Eureka, calif. (KIEM)- Eureka saw thousands of people gather Sunday evening to see Sara Bareilles. This appeared to be one of the biggest events Eureka has put together in recent years. Halvorsen park was jam-packed with a crowd of excited Bareilles fans.
The Grammy Award-winning singer comes to Eureka to celebrate her hometown and the community she came from.
“I feel so much pride. I feel so much hometown pride and I feel like, you know, it’s just a reflection of the community that raised me,” said Bareilles. “I feel like I’m an artist because of where I came from. And so it’s a nice sort of symbiotic relationship in that way.”
Mayor Susan Seaman first invited Bareilles back home before the pandemic started. Since then, the artist and the city have been collaborating to plan this event.
“It’s just completely overwhelming. The amount of effort and just collective energy that it’s taken to bring this event to life has been long coming and it’s just really beautiful,” said Bareilles.
In our interview, Bareilles explained that the concert started as a small idea and just continuously grew.
“It’s like a mini-festival. It’s really cool, ” said Bareilles.
The opening acts, Mario Matteoli and Huckleberry Flint were hand-picked by Bareilles. She wanted to highlight that local pride by choosing artists that are a big part of the Humboldt community.
“Mario Matteoli is someone I grew up with, so I knew he was very musical. I’ve been a fan of his and he was the first person who came to mind when we decided we wanted to bring in some local bands,” said Bareilles
“And then Huckleberry Flint is a local favorite. When I was asking around to my friends who are still here, I was like, who is, you know, who’s everybody’s favorite right now? Because I’m not here a lot. And that was a name that came up over and over again, “ said Bareilles. “And, I listened to their stuff online and they’re just incredible.
Bareilles was also impressed by the community improvement work that the members of Huckleberry Flint had been working on.
“They’re doing amazing things, like renovating the chocolate factory and they’re going to open that next year. Dick Taylor is a huge, huge maker of chocolate and one of my favorites.”
It was apparent that Bareilles was happy to be home and is extremely proud of where she comes from. The city is mutually happy to have Bareilles visit. So much so, that before the artist started her performance yesterday, she was given the key to the city by Mayor Seaman.
Mayor Seaman also announced that the city of Eureka proclaimed October 16, 2022, as Sara Bareilles day.
“Sara Bareilles was born and raised in Eureka, a product of our local schools, and continues to stay actively involved in our community, advocating for the beauty, artistry, and wonder of this special place,” read Mayor Seaman during her announcement.
