2024 Come and Take It music lineup announced

Country music, Tejano and arena rock fans will love the music lineup for the Come and Take It Celebration, which will be held Oct. 4-6 at Independence Square in downtown Gonzales.

This free event — the largest annual gathering in Gonzales — brings the community together for a weekend of unforgettable music, fun and camaraderie.

Friday, Oct. 4 is Homecoming Night, during which the hometown Gonzales Apaches will be hosting the district rival Smithville Tigers at Apache Field at 7:30 p.m. in what could set the tone for a possible playoff run by the boys in black and orange.

Downtown, however, the weekend will get started with the Lost Cause Band on stage at 6 p.m., serving up a mix of classic and contemporary hits. The Standing Peppers return to Gonzales for an 8 pm. Set, covering a variety of genres to get people on their feet dancing.

At 10 p.m., after the football game, come downtown to relive the magic of Journey’s greatest hits with Eclipse: A Tribute to Journey. This band tours regionally and has even opened for artists like Eddie Money, Foghat, Starship and others. From their opener of “Separate Ways” to their crowd sing along closer of “Don’t Stop Believin’,” you’ll be transported on a “journey” back to the golden years of FM radio.

Saturday, Oct. 5, is an all-day jam session that is packed with amazing performances that will keep you entertained from afternoon until midnight. It all starts off at 12:30 p.m. with Los Gavilanes, known for their vibrant Tejano rhythms, followed by Josh Calvin & The 183 South Band, a local favorite that will be sure to receive some hometown love.

Bill Pekar and The Rainey Brothers perform at 4:30 p.m., with Kin Faux, an up-and-coming artist you don’t want to miss, taking the stage at 7 p.m.

The headliners at 8 p.m. are country legends BlackHawk, whose founding members Henry Paul and Dave Robbins have been putting out hit after hit since 1992. Songs like “Goodbye Says It All,” “Every Once In a While,” “I Sure Can Smell the Rain,” “Down in Flames,” “I’m Not Strong Enough to Say No,” “Like There Ain’t No Yesterday” and “There You Have It” all placed high in the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs).

Closing out the night on Saturday at 11 p.m. will be David Lee Garza y los Musicales, a Tejano superstar in his own right, who has more than 30 albums including the Latin Grammy-winning “Just Friends,” a collaboration with 10 vocalists. Garza is responsible for helping launch the careers of Ram Herrera, Emilio Navaira, Oscar G., Jay Perez, Marcos Orozco, Mark Ledemsa and Ben Ozuna, among others. He also is known for collaborations with Grammy winning artists like the late Selena, Little Joe y La Familia, Jimmy Gonzales and La Firma as well as country artists like Kevin Fowler and the late Johnny Bush.

Sunday, Oct. 6 is always reserved for the Shiner Hobo Band, so grab your suspenders and your plungers to close out the weekend with a blast.