Music is in the air this summer with all sorts of free opportunities to gather and hear live music. These outdoor concerts allow for social distancing, while also granting access to the pleasures of live performance. Below are some outdoor concerts scheduled in Alachua County this summer. You can also access recordings of live music through the library's collection of CDs and DVDs and our new streaming service, hoopla.
First, we present outdoor concert series that are free and open to the public. Grab your lawn chairs and bring your favorite takeout to these great concerts!
- Celebration Pointe Concert Series
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Celebration Pointe has two concert series. These series are held on The Green in the Promenade area of Celebration Pointe. Concerts are free, open to the public, and from 7-9 p.m.
Jazz on the Green: 2nd Saturdays
August 13: Decyo McDuffie and the Larry Newcomb Quartet
Playlist @ the Pointe: 4th Fridays
July 22: Houston Keen
August 26: Chillula Band
- Friday Free Concert Series
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Bo Diddley Plaza hosts the region's longest-running and largest free outdoor concert series. This program features local and regional talent and showcases diverse musical acts hitting on genres as disparate as classic rock, reggae, R&B, soul, ska, funk, blues, and so much more.
Free Fridays Concert Series happens every Friday night this summer, stretching from 7-9 p.m. and featuring a new and different band each time that will bring both original and cover tunes to the Plaza concert stage. Free Fridays is one of the defining Gainesville musical events!
The program is organized by the City of Gainesville Parks Recreation & Cultural Affairs. Visit their website or call 352-334-5067 for more information.
- Tioga Concert Nights
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Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy music under the stars in The Square at the Tioga Town Center. These free outdoor concerts on Fridays from 7-10 p.m. are open to the public.
July 22: Elio Piedra
Elio Piedra is a drummer, entertainer, and singer. Elio was born in Cuba and began his musical career at the age of 10 at the Arts Conservatory Raul Sanchez. Highly in demand, Elio splits his time between live shows, drum instruction, and touring with his group, Elio's Quartet.
August 5: Scott Wilson & The Global Jazz Ensemble
Trumpeter Scott Wilson has traveled the world performing, composing, and educating. His extensive resume includes sharing the stage with Stevie Wonder and being musical director for Universal Studios Japan. Scott currently heads the Jazz Studies program at the University of Florida.
Concerned about crowds or gas prices? We've also got you covered with these recorded live concerts available both as DVDs and musical CDs from our catalog where we have hundreds of choices to browse through. I'm highlighting a few great choices below but there are so many more worth checking out.
- Live Concerts on DVD
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The Beatles: Get Back. "Directed by filmmaker Peter Jackson, this is a three-part documentary series that takes audiences back in time to the band's intimate recording sessions. The documentary showcases the warmth, camaraderie, and creative genius that defined the legacy of the iconic foursome, and is compiled from over 60 hours of unseen footage shot in Jan. 1969 and more than 150 hours of unheard audio."
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Dolly Parton: Fifty Years at the Opry. "Country music legend Dolly Parton returns to NBC and performs at one of the most iconic stages in the world. The special is a celebration of Parton's 50 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. It will feature new interviews as well as a performance from Parton on the Opry stage where she'll deliver some of her biggest hits in front of a live audience."
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Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. "Drawing over ten million viewers, NBC's highly anticipated special event received rave reviews for its production. Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar album hit number one on the Billboard charts and made its way to the stage in 1971. Since then, the musical has been considered a classic and has become a staple of theatre and music organizations throughout the world."
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Amazing Grace. "A documentary presenting the live recording of Aretha Franklin's album 'Amazing Grace' at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles, in Jan. 1972."
- Live Concerts on CD
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The Rolling Stones. A Bigger Bang: Live on Copacabana Beach. Listen to the full "Feb. 18, 2006 show from Rio de Janeiro during the "A Bigger Bang" tour; includes four unreleased tracks."
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Bruce Springsteen. The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts. Listen to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band jam out in this recorded live 1979 concert in Madison Square Garden, New York City.
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Jimi Hendrix. Live In Maui. "Jimi's two legendary July 1970 Maui performances. Includes the documentary Music, Money, Madness: Jimi Hendrix Live in Maui." Includes many classic tracks.
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Willie Nelson: American Outlaw. An all-star concert performance featuring many singers such as Chris Stapleton, Lee Ann Womack, Eric Church, Nora Jones, and of course, Willie Nelson. Recorded live on Jan. 12, 2019, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
If you're looking for a streaming option, ACLD has acquired a new streaming service called hoopla, available to Alachua County residents with a library card. In addition to offering other great options such as comics, movies, and television shows, hoopla also provides recordings of live concerts, in both audio and audio-visual formats. With a laptop and a backyard, hoopla can help you create a private outdoor concert for your family alone.
Descriptions provided by the publisher.
Alachua County Library District has no part in hosting or organizing the above-mentioned outdoor concerts. For concerns about content or access, we advise you to contact the concert organizers directly.