Outdoor concert season arrives

With Memorial Day weekend fast approaching, Fairfield County cities are finalizing schedules for outdoor summer concerts that provide a big boost annually for downtown shops and restaurants.

Whether major draws like Stamford”™s Alive @ Five or comparatively intimate affairs like New Canaan”™s Waveny Summer Concerts, merchant associations increasingly are sponsoring such series as a way to attract patrons on summer evenings.

Of major outdoor concert venues in Fairfield County, Danbury”™s Ives Concert Park was the first to publish its 2011 summer lineup, an eclectic mix with hip-hop artist Michael Franti opening June 27, followed by Peter Frampton and Earth Wind and Fire on July 1 and July 2. The city of Danbury estimates the concerts will bring more than 65,000 people to the Western Connecticut State University campus where shows are held, with a spillover impact for local businesses. Union Savings Bank is the primary sponsor.

Whereas Ives Concert Park charges for tickets, Stamford”™s Alive @ Five Thursday concert series is staged free to showcase downtown”™s appeal as a place to live and work; while bringing additional business for stores and restaurants, the latter of which can see patronage quadruple on concert nights.

At deadline, the organizing Stamford Downtown Special Services District had yet to announce the summer lineup for Alive @ Five ”“ in February it posted as possibilities Shawn Colvin, Jakob Dylan and Barenaked Ladies”™ Steven Page.

Last year”™s lineup was impressive, with the Gin Blossoms and Soul Asylum opening the series at Columbus Park; and Mike Love and his Beach Boys Band playing the finale in early August, with a capacity crowd forcing police to close the park”™s gates.

The Stamford Downtown Special Services District (DSSD) does not publish attendance figures for Alive @ Five, but estimates it had record attendance last year, helped by good weather on concert nights. It estimates some 400,000 attendees for all its events during the year, including the popular pre-Thanksgiving balloon parade.

On Friday evening, May 20, Stamford will get a tune-up of sorts via Bandapalooza, a band competition at venues throughout downtown organized by DSSD and sponsored by Cox Media Group”™s 95.9 The Fox. Debuting last year as the Battle of the Bands which featured sideshows like magicians, jugglers and sidewalk artists, this year”™s contest will feature six finalists that go on to play the Bedford St. Bandapalooza June 2, 9, and 16; with three winners selected to open for Alive @ Five acts this summer.

Of course, Stamford has other outdoor music options besides Alive @ Five ”“ this year it will offer for the first time a series called Jazz Up July, with performances set for every Wednesday that month. That replaces last summer”™s July series Pops in the Park, which included a performance by Neil Sedaka.

In downtown Westport, the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts pulls in big crowds all summer to its free concert series, with the 2011 schedule yet to be published at deadline; among last year”™s handful of concerts requiring paid tickets, performers included Huey Lewis and the News and Blues Traveler, the latter band playing the Blues, Views & BBQ festival last September.

The city of Norwalk is making tribute bands the theme of this year”™s Norwalk Recreation and Parks summer concert series sponsored by First County Bank, with the eclectic tribute band The Sixties Show opening the season on June 22, and Billy Joel tribute band Big Shot the highlight on July 3.

And hoping to emulate the success of Stamford”™s Alive @ Five, last year the city of Bridgeport debuted the Downtown Thursdays concert series at McLevy Green.

By the time the Beach Boys Band returns to Fairfield County Aug. 14 for a show at Ives Concert Park, the returns should be in from a summer slate of outdoor music with a few festivals to go, including Norwalk”™s Oyster Festival which functions as the region”™s de facto farewell to summer.