Why Did The Spectacular Move Back Home? (And Stay Here)

So, if you have been an avid viewer of my Spectacular concerts in the last year or two, you would have noticed something. The JG Holiday Spectacular no longer takes residency in the Burlingame Recreation Center. The BRC was our home for the first two Spectaculars, 2018 and 2019. Then in 2020, we had to re-locate, and you might be asking, why?

So in early 2020, we knew we would have to re-locate for that year’s Spectacular. So we considered many options as far as venues, but the problem was that there aren’t many venues for entertainment in or around Burlingame. The last thing we wanted to do was take the show out of Burlingame, because we knew the live audiences would change, because it wouldn’t be our community. I struck up a deal with Burlingame High School (I was a junior there at the time), allowing me to hold that year’s show in the BHS Auditorium. Unfortunately, COVID-19 put the kibosh on that plan… so at that point, we were stuck.

As the pandemic raged on, we decided that there was no way we could take the show anywhere with the current situation we (the world) was in. And ultimately, we decided that the show would have to be broadcast from my home.

So, we moved the Spectacular, and all production on it back to my home. And we figured out how to have a live audience, socially distant and outdoors. We built an outdoor stage on my driveway for that year’s JG Holiday Spectacular (2020), and although we were hit by some incredibly heavy rain, the show was successful. And since, we have decided we are not taking the show anywhere. It is here, and it is here to stay!!

There are many advantages to broadcasting the show here, as opposed to some rental recreation room, it feels more personal, the sets look more beautiful, and all the money that was formerly used to rent the rec center, is now put into nicer set equipment, and things to make the quality of my production better and better. It is actually less stressful for us (as producers), because production on the show was always handled here, and then we had to pack up and haul everything to the BRC for one night, where now, we no longer have to do that. Everything including production, and the actual event itself is done here, and it’s just better that way!

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this story, and don’t forget to tune in to the 2021 JG Holiday Spectacular, broadcasting on YouTube and Zoom on Friday, Dec. 10 at 7pm P.S.T. We also are now in-person again, and will have a live in-person audience! And you all are invited!! If you’d like to come please contact me! I would love to have you here and see all your smiling faces in our audience!!