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LIVE ON THE LEVEE
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By Linda F.
Jarrett
When River Splash and its companion “Eats Bridge” lured St. Louisans
from the ‘urbs to the ‘burbs down to the Riverfront during the summer
of 2004, a great hue and cry arose that this should be an annual
event.
Last year, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Fair St. Louis,
Live on the Levee was born and for three nights last August, the
Arch grounds rocked to the music of Macy Gray, Erin Bode, Collective
Soul, and Blues Traveler. When the music stopped, organizers estimated
that the event had attracted approximately 60,000 people.
Enough to give serious thought to making concerts on the Riverfront
a summer staple.
This summer, the Live on the Levee concert series returns to the
St. Louis Riverfront on Friday and Saturday nights, from Independence
Day weekend, through and ending with the annual Big Muddy Blues
Festival. Also returning is “Eats Bridge,” where concert goers can
enjoy foods from six St. Louis restaurants, with different ones
appearing each weekend.
River Splash was created by Fair St. Louis, as part of the St. Louis
2004 celebration. For 18 nights, both national and local bands performed
on the Overlook Stage, drawing huge crowds to downtown St. Louis.
Missy Slay, executive director of Fair St. Louis/Celebrate St. Louis,
says the concerts were meant to be a “one time event. After-wards,
people were calling the Mayor’s office and saying how they really
loved River Splash.”
The momentum started, and when the NCAA Final Four Basketball Tournament
came to St. Louis last year, downtown St. Louis began to rock.
“We saw an enormous amount of activity and synergy downtown,” Slay
says. “Then with the 25th anniversary of Fair St. Louis, the Mayor
and civic leaders answered that call.”
Slay says that Fair St. Louis, which has produced the Fourth of
July celebration for the past 25 years, and Celebrate St. Louis,
formed last year to create Live On The Levee, merged. “They knew
people love music, especially free music!
“In a very short period of time,” she says, “these leaders got together
and decided we need to produce something for the people, and we
produced ‘Live on the Levee,’ a three-night summer concert series
last August.”
The following Monday morning, the brainstorming started.
“We knew we had to keep this going,” Slay says. “We promised that
if it were a success, we would try to extend it. We realized that
Fair St. Louis is a marquee event here in St. Louis, and always
represented the largest Fourth of July celebration in the country.
Live on the Levee is a natural extension of the Fair St. Louis Fourth
of July Celebration. After a two-week break, the music will start
on July 14th and continue each weekend through August 12th. Each
evening will end with the traditional fireworks extravaganza.
“The idea of a summer-long concert series has been around for a
long time,” says Steve Maritz, chairman of the Fair St. Louis Foundation.
“If you go back to the first gift of Fair St. Louis to the City,
in the late 1980s, they made a gift of the Overlook Stage and the
Grand Staircase which provides the seating. This setting is begging
for exactly this sort of thing.
Steve
Maritz, Chairman of the Fair St. Louis Foundation
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He says while River Splash was a “wonderful thing, it was designed
as a one-time event as part of the 2004 celebration. Then the idea
was not to let a summer pass without music, so Live at the Levee
was conceived.”
“There’s an old saying,” he adds. “’Success has many fathers’—Lots
of people over a long period of time had visions of this sort of
thing, and they have put in place various pieces of it which we
are able to take advantage of now.”
With the success of last year’s Live on the Levee, it became apparent
that there was, indeed, a market for regular food, music and fireworks
on the downtown riverfront.
IF YOU BRING IT, THEY WILL COME
Besides offering free, high quality musical entertainment, Live
On the Levee showcases the renaissance of downtown St. Louis.
Event Chairman Arnold Donald says not only does it give people in
the region a chance to participate in and get the personal experience
of the revitalization of downtown, it also gives people across the
country a reason to come to St. Louis and stay a bit longer.”
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Arnold
Donald, Event Chairman |
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Arnold says he was asked to chair Fair St. Louis for the 25th celebration
last year. “It was the one event where we brought hundreds of thousands
of St. Louisans together from all walks of life, every nook and
cranny in the region, and we all celebrated together.
“If you’ve ever been down there,” he says, “you just feel the human
spirit, no matter what our backgrounds, economics or status —all
that is out the window, and it’s just people having a great time
together.
The populace will not know about the changes happening downtown
if they do not have a reason to come. Fair St. Louis and Live on
the Levee provide a reason.
“This will provide a venue for people who might not otherwise come
downtown,“ Maritz says. “They will enjoy the free concert, fireworks,
the beauty of the river, Arch and park grounds. They can get down
to Washington Avenue and Laclede’s Landing, and see some of the
rebirth of downtown for themselves.”
