More than 100 tail-wagging canines tugged their families down to Crab Cove last Friday evening to hear first paw what post-Latin music was all about as part of the Concerts at the Cove music series. Billed as the “Dog Days of Summer” concert, the Rotary Club of Alameda collaborated with the Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter and Pet Food Express to create greater awareness of the city’s shelter animals that are available for adoption. 

Concert producer East Bay Regional Park District joined in to support the effort and encourage well-socialized dogs on leashes to bring their owners to Crab Cove and enjoy the shoreline and spectacular views of San Francisco.

While some thought the concert had gone to the dogs, Alameda-based Carne Cruda provided plenty of dancing music in the human auditable range for the more than 1,200 folks who attended. The music is based in the traditional genres of Latin music such as salsa, merengue, and Latin pop with the additional influence of rock, funk, soul and even surf. Indeed, Carne Cruda’s sound was described by many in the audience as Carlos Santana meets the Beach Boys. No matter how one described the sound, it was clear that the crowd found it conducive to toe tapping and booty shaking. 

A big hit for both the canine and human crowd were the street tacos from Calafia Taqueria and grilled-to-order sausages courtesy of Café Jolie. 

There was some momentary confusion in the beverage corral when a four-year-old pit mix was caught lapping out of its owner’s unattended glass of Faction Brewing’s A Town Pale Ale. Did the pooch need to be 21 human years old or could he use the well-established formula of one human year equals seven canine years? 

The matter was quickly resolved when Bowser was unable to provide any documentation of his age claiming to have eaten his ID just before the concert started. No ID, No alcohol!

Next month’s concert will headline Grammy nominee Andre Thierry and his unique take on Cajun and Zydeco music. The Friday, Aug. 12, concert starts at 5:30 p.m. with youth activities at the Visitors Center beginning at 4:30 p.m. Assemble a picnic (no alcohol please) and bike down to Crab Cove, 1252 McKay Ave. The Rotary’s youth club will be valet parking bikes. Proceeds from the concert goes to the Rotary’s community grants program, which gave out more than $20,000 to Alameda based non-profits last year.