Feel Good Fridays Reunite Us With LIVE Music In Van Wert
Mar 15 Monday
Reunited and it feels so good...Friday night entertainment, underwritten exclusively by the Van Wert County Foundation, returns to Van Wert! Feel Good Fridays at Fountain Park presented by Van Wert LIVE events will keep spirits high and keep you feeling fine. Any Friday night at 7:30 PM beginning June 4 through August 6, will feature national artists traveling from across the country to share their artistry on the Fountain Park stage. The ten free concerts are at the corner of W. Main Street and Jefferson Street in historic downtown Van Wert. Feel Good Fridays in Fountain Park are here to provide free, family-friendly entertainment for all to enjoy. It will soon be time to grab those lawn chairs and have a-rockin' good time!
FEEL GOOD FRIDAYS AT FOUNTAIN PARK BAND ROSTER
JUNE 4 - THE SWON BROTHERS: This country duo has been thrilling audiences long before their appearance as finalists on NBC’s The Voice and have released a repertoire of amazing songs since, including their Top 15 HIT, “Later On,” from their self-titled major-label debut. They’ve played for hundreds of thousands of fans as part of Carrie Underwood’s Storyteller Tour and Brad Paisley’s Country Nation World Tour, as well as their own headlining shows.
JUNE 11 - RUMOURS: A FLEETWOOD MAC TRIBUTE: Rumours' lead singer Mekenzie Jackson was bewitched by the music of Fleetwood Mac at a young age. She can duplicate the iconic lead singer Stevie Nick's voice so well that she and Rumours effortlessly transport audiences to the height of Fleetwood Mac’s amazing success. The sensational voices of Rumours accomplished musicians recreate the signature harmonies; and along with their expert instrumentation, stage moves and wardrobe, replicate those magical moments in music history that Fleetwood Mac fans cherish and can now relive again and again.
JUNE 18 - THE VAN DELLS: The Van-Dells are a masterful musical tribute to the ’50s and ’60s. The show begins in the ’50s. Dressed in letter sweaters, The Van-Dells hit the stage running with songs like At The Hop and Morse Code of Love, along with Doo-Wop favorites, and never slow down. The non-stop show continues with “Glitter and Gold” that made the 1960's famous. The audience will be taken on a nostalgic trip through time reliving the magical era. The Van-Dells have been called “The 3 Stooges set to music”.
JUNE 25 - FAREWELL ANGELINA: Farewell Angelina is an all-female country group with powerhouse vocalists, dynamic songwriters, and accomplished multi-instrumentalists. Their stellar blend of heart-stopping harmonies over blazing double violins and guitars has earned soaring praise across the board. Roughstock calls them a "Superstar Act... with Killer Songs." Rolling Stone says, "Wickedly smart songwriting delivered with a healthy dash of sass... deft playing... into one sonic knockout punch." They've been named among Rolling Stone's "New Artists You Need To Know," and Roughstock's "Ones to Watch" with a tour schedule to prove it. The girls have opened shows for the likes of Kenny Chesney, Old Dominion, Frankie Ballard, Jake Owen, Billy Currington, Maroon 5, and Trace Adkins, to name a few.
JULY 2 - PEACHERINE RAGTIME SOCIETY ORCHESTRA: The Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra is the leading professional ragtime orchestra in the United States. Under the direction of virtuoso Andrew Greene, PRSO recreates the syncopated stylings of a bygone era - Ragtime, Theater, and Dance music using an immense archive of over 15,000 original orchestral scores. The patriotic concert program will also include the music of the late 1800s and early 1900s, with selections by composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, W.C. Handy, Eubie Blake, George M. Cohan, and of course, the King of Ragtime, Scott Joplin.
JULY 9 - SHINING STAR: Earth, Wind & Fire Tribute: This timeless musical recreation of Earth, Wind & Fire's music and the show is based on the '70s thru '80s, the peak time of Earth, Wind & Fire's magical career, and the highly acclaimed live recordings of their concerts. This show's playlist has been hailed as the definitive collection of Earth, Wind & Fire's top-charting hits, and includes best-loved songs such as After The Love Is Gone, Sing A Song, September, Got To Get You Into My Life, their namesake Shining Star, along with disco tracks, Boogie Wonderland, and Let's Groove Tonight. This show is the closest and ONLY production to embody the aura, costuming, moves, and vocalization styles of this supergroup. The magic, the versatility, the vocals, the essence, the songs, the energy, the horns, and the spirit
JULY 16 - WALDEN: Hailing from Athens, Georgia, Walden emerged as the city’s newest rock sound. The band quickly captured the college town’s attention. Walden has burst onto the scene with many major festival appearances across the nation. These four young men quickly become one of the biggest upcoming musical acts in the southeast, capturing the attention of audiences of all ages with their raw sound, infectious energy, and the undeniable connection they share on stage. Comprised of Richard Becker (vocals/guitar), Jamie de Lange (bass), Eric Hangartner, (vocals/piano), and Andrew Mendel (drums) the quartet has remained just that ever since. While each shares a dream of traveling the world creating music, they are drawn together by a common understanding to navigate through the perpetual noise that pervades everyday life in search of something else - something of true purpose and meaning - a sense of truly feeling alive.
JULY 23 - THAT ARENA ROCK SHOW: That Arena Rock Show is the ultimate high energy tribute to "Classic" Rock N' Roll . . . Performing legendary rock anthems that ruled the airwaves in the 70s and 80s that include artists, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Guns N Roses, and more. This show takes a trip back in time, turning Fountain Park into an arena for a night! Get your lighters out and your fist in the air. This rock show is more than just music - it’s an experience! "These guys are so great at recapturing the excitement of the greatest arena rock shows of all time that they will make every hair on your body stand on end; even those you may have lost! Now THAT is powerful!”
JULY 30 - HEART BY HEART Steve Fossen and Michael Derosier, bassist and drummer for the band Heart during the 70s and early 80s, are now touring as Heart By Heart. "Our mission is to perform the classic Heart music as faithfully as we can," Fossen says. The band features vocalist Somar Macek, guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Lizzy Daymont and guitarist Chad Quist. Heart By Heart presents a powerful, dynamic show that includes all the favorite Heart hits as well as deep album cuts that fans will love. Fossen and Derosier are the powerful driving engine behind Heart's classic hits like Barracuda, Straight On, Crazy On You, Magic Man, Even It Up, Dog & Butterfly, Heartless, Kick It Out, and more. First formed by Steve Fossen in 1969, Heart went on to release six top-10 albums and landed 20 hit singles on the Billboard top 40 charts. In recognition of their contributions to these iconic recordings, and to Heart’s first seven years of national and international touring, Fossen and Derosier were inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of the original Heart lineup in 2013.
AUGUST 6 - BUILDING 429 GRAMMY®-nominated band Building 429 - comprised of Jason Roy, Michael Anderson, Jesse Garcia, and Aaron Branch - is one of Christian music’s top artists with high-energy live shows, lyrically-driven, anthemic songs, and a consistent message of hope through Christ. Known for writing songs about big faith showing up in everyday moments, Building 429’s dynamic new single, “Fear No More,” encourages the listener to hold fast to faith in the midst of life’s inevitable setbacks
Feel Good Friday Concerts begin at 7:30 PM and are a BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair) event. Blankets on the Fountain Park lawn work well too. Come early and hang out in downtown Van Wert before the concerts to shop and dine. Safety protocols will be announced prior to the first concert in coordination with the Van Wert Health Department.