshaw also notes that next week’s performance of the music of Elton John was chosen for the same reason.
The event will be following the current health orders of Columbus, Walshaw says. There will be a limited capacity of patrons. There will also be a reduction in the number of tables, and complete tables are being sold so attendees can be distanced and feel safe in their “pod.”
Tables of 10 range from $578-$893, and tables of four, which are limited, range from $231-$357. To reserve a table, call 614-469-0939 or email tickets@cbusarts.com.
Walshaw says everyone should come celebrate the music of Queen this weekend as a way to get out of the house, partake in this Columbus tradition and do something that feels normal again.
“After we’ve all been cooped up for a year and a half, what better way to get outside and enjoy some live music?” Walshaw says. “It took a lot of work from our staff and administration to get ready for Picnic this year in such an unusual year, but we know the healing power of music and how important it is to the soul of the city to have live music.”
Bre Offenberger is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
