Don’t fold up those little flags or put those red, white and blue suspenders in mothballs just yet. The town of Enfield has yet to begin its ode to the birth of the nation.
And as entertainment director Mike Pestana explains, the decision to roll out the annual Independence Day celebration (enfieldcelebration.org) the weekend after the holiday proper has sparked major interest and attendance, and opened a whole new world of logistical possibilities.
“Well, of course, we are competing with the other events, or fighting to get the same big-name acts as them on the same day,” he explains. “But we also realized that so many local families travel the weekend of the Fourth, and in order for our event to truly be a success, we wanted to ensure that they could in fact be a part of our celebration. Pushing back a week has enabled exactly that to happen.”
Kicking off the concert portion of the three-day affair on Friday, July 8 are capable Connecticut rockers Echo.And.Drake (5 p.m.), Mohegan Sun mainstays The Shaboo All-Stars (7 p.m.), and Beatle replicators The Fab Four, who round out the evening at 9:30 p.m. The following evening sees classic rock cover kings Johnny Sixgun (5 p.m.) yield to The Marshall Tucker Band (7:30 p.m.) and headliner Dickey Betts (9:30 p.m.). Per tradition, Sunday is reserved for the Hartford Symphony Orchestra (7:30 p.m.), who provide the patriotic soundtrack for one of the most impressive fireworks displays in the region. All performances occur on the town green and are free. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair.
“I truly think we have something for everyone, and personally, I was very excited to bring Marshall Tucker back for the first time in eight years,” Pestana says. “And of course, Dickey Betts is a big celebration hit. This will be his third time headlining, in fact, and in 2007, he released a live CD that actually featured three songs from his Enfield appearance, including an epic 31-minute version of ‘In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.'”
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Meanwhile, the very same weekend, Greenfield’s PDP Productions puts more than three dozen of the region’s biggest decibel deliverers on multiple stages at the Energy Park for Rockfest 2011 (massrockfest.com). The sixth installment of the annual affair includes performances by Fear Nuttin Band, Black Pyramid and Danny Pease & The Regulators, to name a choice—but limited—few. One-day passes are available online for $10, three-day passes for $15. Wait for the gate and those prices swell to $14 and $20.
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In other news, Wally “Sweet Daddy Cool Breeze” Greaney checked in to report that he’s actually working both sides of the pond these days.
Physically, he remains Stateside with upcoming live plays at the Summit View Banquet House (July 8) and Blues Bash at the Holyoke Elks (July 17) on the books. On the studio side, however, Greaney is also celebrating the recent release of Live In Germany overseas.
“The disc was recorded during a tour we did over there in 2009,” he explains. “I’ve been building a small rep over there for a good 18 years now. Because of expenses, I go over alone and use local musicians for now, but the European shows are so great. The people come out to be entertained and pay attention to the music.” Live In Germany is exclusively available for purchase at cdbaby.com/sweetdaddycoolbreeze.
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Last up, the Springfield Armory (nps.gov/spar) salutes the historic Benny Goodman concert that occurred on its grounds back in 1943 this Saturday, July 9. Dubbed the Poppin’ Big Band Celebration, the evening of music and dance will feature performances by Memories Big Band Sound, United States Navy Pops Band and the USO Retro Show. The show starts at 6 p.m. and admission is free. In the event of rain, the festivities will be moved to nearby Scibelli Hall at Springfield Technical Community College.
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, PO Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 394-4262 or email Garycarra@aol.com.
