Al Fresco Concerts Across America

While music and art lovers have poured into concert halls, stadiums, and arenas across America to enjoy their favorite band or artist, an “Al Fresco” event that connects us with Mother Nature provides a unique experience. Since ancient Greece, people have enjoyed entertainment outdoors, where such events often involved competitions in music, arts, and sports. It seems only natural that today outdoor festivals of all kinds are big business and indicate that many people value experiences over worldly goods.

America is home to hundreds of annual outdoor events that celebrate Music, Art, Dance, Theater, and other forms of expression. Some occur in extraordinarily scenic locations, appeal to a wide range of interests, and draw crowds of thousands, all of which helped create the recent industry boom. Renowned outdoor sites and legendary performers attract approximately 90,000 to Bonaroo Music and Art Festival in rural Manchester, TN, and Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival, founded in 1933 in the Berkshires of Western MA, attracts about 80,000 every year.

There is an incredible spectrum of natural and man-made venues that allow us to enjoy our favorite live entertainment in the perfect environment. One of America’s most glorious outdoor spaces is an open-air theater built INTO Red Rocks, just outside Denver. This natural amphitheater is located at 6,450 feet above sea level and sits at a geologically fascinating transition point between the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains. You can enjoy perfect acoustics while watching stars appear in the clear evening air. Fans of new and standard operatic repertoire flock to the stunning Crosby Theater in Santa Fe to listen to excellent opera talent while reveling in the western landscape of New Mexico. These locations offer the perfect balance of sophisticated performance and carefully tailored natural environments to provide a truly memorable experience.

Outdoor performance environments aren’t limited to rural settings, of course. Chicago is the home to some of the best venues to enjoy the glory days of summer. The Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park is an architectural marvel designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry. The pavilion and the park have received favorable recognition by critics, especially for their accessibility. As many as 11,000 people attend each of the Grant Park Music Festival’s vast array of classical concerts and other arts events made available for free to Chicago residents. Other large-scale “Al Fresco” events in Chicago include Lollapalooza, the Chicago Blues Festival, and Pitchfork Music Festival.

From Woodstock to the contemporary Coachella, it only takes one artist or event to bring a particular location to the national spotlight. A 1993 single performance by Pearl Jam at the Empire Polo Club put Coachella and this impressive desert venue on the map. This event features various music genres, including rock, pop, hip hop, and electronica, alongside fascinating works of Art. This festival occurs on three weekends and hosts over 250,000 guests with gross revenues of well over 100 million dollars. You may also be familiar with The Blossom Festival outside Cleveland, Gerald R. Ford Pavilion in Vail, The Hollywood Bowl, The Aspen Music Festival, The Traverse City Film Festival, Milwaukee Summerfest, Wolftrap, and Tanglewood, amongst many others.

Right here in the great state of Georgia and throughout Lake Country, we have our outdoor concert traditions. Chastain Park Amphitheater has an exciting list of musical artists coming to Atlanta this summer. Fans of John Legend, Steely Dan, Alicia Keys, Wilco, and David Gray are looking forward to the reinstitution of in-person shows. Other local outdoor events include the Olmsted Plein Air Invitational that just took place in Atlanta and will return to Eatonton in 2023.

At the Ritz-Carlton-Reynolds, the Food & Wine Festival will return in 2022. Lovers of Bluegrass music flock to Pickin’ on the Greene in Downtown Greensboro, held every year in June. The annual Rhythm and Brews Festival, co-hosted by the Oconee Performing Arts Society (OPAS), is scheduled to return to Reynolds in October of this year. The Farm at Oconee, a gorgeous 200-acre property with a vineyard and splendid lakefront views, is making its debut for an upcoming family-friendly OPAS concert scheduled for Sunday, May 30, 2021.

The last year has caused significant changes to festival calendars and performance delivery methods. One thing that has become clear is that online and outdoor entertainment is here to stay. We are all looking forward to joining our friends once again to support our local theaters and museums, not to mention the fantastic artists who bring these venues to life.

Whether attending a concert amongst Red Rocks, a titanium modern architectural wonder, or sitting on the hillside looking at Lake Oconee, “Al Fresco” events make for magical memories.

For information about all local arts events, log onto www.lakecountryarts.org

Doug LaBrecque

OPAS Artistic Director