The last of this summer’s Free Concert Series is on Friday, August 27 at Swanny Park starting at 6 p.m.
Local band the Dave Stewart Quartet will open with a 45 minute set, followed by headliner Lindsay Lou, who is flying out from Nashville, Tennessee. Lou is a bluegrass star from Michigan, described on her website as an “undeniable powerhouse” who has been making music for the last decade.
The Free Concert Series is an initiative by The Friends of The Moab Folk Festival, a non-profit organization that puts on the Moab Folk Festival each fall.
Cassie Paup, the director of the festival, said the free concert series this summer has been an overwhelming hit with the community. The audiences are largely made up of locals, and the first concert in June was the largest turnout to date, she said—the free series has been going on for five years.
“Live music is really an uplifting experience,” she said. The concerts are a chance to get outside and experience “not only the joy of music and dancing, but meeting with our community”—one of Paup’s favorite aspects of the series is the local turnout.
Paup said that she has found that live music is less accessible in Moab, since the city is a bit off the beaten path for many musical artists. That’s why it’s been so important to her to provide a way for the community to connect with live music.
It’s important also to offer the concerts for free because some community members may not be able to afford a ticketed event, Paup said. The shows can be put on for free with the support of the Moab travel council, local sponsors and volunteers, which Paup is incredibly grateful for.
Lindsay Lou, the headliner of the August 27 concert, has played at a number of festivals in her musical career, including the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado and the Shetland Island Folk Fest in Scotland. Her most popular songs on Spotify are “Everything Changed,” and “Ionia” from her 2015 album “Ionia”, and “Southland,” from her most recent album, “Southland,” released in 2018. This year, she released a set of singles, “The Suite Sweets.”
At the concert in Moab, she’ll play two 45-minute sets. After closing out the free concert series in Moab, Lou will return to Michigan for a quick concert at a brewery in Kalamazoo, then spend much of September touring in California.
Planning for next year’s free concert series will start at the beginning of 2022, and Paup said she hopes to continue having at least one concert per month in the summer and partner with more organizations. She also wants to expand the different genres of music represented as well, to better round out the series.
The concert will begin at 6 p.m. in Swanny City Park (400 N. 100 West, Moab) on Friday, August 27.
Event information
What: Free Concert: Lindsay Lou
When: Friday, Aug. 27 at 6 p.m.
Where: Swanny City Park (400 N. 100 West, Moab)
For more information, go to www.moabfreeconcerts.com
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