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By Lookout Staff

August 30 -- The Twilight Dance Series ends its 23rd summer with one of its biggest shows when the legendary East LA band Los Lobos takes the stage on the Santa Monica Pier Thursday night.

Blending blues, rockabilly, jazz, Latin and their own Mexican-American heritage, Los Lobos have challenged their fans for more than three decades with conscience-raising songs and thought-provoking lyrics that capture the ethos of Los Angeles.

Their latest album The Town and the City has appeared on numerous top ten lists and has been described as a tour de force of intertwined sound and imagery that tackles the complexity of life in today’s world with grace, depth of understanding and profound insight.

In keeping with their social conscience, Los Lobos will use Thursday night’s free concert to help rebuild the historic auditorium at Garfield High School, an East Los Angeles public education institution that was made famous by the movie Stand and Deliver and is the alma mater of Los Lobos members David Hidalgo, Conrad Lozano and Cesar Rosas.

The 82-year-old auditorium was gutted by a fire in May that caused more than $30 million in damages to the historic structure as well as to ten classrooms. Though much of the rebuilding effort is covered by insurance, the school must raise additional funds in order to restore the building.

To boost the fundraising effort, Los Lobos will autograph a Gibson Les Paul “Goddess” in Violet Burst donated by the guitar company, which is a major sponsor of the concert series. The guitar will be auctioned online, with the proceeds donated to the Garfield High School relief effort. The auction will start at noon on Friday and end ten days later.

An Evening with Los Lobos is the final show in the 23rd Annual Santa Monica Pier Twilight Dance Series presented by Amoeba Music on the Gibson Guitar stage. Free outdoor concerts are held on the Pier for ten Thursday evenings starting at 7:30 p.m. throughout the summer, featuring the best in rock, Reggae, Latin, folk and eclectic world music.

The Santa Monica Pier is located at the intersection of Colorado Avenue and Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. The Pier strongly recommends walking, biking and using mass transit to get to the concerts as parking near the Pier is limited. The concerts will offer free valet bike parking to our patrons at the western entrance to the shows.

For those who insist on driving, parking is available in beach parking lots located at 2030 Barnard Way and 1550 PCH, both accessible off Ocean Avenue south of the Pier. The 2030 lot is a short walk up the beach path from the Pier.

For bus information, please visit www.bigbluebus.com and www.MTA.net or call 310-451-5444.

For more information about the concerts, visit www.twilightdance.org or call the Pier information line at 310-458-8900.