This year’s Summer Pop concert will highlight the musical melting pot of the 1980s with a “pumped up” and high-energy atmosphere.

The theme of this year’s annual Summer Pops concert is “Totally Awesome 80s.” At 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 13, this multigenerational concert will bring fun to all families in Southwest Louisiana, said Beth Dawdy, executive director of the Lake Charles Symphony.

“Who doesn’t like ‘80s music?” she asked. “Our aim is to draw multiple generations of listeners into the Colosseum of the Lake Charles Event Center to experience the magic of a live Symphony Orchestra.”

The orchestration will be as diverse as the music that was created in the 1980s, she said.

“This era saw the merging of traditional jazz with elements of rock, funk, R&B and electronic music.”

Conductor William Rose said that the concert will feature “the best songs of the MTV generation,” ranging from artists like Prince to Cyndi Lauper.

The song selections will make the audience want to dance, sing and use their phones as lighters. For some audience members, the sounds of the orchestra will be sentimental.

“There is an immediacy and a physical pull to the music that can’t happen when just listening to the recording; whether it’s on vinyl, cassette tape, CDs or Spotify,” Rose said. “The recording is like a memory of something that has actually happened earlier — great to help us remember our feelings and emotions — but live performance reaches right down into our guts to make it “now.”

Dawdy said that guests are encouraged to dress in their best 80s attire, and are “encouraged to dance, sing along and act like it’s a true rock n’ roll concert — because honestly, that’s what it is.”

Tickets for the Lake Charles Symphony’s Summer Pops 2024 are now on sale.

General admission riser tickets are $45 for adults and $30 for seniors and children 12 and under.

There are two ticket packages available. Two riser tickets can be purchased for $80, or four riser tickets can be purchased for $150.

Audiences can all reserve tables. A “Rad Table” for eight can be secured for $600, and a “Stellar Table” for eight can be reserved for $1,250.

The “Stellar Table” includes two Mr. Gatti’s pizzas and drinks, and recognition on the event table signage.

An individual reserved spot at a table is $95.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.lcsymphony.com.