Pop-up metal concert packs Denny’s in Thousand Palms

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – If you tried grabbing a bite to eat at the Denny's in Thousand Palms Monday night, you might have been greeted with a unique sight: hundreds of people descending upon the restaurant, ready to rock out.

Cars filled the parking lot and surrounding streets. Only 200 people could fit inside, so a line quickly formed, wrapping around the area. A group of horse-riding Thousand Palms residents rode through the nearby Chevron for a closer look at what was going on.

The organizer, Noisepile, made it clear this was an all-ages, free show, meant to bring the community together. Bands that performed included Mella, Just Let Me Go, and Materia. The goal: shine a spotlight on the valley's music scene and make it as accessible as possible for everyone to enjoy.

And enjoy they did. With phones out, recording every move, energetic concertgoers danced in a mosh pit, with some even crowdsurfing — and I can't emphasize this enough — inside a section of the restaurant. Even though the venue was capped at 200 people, it was a tight squeeze.

Attendees came from all over. One of the drummers, Christopher Maldonado, came from Fontana, himself. He said he heard of people coming from as far away as Arizona.

A couple of livestreamers, from the streaming platform, Twitch, made their way from Los Angeles. One of the streamers, who went by the handle FiendOcular, brought his viewers along for the ride: "I like to go showcase them to people and just be like, you know, here's like what life is like sometimes, you know, it'll be at a venue, sometimes it'll be like a little bar. But when it as something unique like this, I'm like, oh, I got to show that to everybody else."

It mirrored a similar viral event from 2013, where bands descended upon a Denny's in Houston, TX, dubbed "The Denny's Grand Slam." The video on YouTube has over 5 million views.

While performers didn't think this event could top the original, they said it could certainly pave the way for more events.

"I don't think anything will beat the original, but I think we'll set a new path for future Denny’s shows," said Christopher Maldonado, one of the drummers who performed.

Xavier, the promoter for the event, noted the Coachella Valley is often overlooked, and said, "Something to this scale is kind of less popularized out here, and I really just hope that it spreads the word about the Coachella Valley scene."

By 10 o'clock, the show ended and the crowds started fizzling out. Still, some lingered, with others ordering food, ready to eat some all-day breakfast after dancing all night.

Judging by the hundreds who gathered, and the dozens more who stayed, gazing through the windows, that events like these are needed for both the valley's music scene and its youth.

I asked 19-year-old Hector Zapata, who was standing in line dressed as a watering can and drove 20 minutes from Coachella, "Do you think this is something that's needed more in the valley for young people?"

He replied, "Honestly, yes. Like there's not much to do here. And like, I wouldn't mind [another] reason to come out here."

With the demand clearly showing, don't be surprised if you see your local breakfast joint turn into a pop-up concert here in the Coachella Valley.