One of my favorite summer date nights is Summer Nights with the Stars! These summer concerts are hosted by the Davis Arts Council at the Kenley Amphitheater in the middle of Layton Commons Park. Each summer they pull together a wide range of artists to perform on their outdoor stage. Most of the concerts are music based, but every so often they will have comedians or other entertainment as well.
We have now attended three Summer Nights with the Stars events and loved every one of them! In July 2017, our friends at Discover Davis (then Play in Davis) gifted us with two reserved seats to see Nathan Pacheco in concert. He has been a favorite singer of ours ever since and was the perfect intro to these types of dates. In July 2021, I grabbed tickets to see Dry Bar Comedian, Jeff Allen live at Kenley Amphitheater and we laughed so hard we cried. Little did I know, my husband was already a fan of his comedy and had shown me a couple of his clips in the past. This spring the Davis Arts Council put together a contest leading up to the announcement of their 2023 summer season. If you could guess who was coming to Layton to perform as part of Summer Nights with the Stars, you would win a pair of general admission tickets to their concert. I knew Mat and Savannah Shaw had to be on that line-up, and I was right, so we won a free date night to see them perform.
There are a few reasons why Summer Nights with the Stars have become one of my favorite summer date nights. The concerts vary in price range, depending on who is performing and where you choose to sit. There are regularly giveaways for tickets, so you might get to attend for free, like we have two of the concerts we’ve seen. You can bring your own food into the venue, which I feel is fairly unique. They have food available for purchase, you can pick up your favorite takeout, eat beforehand and bring dessert, or make a meal at home to eat picnic style when you’re there. Staff and security are friendly and helpful and available to help you find great seating, the bathrooms, or where to fill your water bottle. Add all of that to the stellar entertainment that Davis Arts Council gets each year, and you can see why I love these date nights.
We have been following Mat and Savannah since they released their first couple of songs on Instagram early on in the pandemic. Watching them both grow as singers, performers, and daughter/father has been so fun to see. Our kids love to watch YouTube songs each night before bed and regularly choose songs from Mat and Savannah. I loved hearing the stories behind what each song meant to Mat and Savannah and the meaning behind different lyrics. I listened to songs I’ve heard a number of times with new perspective during the concert and found myself loving them even more than I did before. My husband loved the part of the concert when Mat and Savannah’s pianist, Stephen Nelson made a song on the spot combining a Disney favorite and a Broadway favorite taken from the audience. I don’t think there was a single dull moment in the concert that night.
Add summer concerts at Kenley Amphitheater to your summer date night plans for next year and every year after. Follow Davis Arts Council on social media so you are in the know when they release each summer’s line up and when tickets go on sale. They tend to sell out fast and you don’t want to miss out!
