Summertime and the Livin' is Easy (and Cheap)

Sometimes it takes a thwarted plan to make a great discovery.

A scheduled outdoor concert is looked forward to with much anticipation at my house. It's the kind of entertainment that fills the requirements of all members of my rather particular and discerning family. Excellent music from a favorite artist? Check, says the mister. Sitting in a comfy spot as the light fades from the sky? Check, I say. Good eats nearby, preferably pizza? Check and check, says the teenager. Space to run around with new friends and dance? Check, says the youngest.

So you can imagine how disappointed we were when we found out that the planned excursion was being moved indoors so as not to be interrupted in case of rain. Oh, and they would be charging admission.

Time for plan B.

Except there really wasn't a plan. Only the promise of some ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery to brighten those dejected faces. We set off for The Shops at Greenridge, on Woodruff Road. The staff at the ice cream shop will sing if you toss a tip in the jar at the counter. Not exactly a concert, but a heaping cone full of frosty goodness was really the compensation.

While we dutifully searched for a space that was far enough away to count as exercise (or so we told ourselves), we could hear music coming from the plaza right next to the Cold Stone shop. It sounded pretty good, even muffled by the closed car windows. A recorded loop for folks enjoying dinner al fresco?

Closer inspection revealed there was a band, a local group of two men and two women who called themselves Moxie. They'd set up to face the fountain and the assembled diners, who listened enthusiastically, some putting down forks hastily to clap when a song had ended.

Children approached the performance area, tentatively at first, then more boldly as the music spun out. They started stomping and twirling, and running in circles. The women sang, mostly covers of old favorite rock and bluesy songs, their voices rising into the deepening twilight. 

With each song, the crowd thickened. Some people, like us, were coming from the parking lot on their way to get ice cream; others were browsing the shops that remained open. By the time the band took a break, there was quite a gathering. Someone said this happened every weekend. Living downtown, I was unaccustomed to outdoor events held anywhere but Main Street or Falls Park. This was certainly a new, and exciting, find.

Turns out there are concerts every Friday and Saturday night until September 26th. Special events are sprinkled into that mix. The shows are free, but you may want to sit down and have a bite at Brixx or Panera – both have tables on the patio facing the central fountain. Bring some extra cash – ice cream is a tasty accompaniment to any flavor of music. 

Along with weekly music events (beginning around 6:30pm), The Shops at Greenridge is hosting a Shop & Shag event on Saturday, June 6, 2009. It will take place from 11am-2pm, and even novices are welcome to learn and participate!