05/04/2026
Dear El Paso,
Let us remember this feeling. The immensity of the shared and individualized joy experienced by thousands (and possibly millions) of people in the borderland this weekend. Whether it’s one of the 90,000 people experiencing the live sonic exorcism at the Sun Bowl with BTS; the myriad of expression, laughter and nostalgia at the El Paso Comic Con; or partaking in the liberating social/musical experience at one of TWO distinct music festivals - everyone had somewhere to be this weekend and everyone had a joy to share.
This weekend is empirical evidence of the absolute cultural and artistic viability of El Paso, Texas as a community. The time for El Paso is NOW.
This is not just a testament to the leaders and organizations who spearheaded these events, but to the thousands of people who made them happen. The staff, tech and rigging crews at the Sun Bowl; the vendors, partners and sponsors for Sol Summit and Michelada Festivals; and the massive grassroots collective-into-national-network that is the El Paso Comic Con. The businesses near and far who helped welcome guests and made them comfortable. The hotel staff, the restaurant staff, the airport staff. And those are just the most obvious and visible events. The city of El Paso and all of its employees and residents have shined bright this weekend. That has not always been the case. Now that we’ve learned how to play the song correctly, now is the time to start practicing.
We should not consider the events of this weekend to be ‘special’ - this is now the standard. El Paso is now capable of handling the cultural traffic of its similarly-sized cousin cities in San Antonio, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Tucson and others. We are now sitting at the table with them (after all, BTS played here - not in any of those cities).
Obviously, this is not a completely well oiled machine yet, as El Paso’s punctuality issues have once again caused a stir (El Paso, we need to practice being early to things - in general), but the plane has gotten off the ground. It would be a massive setback for our community if we don’t fly higher and higher every time we launch.
Our community is supportive and capable. Its infrastructure is growing and capable. Its public transportation is effective and capable. Its citizens are hungry and capable. We are ready for whatever challenge is next. Let us not relapse to our slouched philosophy about undersizing ourselves. We are a big city and are capable of big city things. It just happened.
To everyone who helped make BTS, Sol Summit, Michelada Fest, Comic Con and any other events happen this weekend. Thank you.
Now do it again. And again. And again. We’ll keep showing up and we’ll bring our friends.
This is now the standard.
Remember this feeling.
- Vincent Edward Arrieta
The Minister of Rock ‘n’ Roll/Artistic Director - Hardin’s Music Saloon
P.S. Wang sisters - we found your sign at the BTS show at the Sun Bowl on Friday Night. If you don’t mind, we plan to put in in our Borderland Music History Museum some day with other memorabilia from the concert. Otherwise let us know if you’d like it back.
Thanks.
Screenshot of Moonrise over the Sun Bowl BTS concert credit to .
