Musicians celebrate Valentine’s Day with pop-up concert

On Valentine’s Day, a pop-up concert featuring local musicians ensured love was in the air on Main Street this afternoon.

Henry Porter and the Love Campaign and the Westcoast Gospel Chorus of Florida put on a free show at the corner of Main Street and Lemon Avenue today. Porter and the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County helped organize the holiday concert.

Jim Shirley, executive director of the Arts Alliance, said the pop-up concert helped fulfill the organization’s mission of making the arts more accessible to all Sarasota residents. Students from the Westcoast School for Human Development attended the performance. 

Porter, who reached out to Shirley to put on the show, said the concert was an opportunity to send out good vibes and bring people together. The musicians performed standards including “Oh Happy Day” and “When the Saints Go Marching In” for a jubilant audience.

“It touches everyone,” Porter said of the music. “The people are happy. It’s a good day to be happy. People don’t know what’s in your heart unless you let them know what’s in your heart.”