Outdoor Concerts

Rumours and Dreams

One of the attractions for our bike get away this year, was to attend an outdoor concert at Lake Brophy County Park – along the Central Lakes State Trail near Alexandria, MN. The bike trail runs right through the middle of the park.

Summer Sounds is what they call their summer outdoor concert series (free), sponsored by the Rotary Club, and it’s a big deal. Thousands show up at this park with a large hill going down to Lake Brotphy where the bandstand is set up near the water, creating an amphitheater. People sit on the hill to watch and listen. There was a jumbotron so all could see.

The stage set up on the shores of Lake Brophy.

We went to hear the tribute band for Fleetwood Mac, called Rumours and Dreams. Apparently, this tribute band is part of the Summer Sounds concert series every year. I can understand why people keep coming back to hear them. They are very good. Three lead vocalists and other instrument players sounded like the original band. The 70’s and 80’s were Fleetwood Mac’s most active years.

Lots of people seated everywhere, overlooking Lake Brophy.

We rode our bikes to this event (from a parking lot one mile away). If you ride to the concert, you can park your bike in the bike corral (safe and secure) and in exchange you get a camp chair to sit on to listen to the concert. A creative idea!

Part of the time I used an umbrella to be shaded from the sun.

There were food trucks and a playground for the kiddos, lots of trash bins brought in as well as Porta-potties. The concerts attract thousands of attendees.

The sun started to set as the concert came to an end. This photo was taken on top of the hill where additional people were seated to hear the concert.

At the end of the concert, about 9 o’clock, there was a beautiful glow as the sun began to set. We hopped on our bikes and rode one mile back to our car. It was so easy and quick, and we avoided all traffic jams and others leaving the area.

Outdoor concerts are a quintessential part of summer. I’m grateful for the many opportunities all over Minnesota.

One of summer’s pleasures is going to outdoor concerts. It’s a treat to be outside, sitting in the shade on beautiful evenings, with the sun slowly setting, listening to good music (and no mosquitos biting).

Faribault hosts weekly concerts at their Central Park’s bandshell every summer. By the time the concerts begin, the park is mostly shaded. People start filling in the open space, setting up camp chairs or blankets to sit and be entertained by different bands.

Last week, a band called Little Chicago played and we went to hear them. It’s a group that has been together several years (since 1999). They are based in New Prague, Minnesota and call themselves a Horn Band…a rock and roll band with a brass section. They play pop/rock musical hits from the 1960s and 1970s. They featured songs from the bands Chicago, Eagles, and many others. There were ten instrument players on stage along with two main vocalists providing an entertaining concert.

They played the songs from when Gary and I were in our teens…the era of classic rock and roll music with lyrics you could mostly understand and sing along. I was surprised at how easily the words to songs came back to me from songs I hadn’t heard of in years…for instance Mellow Yellow, to name only one of many.

A beautiful night to be sitting outdoors listening to music.

That led me to thinking of a song we used to teach to our first- graders in church years ago. The song is called Input, Output (lyrics by Kathie Hill and Gary McSpadden, released in 1984). The chorus is this:

Input output, what goes in is what comes out.
Input output, that is what it’s all about.
Input output, your mind is a computer whose
Input output daily you must choose.

The song compares your brain to a computer. What you hear and see (the input) changes what you say and do (the output). This rings true, and are words to remember. Especially for the young ones and modern music….the words they listen to in song stick.

I really enjoyed singing along to the oldies from so long ago when I was a teenager– I wanted to get up and dance…some young children did.

It was a great evening of free entertainment.

The Doobie Brothers

As dusk turned to dark on a beautiful Minnesota summer evening, we were sitting outside, in the grandstand, of the Minnesota State Fair “listening to the music” of the Doobie Brothers. It was a great concert. Gary is my guest writer for this post.

The Minnesota State Fair water tower and Midway Ferris Wheel.

Back in 1970 a few musicians living near San Jose, California formed a band calling themselves the Doobie Brothers. They ultimately became a very popular band, and I had a few of their early albums. When they announced their plans for a 50th Anniversary Tour I was excited to learn one of the venues was at the Minnesota State Fair. We decided to go (along with several friends) and bought our tickets for the 2020 concert. Then along came the pandemic and the State Fair was cancelled… but fortunately the Doobie Brothers were rescheduled for the 2021 fair.

This past week we went to their two-hour long concert and it was fabulous. The energy they exuded was impressive given their ages…most are in their 70’s. It was obvious they were having a good time.

The band consisted of two founding members on lead guitars and vocals (Johnston and Simmons), and another long-time member, who joined the band in 1979, played guitar/fiddle/harmonica. Complimenting them were five others: a bass guitarist, keyboardist, saxophonist, percussionist and a drummer. The guitar performances, whether solo or all three guitars in synchronous melody, were awesome. The dual percussion and talented keyboard musicians made for an incredible display of talent. The saxophone player was outstanding. Add to that…harmonizing vocals. It all made for a great show.

Some of their more well-known songs include: Takin’ it to the Streets, China Grove, Black Water, Jesus is Just Alright, and Listen to the Music. However, even the songs we did not know were enjoyable to listen to because of their incredible talent.

We were delighted to have the opportunity to attend this event. The end is near for classic rock band tours with any founding members, because most of them are now in their 70’s and 80’s.

On another note, we hadn’t been to the state fair for many years (12+) it was nice to go when the numbers were down…the streets were not too crowded and we didn’t have to stand in long lines for food.

It was a perfect evening for an outdoor concert, and a side benefit was our view from the grandstand of the midway Ferris Wheel with its changing light display.