I have been to one official house concert in my life. My friend’s dad was a huge Greg Brown fan, and we definitely were secondhand fans. He would travel all over to see him perform and we were able to tag along when he visited Redwing, MN, when I was a teenager.
The singer/songwriter was late to his own show and apologized, explaining he was out fishing. He was quickly forgiven. Greg was funny, personable, and told us some of the stories behind the music in between his songs. I can’t remember all the details, but I remember how intimate it felt, being in a smaller space with a smaller crowd listening to a musician who most of us felt we knew personally just through listening to his lyrics. My friend was even able to ask him to play her favorite song titled River Will Take You.
We saw him play years later at an outdoor venue with a large crowd and, though it was an amazing show, I had a deeper understanding of how precious that experience had been.
Rocky Wall Productions is offering a similar experience throughout the summer for music fans. Most of the musicians who are putting on the shows on Fridays during the Silver Bay Music in the Park Series are staying in town to perform at a benefit house concert on Saturdays, as well.
“Several of the visiting bands have agreed to stay a second day in Silver Bay and donate their time and talent to help us raise funds that will ensure that Rocky Wall Productions can continue to bring high quality live music to Silver Bay,” said Nelson French, president of Rocky Wall Productions, which is a Silver Bay based 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization producing and promoting live music in Silver Bay and on Lake Superior’s North Shore from Duluth to Grand Portage. They are in their 4th year doing so.
The benefit house concerts will be held at the log home of Lisa Berg and David Drown, who have opened their home to musicians in the past as well. The venue is large enough that forty tickets were made available for each show. The Jayhawks, a nationally recognized band, sold out quickly. At the time of this writing tickets are still available for the following events:
- Trailer Trash with Rich Mattson – July 27th
- Joyann Parker Band – August 3rd
- 4onthefloor – August 10th
- Erik Koskinen – August 17th
- John Ellison & the Carpenter Ants – August 31st
Tickets for the remaining concerts are between $25 and $30 and a portion of the ticket is considered a tax-deductible donation to Rocky Wall Productions. There is an opportunity to donate additional funds while purchasing the ticket online.
I can’t remember the last time I would be able to purchase a ticket at that price for a show. It’s a great value for the money and it’s a valuable experience to remember for the rest of your life, as I remember my time at the Greg Brown concert all those years ago.
The concerts begin at 7 PM sharp. Silver Bay Shuttle Services will provide free transportation to and from the concerts, departing from the designated parking spot at Mt Rockwood Road and Rocky Wall Road.
Tickets and more information can be found at rockywallproductions.org.
