Popular summer concert series closes its 2026 season Thursday as The Spazmatics turn Town Center Amphitheater into a throwback celebration of new wave, pop and the MTV generation
EL DORADO HILLS — One final Thursday night of music remains at El Dorado Hills Town Center, and organizers are closing the 2026 Live on the Boulevard season by turning back the clock to the decade of synthesizers, skinny ties, big hair and MTV.
The Spazmatics take the Town Center Amphitheater stage Thursday, Aug. 27, for the final Live on the Boulevard concert of the year, bringing their nationally known 1980s tribute show to El Dorado Hills for an appropriately energetic finish to the summer series.
Thursday’s theme is an “80s Dance Party,” and few bands embrace the decade quite like The Spazmatics. Internationally billed as “The Ultimate 80s New Wave Tribute,” the group combines the music of the era with choreography, comedy, costumes and plenty of audience participation for a show that is as much a celebration of 1980s pop culture as it is a concert.
The suspenders will be snapping, the horn-rimmed glasses will be in place and the skinny ties will be ready as The Spazmatics bring their deliberately geeky stage personas to Town Center. Behind the image, however, is a polished production built around accomplished musicianship and faithful recreations of some of the decade’s most recognizable songs.
The band’s repertoire reaches deep into the soundtrack of the ’80s, with music associated with artists including Devo, Duran Duran, Thomas Dolby and many of the new wave and pop acts that became fixtures during the early years of MTV. Songs such as “Whip It,” “Hungry Like the Wolf” and “She Blinded Me With Science” are representative of the musical territory The Spazmatics have made their specialty.
Rather than simply stringing together a collection of covers, The Spazmatics have developed their performances around the sights, sounds and humor of the decade. Choreography and crowd sing-alongs are mixed with familiar synthesizer-driven songs, guitar riffs and pop hooks, while the band members remain firmly committed to their nerd-inspired characters throughout the show.
That combination has helped The Spazmatics build a following that extends well beyond audiences who experienced the music when it was new. Their shows regularly bring together longtime ’80s fans with younger generations who discovered the decade through streaming, movies, television and the continuing revival of vintage pop culture.
The group even has its own intentionally fictional origin story that fits the act’s tongue-in-cheek personality.
According to Spazmatics lore, the band traces its beginnings to the spring of 1983, when physics teacher Kevin Stigwood became embroiled in a debate with a student over String Theory. The resulting circumstances supposedly left Stigwood reluctantly assembling a band with assistance from electronics teacher Sydney Balderman before making its debut during halftime at a high school basketball game.
The story is part of the fun surrounding an entertainment concept that has grown far beyond one stage. Behind the fictional history is a national performance brand developed by Perfect World Entertainment, with Spazmatics casts performing in multiple markets and bringing the same basic ’80s experience to audiences around the country.
Each lineup is assembled around the concept that has made the name recognizable: strong musicianship wrapped inside an exaggerated celebration of everything associated with the decade.
The result is a stage show filled with taped glasses, suspenders and intentionally awkward dance moves alongside carefully performed versions of songs that once dominated radio and MTV. The imagery recalls the era of cassette tapes, arcade games and blockbuster films such as “The Breakfast Club,” “Back to the Future” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
That approach makes The Spazmatics a fitting choice for the final concert of a series built around getting people out of their chairs and onto the dance floor.
Thursday’s appearance also carries a little more significance than a typical Live on the Boulevard night. After a summer of weekly entertainment, this is the final scheduled concert of the 2026 season at the Town Center Amphitheater.
Live on the Boulevard has once again made Thursday evenings a destination at El Dorado Hills Town Center, with the outdoor amphitheater providing the centerpiece while restaurants, shops and gathering areas throughout Town Center give attendees the opportunity to make an evening of each concert.
The series has also provided more than the traditional weekly concert format this year. Earlier this month, the amphitheater became a showcase for area performers during the inaugural Live on the Boulevard Stars talent competition, giving singers, musicians, duos and bands an opportunity to perform before a Town Center audience and a panel of judges while competing for prizes and future performance opportunities.
Now the focus turns back to a full-scale dance party for one last Thursday.
The Spazmatics are particularly suited for a finale because audience participation has long been a major component of their performances. The show encourages singing, dancing and interaction rather than simply watching from a lawn chair, with recognizable songs arriving one after another throughout the evening.
For those who remember the decade firsthand, Thursday offers a chance to revisit music that provided the soundtrack to high school dances, cassette collections and the early days of music television. For younger concertgoers, it offers the same songs through the theatrical and deliberately over-the-top lens that has made The Spazmatics a fixture on stages across the country.
The final concert takes place at the El Dorado Hills Town Center Amphitheater, 4364 Town Center Blvd. The free performance runs from 7 to 9 p.m.
As with previous Live on the Boulevard concerts, attendees can arrive early and take advantage of the restaurants and businesses throughout Town Center before the music begins.
An online waitlist for early chair setup opens at noon on concert days. One registrant may bring up to four people, with participants lining up in numerical order at the designated Town Center entry point before access to the amphitheater.
Wine, beer and spirits are available for purchase inside the venue. Outside alcohol, beverages and ice chests are prohibited under ABC regulations.
Venue guidelines also remain in effect for the finale. Bags must be clear plastic or smaller than 8 inches by 6 inches by 1 inch, and bags and coolers are subject to search. Blankets, personal tables, barbecues and roped-off seating areas are not permitted.
After months of Thursday night entertainment, the final notes of the 2026 Live on the Boulevard season will belong to a band that has made an entire career out of refusing to let the ’80s disappear.
The Spazmatics take the stage from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, at the El Dorado Hills Town Center Amphitheater, closing the season with one last opportunity to break out the skinny ties, tease up the hair and head for the dance floor.
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