La Rosa recently debuted in midtown Tucson — bringing live music and entertainment to art enthusiasts and music lovers. The new entertainment venue had its soft opening on Oct. 8, which the team called “Kick the Tires Night.” Owner David Slutes described the experience of opening the entertainment hub as a whirlwind of emotions.
“It’s madness, but every time we see things emerge, I think it’s going to be the most special venue in southern Arizona,” he said. “The energy behind it, the people we’ve brought on board — it’s great and I can’t wait to get it open.”
La Rosa’s inaugural line-up of shows features various musicians across several genres and speakers. “Kick the Tires Night” was accompanied by a live performance from Drew Cooper and Miss Priscilla Priddy and the Pretty Boys, as well as Texan honky-tonk artist Dale Watson.
La Rosa opened for its first event, “Kick the Tires Night,” on Oct. 8, featuring performances from Texan honky-tonk artist Dale Watson, Drew Cooper and Miss Priscilla Priddy and the Pretty Boys. (La Rosa/Submitted)
“(Dale) knew it may not happen because we were running up against deadlines, but he said, ‘If I can be the first guy to play on that stage, I’m in,’” Slutes said, quoting Watson with a Southern accent.
The venue’s next event, “La Noche Primera,” will feature Orkesta Mendoza, with Pijama Piyama on Friday, Oct. 10. The weekend concludes with a free event on Sunday, Oct. 12 — the Open House and Cowboy Picnic, with live performances from Thronscrubs, Jude Kellen, Aris Arvayo and Ricky Gleason, line dancing, barbecue, a bounce house, tattoo artists and various vendors.
“We will have you all in bed by 9 p.m. because this is dad rock,” the La Rosa team said on its website. “This is my Super Bowl, I can’t wait to see you all there.”
The following week’s collection of acts includes indie rock band Calexico, which has sold out all three of its upcoming shows at the venue. Other headliners in the future include The White Buffalo, Booker T. Jones, Tatiana Eva-Marie and Blind Pilot. La Rosa has shows booked through April of next year that patrons can buy tickets for.
La Rosa is the end result of over a year of work to restore the old Benedictine Church. Slutes said the team strived to maintain as much of the original building as they could, while adding a large courtyard as well. He said an Italian restaurant is coming next door — offering pizza, pasta, sandwiches and salads.
In the near future, Slutes said the team is going to try to introduce more kinds of performers to the venue, including dancers. The owner said it’s important to treat the performers well and make them feel welcomed, so they will want to return, bring more performers and patrons alike, and create the expansive arts and culture space that he and his business partner, Charlie Levy, have envisioned. With that vision in mind, he said they’ve managed to assemble a “dream team” of individuals with the experience and motivation to do “something very special in a very beautiful place.”
Slutes said that while opening La Rosa is not his first experience, he has learned a lot from working to realize this dream.
“I’ve never been under this much stress, nor understanding what it takes to build out something like this,” he said. “But it’s so special and has been a great learning curve. The pure excitement around what we’re doing and what we could be bringing to Tucson is extraordinarily stressful and I love the whole thing.”
With the birth of La Rosa underway, Slutes said he hopes the venue will develop and add to the cultural depth of the community.
On Friday Oct. 10, “La Noche Primera” will feature Orkesta Mendoza with Pijama Piyama. (La Rosa/Submitted)
“I hope it adds a layer to the cultural community that it didn’t have before,” he said. “You have to think big when you do something like this and always wanted to do it in this town — venue this size we thought was always needed in Tucson.”