Glastonbury Chamber of Commerce - Riverfront Music Festival

The Glastonbury Chamber of Commerce and Glastonbury Parks & Recreation are pleased to present the 2008 Glastonbury Riverfront Music Festival (formally known at the Summer Music Series.) These free concerts are scheduled for four Wednesday nights beginning July 2, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The concerts will be held at the Welles Street Riverfront Park on the lawn behind the Riverfront Community Center. Free parking and shuttle service will be available at 180 & 200 Glastonbury Boulevard, which is adjacent to Somerset Square.

Reserve your table at the concerts! Guarantee a round table for 8 in a prime location...anytime you arrive, it will be waiting for you! ($80/table)..or bring your own picnic and lawn chairs! Enjoy fresh produce at the farmers’ market featuring our very own Glastonbury growers. Food vendors will be also be offering a variety of festival treats from hot dogs and hamburgers to fruit smoothies and ice cream. Concerts will only be cancelled in the event of a thunder and lighting rainstorm.

Eight to the Bar – July 2, 2008

Eight to the Bar will kick off the concerts on July 2 with their colorful mix of forties jive and swing, fifties jump blues, and their own swing-influenced tunes. Promotional material on the band describes them as “Listening to Eight to the Bar is a lot like driving along a time-warped highway precisely halfway between Count Basie’s Kansas City and Fats Waller’s Harlem, where the car radio picks up everything from “Take the A Train” to “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” With their female vocals, saxophone, guitar, bass, keyboards and drums, this unique sextet packs a musical and visual wallop not often seen in New England since the group’s inception in 1975. Since that time they have released 10 CDs, 7 videos, have appeared nationally on HBO, VH-1, P.M. Magazine and have excited audiences from Europe to the Caribbean. The band has recently returned from a five-country European tour, and has just released its tenth CD, Calling All Ickeroos! Their material, like their outlandish wardrobes and on stage choreography, is a show not to be missed.

Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons Tribute Band – July 9, 2008
This concert and car show was rescheduled to July 30!

On July 9, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, a tribute band, will help us to take a step back in time. Known as one of the best tribute groups on the circuit, the group’s harmonies are second to none and the falsetto of the lead singer is a must to hear. Their songs include the greatest hits of The Four Seasons including “Sherry”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Oh What A Night”, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “Ragdoll”, among many others. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself singing to these unforgettable “oldies.”
Keeping with the theme of the evening, we will also host the 2nd Annual Classic Car Show at the park during the same time period. Last year, concert goers were treated to a large (over 100!) and varied array of antique cars while also enjoying the concert. The concert and car show has a rain date of July 30 if the weather does not cooperate.

Shaded Soul – July 16, 2008
On July 16 Shaded Soul, a high-energy 9-piece band established since 1985 will entertain the crowd. The unique vocal stylings and dynamic stage presence of the lead vocalists captivates audiences and keeps the dance floor filled all night long. Shaded Soul is known throughout New England for their hot rhythm and horn section playing songs from such artists as Marvin Gaye, The Commodores, Patti LaBelle, Alicia Keys, Earth Wind & Fire, Average White Band, and James Brown. Their exciting stage show and versatility in musical styles ranging from the 40’s big band music to the top 40 of today makes for an exciting show.

Pure Prairie League – July 23, 2008

The nationally renowned band Pure Prairie League(PPL) will play on July 23. An American country-rock band whose roots began in the 1960’s, PPL established their signature sound in the early 70’s with the addition of a steel guitar and completed their first nationwide tour in 1971. PPL’s biggest hits include “Amie”; “Two Lane Highway”, and the musically less-representative pop song, “Let Me Love You Tonight”. Country star Vince Gill sang and played guitar with the band in the early 1980s and recorded an updated version of “Amie” for their greatest hits album before becoming one of Nashville’s biggest stars. The band continued to have a long run through to the early 1980s, and was reborn in the mid 2000s. A fourteenth album was released in 2006. Their band’s longevity is a testament of the timelessness of their music. “As they write for a new project, they’ve returned to their roots and it’s no surprise that after all these years their sound is what Country Radio is about, proving good music is good music no matter when it’s made or played--and you can go home again” comments Craig Fuller, a PPL band member. Their logo (pictured here) is known for the Norman Rockwell cowboy named “Sad Luke” that is featured on it.

Thank you to the Music Festival sponsors!
Connecticut Business Systems, Flanagan Industries, Jacobs Financial Partners, Mohegan Sun, SBM Charitable Foundation, Arbot Software, AT&T, Pratt & Whitney, Glastonbury Rotary, The Shops at Somerset Square, Connecticut River Community Bank, Hartford Courant, Jaconetta, Burnham & Wimer, Margaret Wilcox at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, American Eagle Federal Credit Union, Bright Horizons, Budget Printers, Edward Jones Investments, Katz Hardware, Manchester Community College, People’s United Bank, ReminderNEWS & Gold Pages, Rockville Bank, TD Banknorth, Two Pour Guys, Zagnutz Internet Solutions.