EAST PROVIDENCE — The East Providence elementary school students' "Kids Rock Concert," which like many other things took a respite during the COVID-19 pandemic, is back for certain on the annual district events calendar, holding its 2024 edition Friday night, May 31, in the Elmasian Auditorium on the high school campus.

Under the direction of Taylor Temple, music teacher at Kent Heights and Hennessey, and his counterpart at Waddington, Nick Hurd, a full complement of students for the second year in a row belted out a series of Classic Rock tunes to a packed house from the likes of Queen, Elvis, the Go-Gos, Velvet Underground, Michael Jackson and Rolling Stones.

The concert, the 12th conducted by the teachers, went on hiatus with the onset of the pandemic in the spring of 2020 and remained mothballed in 2021. Temple held a scaled down version of the event with just his pupils in 2022 before Hurd and his kids made it a complete ensemble last spring. Drummer Nate Hurd rounded out the band.

The show has become a much anticipated date on the annual school calendar. The instructors and their students have also taken the performance on the road to local nursing home. Some will also remember before the demise of the beloved "Benny's" department/hardware store chain, the EP Kids Rock Chorus starred in a television commercial singing the company's jingle at the time “Benny's is My Favorite Store."

— East Providence Post and eastbayri.com contributing photographer Julie Furtado shot the accompanying gallery of photos.