Seeing a vibrant downtown might plant a seed in the minds of those
looking for a new venture.
“By spending money,” Maritz says, “who knows who ultimately might
decide to move or invest there? Unless they get downtown, they’re
not going to see its possibilities.”
Slay says that retailers and vendors saw a 20 to 25 percent increase
in sales after Live on the Levee last year. “We are trying to promote
the businesses that are committed to downtown. We are looking forward
to helping them revitalize and continue the renaissance that has
been taking place over the past few years.”
Music concerts in cities are nothing new, but what sets Live on
the Levee apart from the others is that the concerts run over more
than one weekend, feature well-known entertainers from every venue,
and cost attendees nothing.
“I bought ticket to a music festival in Tennessee, wanting to see
what it was like,” Slay says. “It was $185 for three-day event.
We have something unusual, and we’ve received incredible amounts
of e-mails from people saying they happened to be in town last summer
and what a great thing it is that our City is offering this entertainment
for free.”
“Fair St. Louis and Celebrate St. Louis have the same mission, and
that is to make St. Louis a summer destination,” she adds. “There’s
a reason that over 16 million visitors come here each year.”
The St. Louis corporate community takes great pride in the City
and, as Slay says, “stepped up to the plate to provide funding for
the event. “They love to see the renaissance that’s taking place,
and they want to showcase the City. And they want a reason for people
to come down besides sporting events.”
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay has played an integral part in keeping
these events going. “This is going to be a lot of fun at a great
location,” he says. “It will build on the success we had over the
past two years. St. Louisans and visitors alike were delighted with
the festival atmosphere and great entertainment during those events."
ALL THIS AND MORE
This year’s Live on the Levee will feature more than just music,
food and fireworks. There will fun for the little folks too.
“After last year’s event,” Slay says, I started looking back and
thinking if we could have done anything different, what would it
have been. We picked great entertainment. We had diverse crowds.
But we didn’t have any kid activities, and I was surprised about
how many people brought their children. Because it was adult entertainment,
there was really nothing for kids to do, besides enjoy the fireworks.”
Continuing from the Radio Disney event featured at Fair St. Louis,
Live on the Levee this year will include a Family Fun Village with
face painting, stilt walkers and other attractions for children
to enjoy from 5 p.m. until the Main Concert at 8 p.m. Fireworks
follow at 9:30 p.m. with the grounds and Eats Bridge closing at
10 p.m.
Slay says that their goal is to offer a variety of genres that appeal
to all ages and tastes. “We have country, urban, classic and rock,
as well as Top 40.
“We found that people will come downtown to be part of the event,
and a lot come because they love the band,” she says. “But many
come down because they want to sit on their blankets under the Arch,
lean back, listen to good music, get some good food, and watch a
20-minute fireworks display.”
Mayor Slay agrees. "We think there is something for just about everyone.
Each night is going to be fun and unique. These are high-quality
acts that we think will make for a memorable night on the river."
“Both residents and visitors to our City will have more reasons
to enjoy summer in St. Louis and to see the incredible Downtown
renaissance,” he says. “We combine the tradition and vision of Fair
Saint Louis with the Live on the Levee concerts that are so popular,
and give St. Louisans more of what they love.”
So, as another old saying goes, “Be There or Be Square.” See you
at Live on the Levee!
Live on the Levee Schedule
Every Friday and Saturday from July 14 through August 12, the St.
Louis Riverfront and Arch Grounds will be “the place to be.”
Festival Grounds, “Eats Bridge” and Family Fun Village open at 5
p.m. Family Fun Village stage performances vary from week to week,
but will include groups such as, Radio Disney, World Bird Sanctuary,
The Magic of Brian Boyd, Muny Teens, LaMorena, and others. The Magic
House will be there every night with a craft. And find nightly inflatable
games and activities for the kids.
Local Bands (TBA) begin on the Overlook Stage at 6 p.m., with the
Main Concert (Headliners) starting at 8 p.m. The U.S. Bank Firework
Display concludes the festivities at 9:30 with the grounds and “Eats
Bridge” closing at 10 p.m., enough time for concertgoers to enjoy
Laclede’s Landing and Downtown after dark.
Entertainers
Jul 14 Sister Hazel & Better Than Ezra
Jul 15 India Arie
Jul 21 Big Head Todd & Toad the Wet Sprocket
Jul 22 Cheap Trick
Jul 28 Lyle Lovett
Jul 29 Grand Funk Railroad
Aug 4 Morris Day and the Time & Cameo
Aug 5 Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Aug 11 Edwin McCain
Aug 12 Live |
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