Photo by Jesse Faatz
LET THE MUSIC MOVE YOU
LIVE ON THE LAWN CONCERT SERIES COMES TO WATERFRONT PARK Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided
There’s something special about live music. Outdoor venues in particular are fun because in the Midwest they mark the start of temperate weather, and after a long winter nothing feels better to many people than listening to a favorite artist in a live, outdoor setting. This is precisely why, in 2019, the folks at Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) approached representatives from the Waterfront Development Corporation to discuss the idea of putting on a summer concert series at Waterfront Park. Plans were in the works during the first quarter of 2020 when COVID-19 brought concerts to an abrupt halt. “It was like this slow torture because when the virus first hit in March, we thought it was going to be two weeks of a pause,” says Deborah Bilitski, executive director of Waterfront Development Corporation. “That turned into four weeks, then six weeks. We were optimistic, thinking that
certainly by summer things would be back to normal, then by fall. Events kept getting pushed back, and reality finally set in.”
Partnering with DWP has helped build a newly created membership program for Waterfront Park.
Thankfully, however, in recent months things have turned around. Now, more than ever, the public has a voracious appetite for live music.
“They have allowed us to create a pre-sale code for people who are members or join as members of Waterfront Park, which entitles them to a pre-sale code to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public,” Bilitski says.
“There’s almost been a mad rush of people asking us to start scheduling activities again,” Bilitski says.
They created pod seating so people can It makes perfect sense. After a year of having safely gather for live events. The idea is to next to nothing penciled onto our calendars, purchase pods that include people with whom attendees regularly associate, in order society is eager to have fun. to minimize interaction with people outside DWP has had a strong presence in Louisville of their “bubble.” According to McCurry, pods are similar to traditional amphitheater for quite some time, but this marks the first season of the Live on the Lawn at Waterfront seating, with boxed seats behind the first Park concert series, which kicked off in June. reserved section before the lawn. They plan to put on 10 nights of concerts in “I personally love them because you have the inaugural season. your own space,” McCurry says. “We’ve been wanting to do this for years at Waterfront Park,” says Chamie McCurry, Premium reserved pod seating, which chief marketing officer at DWP. “It’s an area includes chairs and is closest to the stage, we love.” is available in Section 1. Pods in Sections 2 and 3 are general admission seating and are 24 / JULY 2021
