Thursday, May 3, 2012
The rock legends open a successful two-concert visit to Verizon four years after they helped open the venue.
The Eagles opened Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in May 2008 as the first rock act on the stage. On Wednesday, May 2 they returned in the venue's fifth season. The Eagles have been around 35 more years than the amphitheater, and their 40 years performing was a topic for the band members the few times they spoke. Had the house lights been turned on, they would have realized that most of the crowd actually was born more than 40 years ago. So many of us were sporting white hair–and it wasn't a fashion statement. Ticketmaster lists the Friday, May 4 Eagles concert at Verizon as sold out, but ticket resellers do have tickets, such as the 68 listed on StubHub this morning. "It's hard to believe that it is 40 years ago this spring that our music …
Thursday, March 22, 2012
It's a classic rock season at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre this season, with bands like the Eagles, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Styx and REO Speedwagon - plus a few new favorites.
Feeling nostalgic? A visit to Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park this upcoming season may be a chance to recapture your youth with several classic rock concerts, including some bands that have reunited. The 2012 concert season kicks off April 29 with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. And the ‘70s bands continue through the summer with Styx, Ted Nugent, the Eagles and Crosby, Stills & Nash. There is also a Beatles tribute band joining the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Or, if you’re looking for more contemporary music, you can find Foster the People and Barenaked Ladies performing there for the first time. And for your deadhead fix, the jam band Furthur, founded by former Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, will take the …
Monday, August 1, 2011
The Grateful Dead's Weir and Lesh wind down tour with lengthy concert that rocked a largely middle-aged crowd.
Furthur, the most recent band for ageless Grateful Dead veterans Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, wrapped up its Summer of 2011 tour with a resounding finish Sunday night at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in nearby Alpharetta. Weir, 63, and Lesh, 71, pushed a group of younger musicians through their paces as they weaved through a set list that included songs from four decades, choosing some less-played Dead songs along with Bob Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" and even two Beatles tunes from "Abbey Road" – "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and "The End." The latter, a second encore, closed out well over three hours of jams, ballads and flat-out rocking. The band opened with an emphatic "Not Fade Away" and closed the second set with a stripped-down …
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Cirque de la Symphonie paired up for a perfect performance over the weekend at Verizon Ampitheatre.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Cirque de la Symphonie paired up for an exhilarating evening at the Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre at Encore Park Saturday night. While they have worked together in the past, this was the first year that they performed together at the outdoor venue. Despite sprinkles of rain and threats of thunderstorms, the weather held and the show went on without a hitch. The performance showcased the musical talents of the orchestra perfectly choreographed to the artistic movements of the cirque. Acrobats and dancers displayed balance and fluid movements on the ground as well as in the air while hanging on silk fabrics and large hoops. The strength and dexterity of the performers was demonstrated by juggling, spinning …
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's performance at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park was almost seamless with the classic movie.
The audience that came out to see Casablanca at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in nearby Alpharetta might have watched the classic movie, but it's unlikely any of them had ever heard it as they did Friday night. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra furnished the live musical score. Live music certainly adds nuances to any performance. While an orchestra recorded the original score by Max Steiner, it can't ever compare to the ASO's performance because the sound wasn't even recorded in stereo back in 1942 when the film was produced. Conductor Jere Flint explained in a recent interview that the musical score was difficult to hear in the movie. That problem didn't exist with the ASO's performance. Flint had the musicians playing with the proper …
Friday, July 15, 2011
Stxy and Yes bring their "Progressive U.S. Tour" to Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Thursday night to the delight of thousands of fans.
Multi-platinum rock band Styx and the world’s most quintessential progressive rock band Yes rocked the crowd at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in nearby Alpharetta Thursday night. Having had the pleasure of seeing Styx a half of dozen times during my teen years and catching one show of Yes in the mid-1990s, I was pleasantly entertained and satisfied by the electric performance of both bands. Styx headlined Thursday night's concert opening with "Blue Collar Man" to a welcoming crowd. From that point on it was an energized, foot stomping show to the finish. Tommy Shaw (vocals, guitar), was in top form in his singing, playing and physical appearance. The 57-year-old guitarist did not slow down, pouring out his energy and …
Monday, June 27, 2011
ASO makes its summer season debut at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on July 4th with fireworks following the performance.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra opens up its summer season at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in nearby Alpharetta with a bang, a lot of them in fact. The ASO presents its annual Fourth of July celebration Monday, July 4 at 8 p.m., followed by a fireworks display. Guest conductor Rob Fisher leads the ASO and the U.S. Army Chorus in the All-American Celebration with patriotic sing-alongs and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. At the start of the evening, the 94th Airlift Wing Dobbins Base Honor Guard will join the ASO on stage to present the colors. Concertgoers will have their own mini-American flags to join in the celebration. Before the concert even begins the entertainment starts, with the Top of the Lawn program bringing musicians and special …
Monday, June 6, 2011
The award-winning country singer sings crowd favorites over the weekend.
Saturday night, singer, song writer Miranda Lambert graced neighboring Alpharetta's Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park for an outstanding show. With 90 plus degree temperatures during the day, by concert time the temperatures had cooled. Encore Park was ready to rock! When the sun went down Miranda Lambert's performance fired everything up. Her sweet, country, melodic voice, and dynamic stage performance made the evening way cool. Her performance took me away from the heat and my worries. Lambert's first album, Kerosene, came out in 2003 and she has never looked back. Since then, she has garnered Academy of Country Music Awards and a Grammy. What makes Miranda incredible is her song writing. On her first album she wrote 11 of the…
Monday, April 4, 2011
Ed Rowland's Sweet Tea Project makes a triumphant debut to open concert with The Jayhawks and Band of Horses.
The sun was still shining brightly on half the seats at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on Saturday night when Ed Roland's Sweet Tea Project took to the stage, which might explain why many ticket holders hadn't arrived yet. They missed a great debut performance by the Collective Soul leader's latest project. "We're so new we don't even know who is going to start the song out," Roland told the audience. Once the band members got started, though, it didn't seem as if this was their first concert performance together. Roland's voice remained strong throughout the approximately 25-minute show. The Sweet Tea Project was the opening act for dave-fm's second annual Earth Day Birthday concert. The Atlanta radio station invited organizations such as …
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Phish, Zac Brown Band will return to Alpharetta after success of 2010 dates.
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre already has hosted one event this year, and is getting ready for the first big concert on April 2 when Band of Horses is joined by The Jayhawks on stage in Alpharetta. "We have had great success with our performers and will continue to have a wide variety of music genres. Rock, country, urban, top 40 and Christian have all proven fan favorites," said Keri Musgraves, a Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre spokesperson. Phish returns for two concert dates in June, after a successful pair of concerts in 2010 in Alpharetta. Zac Brown Band returns for two dates as well. Four concert events are planned so far on six separate dates, plus three Atlanta Symphony Orchestra dates in July. Two "private" events, both of which are…
Dana R King
1:36 pm on Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Great that you gave full creds to the bassist ("Bass Great, Lesh Philling!" as one of my old T-shirts sez)--the Dead seemingly always had a great night when Phil did, and that still seems to hold true. And whereas I've preferred the Phil & Friends idea among the various post-Garcia lineups--OMG! that stellar tour w/ John Scofield or Trey Anastasio, Rob Barraco, Larry Campbell, John Molo, Joan … more ›