By Joshua Maloni

GM/Managing Editor

Finally.

After 22 months apart, Artpark and a few thousand of its closest friends reunited this week for the first “Tuesdays in the Park” of 2021 – the first Tuesday concert since 2019 – heck, the first Tuesday gig since the pandemic shut the world down, shuttered concert venues and grounded tours. There were hugs, warm greetings and cold beverages, at the “reunion show” in Lewiston.

Fitz and the Tantrums lead singer Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick, astounded by what he saw from the Artpark Amphitheater stage, thanked everyone for making the moment possible. Several times he asked if it was, in fact, Tuesday, as the vibe felt more like a weekend.

He and his bandmates had the crowd on its feet. Finally, people were together, dancing, clapping, waving their hands, hitting beach balls, shining their phone lights, having a great time and getting back to “normal” – remembering what the world, the stage and Artpark was like before the coronavirus arrived.

Live music continues at the South Fourth Street venue this weekend with “New Music in the Park” performances by Null Point: Nature Is Not Natural (July 10) and Buffalo Jazz Composers Workshop (July 11). Lettuce leads the next “Coors Light Concerts at Artpark” event on July 14.

As musicians continue to figure out their return to the road and what that looks like, artist availability is, well, a little challenging right now. As such, “Tuesdays in the Park” is now renamed “Miller Lite Concerts in the Park.” Events will take place on different nights. Next up in the outdoor series is Chicago, on Saturday, July 31, followed by another Tuesday show on Aug. 3, this one headlined by Brothers Osborne.

For more information, or for tickets, visit www.artpark.net.

Read our Q&A with Fitz HERE.

PHOTOS:

DJ Jickster

Opening act Colony House

Fitz and the Tantrums

 

See also >> Amphitheater concerts return to Artpark; Fitz and the Tantrums: 'We are ready to get back and play shows after way too long of a break'