FREELANCESTAR

NEW CONCERT SERIES BRINGS THE BIG BOYS OF MUSIC TO THE 'BURG
Date published: 4/30/2009 By JONAS BEALS

When it comes to getting mainstream live entertainment, most locals hit the road.

That might soon change. Tomorrow night, The Wailers (of Bob Marley fame) will bring their positive vibrations to Central Park. They are one of 10 national touring acts already scheduled for the Celebrate Virginia Live outdoor concert series.

It should be a welcome option for auditory locavores.

"I've had my eye on the area for three or four years," promoter David Peterson said. "It's been sort of a slow burn of watching Fredericksburg evolve, and I think the community is ready to step up."

Chew on this: Country music superstar Travis Tritt is on the lineup. So are Gin Blossoms, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Little Feat and local one-man jam band Keller Williams.

Every Friday evening from now until the middle of July, you have a reason to get out of the house, but not have to go out of town.

Peterson also promotes the Innsbrook After Hours concert series in Richmond. He said when the time was right to try to expand the Innsbrook series, Fredericksburg came to mind and he came up for a visit.

"I got there and said, wow, this place has become really vibrant.

"There's not a tremendous amount of empirical research to rely on," he said. "But I want to see if our model can work in communities that are somewhat under-served."

Fredericksburg certainly fits that bill. The local population has boomed, but entertainment options have struggled to keep up. Celebrate Virginia Live might be exactly what local residents want.

VIEW FROM DOWNTOWN

Fredericksburg has produced its fair share of famous players--Saffire, Keller Williams and The Seldom Scene come to mind--but the downtown music scene has sometimes struggled.

Talk to a group of local musicians and you learn that Fredericksburg is chock-full of talent, but it can be hard to get people to listen. When it comes to live music, there seems to be an invisible barrier between the city and the hundreds of thousands of people who live in the surrounding counties.

Central Park and Celebrate Virginia are technically part of the city. Philosophically, those suburban commercial centers are a world away from historic downtown.

Most of the active players and venues are downtown, but most of the potential ears are a gridlocked drive away.

The Celebrate Virginia Live series might be enough to break that barrier, and draw music lovers from all over the region.

Jay Starling is one of the local scene's busiest musicians. On any given night you can catch him playing jazz, blues, rock or R&B with a handful of different bands. He also plays rocksteady with The Transmitters, who are scheduled to open for Little Feat May 29.

"There's a really good music scene in downtown Fredericksburg," Starling said, "and I hope people support this. The more music, the better. Any place can benefit from having more art. More culture is always good."

Starling isn't sure what such a major musical development will mean for local musicians, but he likes what it could do for local music fans.

"I think it's a good thing. It's absolutely something Fredericksburg needs," he said. "I remember when the college used to do big acts--Little Feat, B.B. King, The Flecktones. It would be awesome to have something like that again."

IF YOU BUILD IT

Peterson is sensitive to those local concerns. He seems to understand the importance of involving the community and putting on a quality event.

"Our philosophy is to do this right, to make it an enriching aspect of the community," he said. "We want people to walk away and say 'Hey, that was a real show!'"

When it comes down to it, Peterson needs to do one thing: put bodies in front of his stage. Having the venue in such a high-traffic area just might do the trick.

The Celebrate Virginia Live concerts will take place in an empty field near the Fredericksburg Expo Center. Peterson said grass is being planted and a large temporary stage will provide a top-notch sound and lighting setup.

"We're trying to build a quality venue from scratch," Peterson said. "I really think people will feel like it's a special place."

According to local musicians, that could be the key to success.

"There needs to be a consistent, quality venue," said Tom Schiff, a veteran musician and open mic organizer. "If people come out and have a good time, they'll come back."

At this point, Celebrate Virginia Live is a grand experiment with an outcome dependent on a wide range of factors. Will people come after work? Will commuters stop by on their way home? Will families make it a weekly destination? Will the rain hold off?

Finally, is Fredericksburg the right place to do it? Peterson is betting the answer will be "yes."

"Some of the most obvious things might be right under your nose," he said.

Celebrate Virginia Live May 1: The Wailers
May 8: Keller Williams
May 15: Gin Blossoms and TONIC
May 22: Toad The Wet Sprocket/Eddie From Ohio
May 29: Little Feat June 5: Dark Star Orchestra
June 12: TBA
June 19: ZOSO
June 26: TBA
July 10: TBA
July 17: Travis Tritt

Cost: $10-$35, depending on the show Where: Gordon W. Shelton Blvd., near the Fredericksburg Expo Center Info: www.celebratevirginialive.com