Your guide to free summer concerts around the Triangle
12 May
Summertime means free concerts in and around the Triangle.
Here’s a list of all the summer concert series that I know about (some of my tweeps helped fill in the blanks). The list is alphabetical by city/town.
I know I’m missing some shows. Help me fill in the blanks by adding links and details in the comments section. Please note that I’m only listing free shows though, because in these tough economic times, we can’t all afford to pay $50 to see Jason Mraz.
CARY
WHAT: Sertoma Series
WHEN/WHERE: Sporadic Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between now and July 18. See the full schedule here. All shows are at the Sertoma Amphitheatre in Bond Park, 801 High House Road.
COST: Free!
MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS: Chatham County Line, an awesome bluegrass band, will perform at 3 p.m. May 16. Also, don’t miss Blues man John Dee Holeman on June 20.
CHAPEL HILL
WHAT: Southern Village Summer Music Concert Series
WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m. Sundays between now and Sept. 13. There are also a few additional shows on Fridays and Saturdays. Download and print the calendar here. The concerts are on the green, but if it’s raining, they’ll be moved to 610 Market Street (in the space that used to be Market Street Books).
COST: Nearly all of the shows are free, but a few have an admissions fee. It’s best to check before you arrive.
MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS: This eclectic concert series includes everything from B.O.D. (a Grateful Dead cover band) to Project Mastana (Bollywood sounds). Chances are you can find at least one concert matching your taste. (Thanks for the link @jreesnc)
CLAYTON
WHAT: The 2009 Clayton Town Square Concert Series
WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month between May 21 and Sept. 17 in Clatyon’s Town Square.
COST: Free but vendors are on hand to sell pizza, beer and Italian ice.
MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS: Liquid Pleasure apparently won praise at this concert series last year. The dance band has performed with The Temptations and The Four Tops among many others. But I think Abbey Road Live (a Beatles cover band, of course) sounds like fun. Although, as a huge Beatles fan myself, I’ve always been a bit skeptical of bands that claim to cover the Fab Four. (Thanks for the link @mediatwo)
DURHAM
WHAT: 2009 Music on the Lawn Concert Series
WHEN/WHERE: Various dates between now and Sept. 4. All concerts are from 6 to 8 p.m. at the American Tobacco Campus (on the lawn). Check the schedule here.
COST: The concerts are free, but Tyler’s Taproom is nearby and they’re usually selling beer. Organizers ask that you don’t bring coolers or dogs (sorry, Fido).
MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS: The bands usually perform on the brick island under the Lucky Strike tower, creating a picturesque scene. The series is co-sponsored by N.C. Public Radio WUNC, which means the bands are part of the station’s Back Porch Music series.
WHAT: Warehouse Blues Concert Series
WHEN/WHERE: The series starts July 24 and runs every Friday until Sept. 4. It’s located in the courtyard of Durham’s West Village Apartments, 604 W. Morgan St. All shows are from 6 to 8 p.m.
COST: Free. The concert series is sponsored by the City’s Parks and Recreation Department. The city even provides chairs.
MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS: The schedule is tentative, a parks employee told me. I highly recommend John Dee Holeman (scheduled Aug. 7). Cool John Ferguson is a must-see and he is tentatively scheduled to perform on Sept. 4. Don’t miss Captain Luke either (he’s scheduled for July 24). Both Ferguson and Luke are featured in the video below.
HILLSBOROUGH
WHAT: Last Fridays
WHEN/WHERE: The last Friday of every month from April through September. Concerts start at 6 p.m. Here’s a list of this year’s performers. The shows are on the old courthouse lawn in the downtown historic district.
COST: The concerts are free. But food vendors, crafters and others set up booths on the sidewalks surrounding the courthouse, so bring money if you plan to indulge.
MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS: This month’s performance features the Cyril Lance Band (Blues/Rock), but I’m a big bluegrass fan so the June 26 performance by Strictly Clean and Decent (Bluegrass/Folk/Celtic) would be my pick. (Thanks for the link @Hillsborough).
