The Lucha Project books Mesa Theater for the Friday after Thanksgiving

A four-act bill with ShockerT, Ill Pickle and Awoken comes to downtown Grand Junction's Main Street room on Friday, Nov. 27, with tickets at $20–$25.

For years, the Friday after Thanksgiving in Grand Junction has meant leftovers, a long weekend and people home from out of town looking for something to do. This year that Friday has a show on Main Street.

The Lucha Project plays the Mesa Theater on Friday, Nov. 27, at 9 p.m., with ShockerT, Ill Pickle and Awoken on the bill. Tickets are $20–$25 through See Tickets. The show was announced Oct. 19, and the room holds about 850.

That's four acts for the price of a nice lunch, on the night after Thanksgiving. It's a good fit for anyone in town for the holiday who wants an evening out, and for locals who'd rather see a show than spend the weekend shopping. A 9 p.m. start leaves time to finish dinner, or a second round of pie, before heading downtown.

The bill is also the pitch. Four acts on one ticket at this price usually means a full night: a lineup built to be taken in from first act to last, not just a headliner. If one of these names is new to you, that's a reason to show up early. Shows like this are how people find their next favorite band.

The room has a longer history than most venues in the state. The Mesa Theater sits at 538 Main St., in the middle of Grand Junction's historic downtown. A historical marker on the site says the building originally housed the Mesa Opera Rink, which opened in 1885. A city reuse study describes the theater as built in 1910 on that site, under the name Majestic. According to Cinema Treasures, it took the Mesa Theater name in 1930 and was rebuilt and reopened on Sept. 1, 1953, as the New Mesa Theatre. The sources don't fully agree on the early dates. Cinema Treasures notes the record is muddled, and that Grand Junction apparently had two Mesa Theatres at one point.

What they agree on is how it's used today. The historical marker notes that the Mesa Theater now hosts concerts. With roughly 850 capacity, it's the right size for a bill like this: big enough to feel like a night out, small enough that the opening act is playing to people, not an empty floor.

It also matters that this booking is downtown. A Main Street show on a holiday weekend sends a crowd onto the street before and after, to the restaurants and bars on the blocks around 538 Main, at a time when downtown is already busy with people home for the weekend.

Tickets are on sale now through See Tickets at $20 to $25. With an 850-person room and a holiday weekend, it's worth deciding before the week of, especially if you're bringing family or friends who are only in town for a few days.

So when the dishes are done and the house feels a little crowded, there's a show on Main Street. It's in a building that has been some kind of gathering place since 1885, and it will be open on Friday night.

Sources: Mesa Theater historical marker (HMdb) (hmdb.org); Mesa Theatre (Cinema Treasures) (cinematreasures.org); Mesa Theatre comments (Cinema Treasures) (cinematreasures.org); City of Grand Junction reuse feasibility study (trim22-web.gjcity.org); The Lucha Project at Mesa Theater tickets (See Tickets) (prod-nts-api.seeticketsusa.us); The Lucha Project at Mesa Theater (JamBase) (jambase.com)