Earl Minnis and The Granada Present Psychedelic Symphony. 
The Doublewide Kings and The Santa Barbara Symphony, Nir Kabaretti, Music and Artistic Director, revisit the 60s & 70s!

Pull those bell-bottoms and mini-skirts out of the closet and get ready to groove when The Granada and Earl Minnis Present Psychedelic Symphony, featuring the Doublewide Kings and the Santa Barbara Symphony, Nir Kabaretti, Music and Artistic Director, taking you back to the 1960s and 1970s.

This far-out rock-meets-classical mash-up hits the stage Nov. 8, 2025, marking the third time The Symphony and The Doublewide Kings have collaborated. The last two performances, a tribute to Van Morrison and The Band’s Last Waltz, played to sell-out audiences. The Psychedelic Symphony is the first show to celebrate musical eras rather than a musical artist.

 

A New Approach

“When you’re focusing on one artist, people usually know three or four songs, but not the deeper cut,” said Palmer Jackson Jr., Guitarist and Chairman of The Granada. “This format gave us a chance to choose songs based on how cool they are and how well they could be adapted to The Symphony.”

When a song is performed with a symphony, it must be adapted and arranged differently to showcase both the orchestra’s and the band’s strengths, while remaining true to the original. For that reason, some songs The Doublewide Kings initially hoped to include, such as those by Jimi Hendrix, ultimately didn’t translate as well for a symphonic arrangement.

“Palmer spent a lot of time working with the arranger to make sure everything is perfect, which will show in the performance,” said Cord Pereira, Guitarist for The Doublewide Kings.

Guests can expect to jam out to sixteen popular songs, including two performed without The Symphony, giving the audience a sense of The Doublewide Kings’ pure rock performance.

“As a band, there is a jam feeling to our play, but that has to be tightened up when we play with the Symphony,” explained Drummer and Vocalist Charlie Crisafulli.

The band members all echoed Vocalist John Simpson’s sentiment that “it’s an honor to be surrounded by all that talent. To be a part of that was something I never even dreamed could happen.”

 

The Planning Process

“About three years ago, I was in a Symphony board meeting to generate new ideas, and Nir (Kabaretti) said, ‘Why don’t we play with your band, Palmer?’ I thought it was a joke,” said Jackson Jr. “But he brought it up again and we sat down with the executive director of the Symphony to talk through how it could work.”

And work it has. The performances are one of the best-selling shows staged at The Granada each year.

The band spends a year planning the show, but doesn’t rehearse with the full Symphony until the day before the performance.

“We have a full year to be nervous until that rehearsal,” joked Crisafulli.

But now in their third year, the band is far more comfortable performing with the Symphony.

“The show reinforces how universal music is, demonstrating how musicians who aren’t classically trained can come together alongside expertly-trained musicians and bring the theater to life,” said Pereira.

 

A New Audience

And bring The Granada to life, they certainly do. The past shows have seen the theater pulse with an energy brought by a diverse audience.

“The percentage of first-time Granada ticket buyers for both our previous shows is off the charts,” said Jackson Jr. “For the Van Morrison show, 20 percent of the audience were new to The Granada.”

The Doublewide Kings once again invite the crowd to boogie down with their shows. To amp up the retro spirit, The Granada encourages guests to come decked out in their best 60s and 70s attire and enter the Psychedelic Costume Contest (click for contest details). The grooviest outfit wins a future night out on the town.

Limited tickets for Psychedelic Symphony are still available.