After being cancelled in the spring, the City of Auburn's Sundown Concert Series will continue this fall. The first show of the series was set to take place on Sept. 17, but was canceled due to weather.
There are four shows in the Fall Sundown Concert Series starting at 6 p.m. CST at Kiesel Park and attendance is free. The shows are on Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and Oct. 8. The band lineup is H2O, The Auburn Jazz Quartet and DJ K. Cole.
According to the event’s co-coordinator, Ann Bergman, safety precautions are being taken to follow social distancing guidelines. Guests are being asked to wear masks when entering and exiting the park.The event coordinator will use eco-friendly spray paint to mark spots on the grass to designate areas for guests to set up their chairs or blankets. Guests are allowed to remove masks when sitting in their spots but are expected to wear them at all other times.
Bergman said the purpose for marking the grass was to ensure that people in the same family unit or friend group can all be seated together while still maintaining an acceptable distance from others.
The Sundown Concert Series occurs twice a year in the spring and fall. The 2020 Spring Concert Series was planned for May but got canceled due to COVID-19. Bergman said Auburn’s Parks and Recreation department chose not to move forward with the spring concert series because the Coronavirus pandemic was still in its early stage and it was uncertain how to safely hold public events.
Bergman said that the department decided to put on the fall concert series because they have recently started holding other events, like the city market, and have been able to follow safety procedures.
“We know that as long as people are wearing masks entering and exiting and we mark places to ensure social distancing, we feel comfortable having an outdoor event,” Bergman said.
According to Bergman, some aspects of the event differ from past years for safety reasons. Concessions and food will not be offered this year and there will not be a food truck set up at the park. However, Bergman said guests are encouraged to pack a picnic and bring their own food.
Guests are expected to bring their own seating items like blankets and chairs. Dogs are also welcome but must be kept on a leash the entire event.
Bergman said that because the concert is outdoors, if it rains, it will be canceled. The City will post updates on performance delays or cancelations to its website and social media platforms.
“[The concert series] has a very casual atmosphere. It’s a lot of fun,” Bergman said.
The Montgomery-based band, H2O, will be performing Thursday and Oct. 8 at the Fall Sundown Concert Series.
According to band member Tyrone (Deak) Ross, the band can have anywhere from four to seven members. Four members of H2O will be present for Thursday's concerts, along with a special guest.
Ross said that for Thursday's performance, Ronald (Hooch) MacMillen will be playing drums, Henry (Bo Henry) Campbell will be playing the keyboard, Tyrone (Deak) Ross will be playing bass guitar, and they will be joined by special guest Roscoe (Louisiana Fred) Phillips, who plays harmonica and does vocals.
“[The band members] all have different personalities, but we bring a lot of excitement,” Ross said.
Ross said the band has been performing together since 1995.
H2O plays a variety of music but focuses on R&B and rock ‘n’ roll. The band will play some cover songs, but Ross said they would also be performing some original songs by Louisiana Fred. Louisiana Fred specializes in southern blues.
“We do a little bit of everything though," Ross said. "We play jazz sometimes, but we’ll be playing mostly old school R&B, rock ‘n’ roll and blues first,”
Ross revealed that their surprise guest for the Oct. 8 performance will be female vocalist L’Oreal.
“[L’Oreal] has a very nice voice and she sings just about anything,” Ross said.
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