Music on Main
It had been a couple of months or so since I’d spent time with my brother, Marc. I reached out and asked if he had some time to hang out together. As luck would have it, he was on vacation all week and offered me the pick of several days that he’d be available.
Marc lives in Bridgton, Maine. He said that if I chose to come and see him on Saturday we could go to the Music on Main outdoor concert.
I’m a bit odd regarding music. I like music but don’t listen to it on the radio. I’ve gone to a handful of concerts over the years but haven’t been to one since my wife Sandie and I saw Lady Gaga in Boston, Massachusetts in 2017. That was a heck of a show!
My town, Westbrook, Maine, hosts their own summer concert series. But, like a kid that is lucky enough to have their own pool, it can get boring after a while. When you are offered a chance to go and swim in a river, lake or the pool of a friend, you jump at the chance. I’d like to see what Bridgton has to offer in their outdoor music.
Bridgton is pretty typical of most small towns in Maine. Out Main Street is very short and contains 90% of the typical shops most people want to visit to eat or shop at. The outdoor venue is located on Main Street and is situated in an empty lot between a book store and a now vacant store.
You are encouraged to bring your own outdoor chairs as none are provided. My brother recommended that we get to the venue before 5:00 pm (when the venue opens) so that we can “reserve” our seating closer to the stage by placing our chairs where we want and come back when they officially start letting people in
When we got there a dozen or so chairs had already been placed, still leaving a lot of prime spots for us. The first fifty feet of the ground in front of the stage was covered with large wood chips that smelled very similar to the smaller variety that you’d cover the base of your bushes or small trees at your home.
Marc and I decided to eat before the music started. There were ten food trucks located in the rear of the music venue offering a huge variety of food. There was everything from burgers and pizza to falafel and vietnamese. I’m a vegan and I didn’t have a problem finding tasty food for me to eat.
In case you were wondering (I did!) there are plenty of clean porta-potties available. Overall, I was extremely impressed with the cleanliness, food and beverage offerings and the variety of music.
In addition to the food they were selling beer. They didn’t have a huge variety. However, they had at least ten different kinds of beet to include non-alcoholic and craft beers. With our bellies full and beer in our hands we made our way to our seats.
The venue had filled up quickly while we were eating. The first musical artist, Adrienne Mack-Davis started singing promptly at 6:00 pm. I had never heard of her before. Admittedly, I don’t recognize 90% of any current, mainstream musical artist. She sang hip-hop and soul music. I liked her!
Adrienne Mack-Davis
Several families that were sitting in front of us seemed to know her as she came down to greet them before her show started. Most of the kids in the audience, and quite a few adults, made their way towards the stage to dance.
Jammin’
After a short intermission for instrument setup and sound checks, the next artist was called Coyote Island.
Coyote Island
I liked their music, too! Their music style is all over the place, but it works. Towards the end of the event the empty space in front of the stage was packed with people dancing and having a great time.
Additional evidence of this were people taking selfies. This couple was so into taking the perfect selfie that I had to take a picture of them.
The Coyote Island band lead singer knew Andrienne Mack-Davis and called her onstage to sing a couple of songs with them. That was an unexpected bonus!
The show ended at 9:00 pm. Many of the audience members yelled “Encore!” but that never happened.
I had an amazingly good time at the Bridgton Music on Main concert and am seriously considering going to the next one. All the people were so friendly and happy. It really felt a lot like a family gathering--the good kind.
