From Huey to Gwen: Concert Series at The American Express golf tourney has grown, evolved

Back in the 1960s and 1970s and even into the 1980s, the desert’s PGA Tour event now known as The American Express in La Quinta held a big party at the end of the rounds. Called the Jam Session, the party would feature many of the celebrities playing in the pro-am singing or playing instruments as well as some of the golf pros showing off their hidden musical talents.

The Jam Session ended in the 1980s when pros started hitting the practice range and fitness trailer after a round rather than the parties with the music and alcohol. But starting with a single concert event in 2017, the tournament has roared back into the music business.

Some might question why a golf tournament doesn’t just focus on putting on the best tournament it can each year rather than dabbling in music, but the announcement of which musical acts will be part of The American Express each year has become the annual signal that the PGA Tour event in the desert is getting closer. That was true again last week when Gwen Stefani and Darius Rucker were named the acts for the 2023 tournament in January.

More: Pop, country, golf: Gwen Stefani, Darius Rucker headline American Express golf concerts in January

More: American Express golf fans will find tickets for tournament and concerts more affordable in 2023

Stefani and Rucker both represent how the Concert Series at the tournament has changed through the years, in part with the influence of title sponsor American Express.

Here’s a quick look at the evolution of the concerts at The American Express:

2017, Fitz and the Tantrums: Technically, this was not part of the current concert series, but just a concert the tournament put on. Fitz and the Tantrums were a hot band at that moment and played on the driving range at PGA West on a soggy night for a few thousand fans.

2018, Huey Lewis and the News, Goo Goo Dolls: This was the first true year of the Concert Series, with a new, bigger stage to the right of the PGA West driving range and two nights of concerts. Huey Lewis and the news, a huge band in the 1980s, drew a large crowd of perhaps 12,000 to their performance, while Goo Goo Dolls, more contemporary, drew a crowd of 8,000 to 10,000 on Saturday night. The week showed organizers that classic rock might be the way to go for a desert audience.

2019, Sammy Hagar, Bad Company: Two classic rock acts hit the tournament this year. Hagar, known for his solo work as well as his time as lead singer for Van Halen, was the Friday night act and drew another crowd of around 10,000. Bad Company, the British blues-based rockers led by singer and desert resident Paul Rodgers, was the second-night act and drew about the same crowd. But the Concert Series was about to change in a big way.

2020, Stevie Nicks, Luke Bryan: The Concert Series took a huge leap in 2020. Stevie Nicks, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer for her solo work and for being part of Fleetwood Mac, drew a crowd estimated at 20,000 to 22,000. The next night the series went country for the first time with Luke Bryan, who drew perhaps even more fans than Nicks had. Traffic became a problem during the two concerts with so many fans, but overall the Concert Series had become a major draw.

2021, no concerts: The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t shut down the tournament completely, but it did stop the Concert Series. It simply didn’t make sense to try to get 10,000 or 15,000 together on the driving range at PGA West. The pandemic also caused the tournament to shut down the amateur portion of the pro-am for the first three days of the event. If there was an upside to the cancellations, it gave tournament organizers another year to work on traffic issues.

2022, Maroon 5, Brad Paisley: Another change in the series saw the end of the classic rock acts and the addition of a more modern rock act in Maroon 5 with lead singer Adam Levin. The crowds were certainly smaller than in 2020, in part because of COVID-19 concerns and in part because of a $125 ticket. Hit-maker and country star Paisley played the second night and drew about 10,000 people.

2023: Gwen Stafani, Darius Rucker: The 2023 acts both change the series as well as reinforce it. Rucker is a big country act, and is the third tournament in a row (not counting 2021) for a country act to be part of the Concert Series. Stefani seems to take the series in more of a pop direction, with her long list of his dating back to her days of lead singer of No Doubt hopefully attracting a younger audience to the tournament. Stefani is not in the same category as Maroon 5 or Goo Goo Dolls in terms of her music, and she is more of a fashion and lifestyle icon than any other act that has played at the tournament.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: American Express: Concerts now part of Palm Springs-area golf tournament