RALEIGH
WHAT: Downtown Live
WHEN/WHERE: Seven concerts are scheduled on Saturday nights between May 30 and Aug. 22, check the schedule here. The concerts start at 2 p.m. with the headliners usually taking stage close to 10 p.m. The shows are in Moore Square. Bring a blanket or chairs if you plan to arrive early, otherwise, plan on standing and working your way to the stage.
COST: Free. But since it’s sponsored by Bud Light, plan to pay a billion dollars for a small cup of beer (really, I think it’s like $5 a cup).
MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS: As always, this year’s line-up features a few one-hit wonders (Jimmy’s Chicken Shack and Marcy’s Playground) and few-hit wonders (Candlebox, Filter and Tonic … May 30, June 13 and Aug. 8, respectively). But there are some gems, including Joan Jett on July 11 and The Charlie Daniels Band on July 25.
WHAT: Music on the Porch at Seaboard Station
WHEN/WHERE: Friday nights starting May 15. Shows are from 7 to 9 p.m. at Seaboard Station by Ace Hardware and Peace China, 802 Semart Dr.
COST: Free, but alcohol will be available for purchase.
MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS: I have not found a complete listing, but I did find this. Looks like the only two performances announced are The Tims Bluegrass Band on May 15 and Funkuponya on May 22. (Thanks for the links @jcstille and @ayeshamus).
Thanks Ginny. Here are a couple others you might not know about:
- The beach music concert series at North Hills
- the Jordan Lake Music Festivals
- Duke Performances Outdoor Music Series at Duke Gardens
Oh yeah – beach music is free, the other two aren’t.
Thanks for reminding me of those, Lance!
Here are some details on the North Hills concert (sent to me by a reader):
Beach Music Series – Grab your Dancing Shoes – Tonight
§ Black and Blue performs this Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Beach Music Series
§ The free outdoor concert (weather permitting) will be held on the Commons Lawn (near Starbucks and Ben & Jerry’s) every Thursday night until Aug. 27. Rain dates are scheduled in September.
§ Join family and friends for music, shopping, food and fun. Please bring a lawn chair and/or blanket.
§ Between 1,500 – 6,000 people attend each concert.
§ A complete list of performers is available at http://www.northhillsraleigh.com/events.
Also in Clayton-
Millstock Music & Art Faire
Sat June 6 10am – 6pm
http://www.downtownclayton.org
live music, fine arts booths, food+drink, sidewalk chalk contest
Also, there is the music on the front porch at the Carolina Inn on Fridays from 5 to 8: http://www.carolinainn.com/hotel-events/chapel-hill-event-calendar.php
Weaver Street Market also has free music on it’s lawn in Carrboro every Thursday night 6-8pm (starting June 4th) and Sunday mornings 11am-1pm.
Another one! Saxapahaw on Saturdays from 6-8pm http://rivermillvillage.com/bands07.html
Free shows in Wake Forest – The Grass Cats in Holding Park on June 7, Big Fat Gap on Aug. 2. 3-5 p.m.
Also, in Raleigh, Scott Ainslie at the NC Museum of History on June 14; 3-4 p.m.
Thanks for compiling these!
Oh well, performing arts is just very interesting for me….
emule has got some good inventory of free music.*:.
i always get free music from Torrent and Emule. P2P is great.*”*
my sister is into performing arts to, she kind of love it..~,
i like performing arts because it enhances my creativity and inner talent~”*
there are lots of free music on youtube specially those coming from budding artists~,`
performing arts is good specially if you are more inclined to art instead of those technical stuffs like computers and mathema’–
i can see lots of free music on the internet but most of them are pirated. *:*
performing arts is my thing, i am very much interested to learn more on this art .-”
~*; I am really thankful to this topic because it really gives useful information ~`-
The world returns to Lexington in April 2011 for the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and the new Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup!