The Southern

Crescent may not be a Nashville or Memphis in terms of music, but this

area was rocking throught the past year. The Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater

flourished with some incredible acts and Fayette County got another amphitheater

this fall when the Villages Amphitheater opened in Fayetteville. There

were also a number of festivals and concerts around that had people tapping

their toes and singing along.

"The Fred"

had a number of big stars take the stage in 2002 including Creedence Clearwater

Revisited, Ray Charles, Arlo Guthrie, REO Speedwagon and Glen Campbell,

as well as the annual Swingin' Medallions show.

What does 2003

hold? Well, according to several sites on the Internet, a few of the acts

coming to Peachtree City this summer are Peter Frampton, the Doobie Brothers

and Lou Rawls. As for the Villages Amphitheater, which kicked off their

opening with Dennis Edwards and the Temptations Review, they will present

Air Supply, Charlie Daniels and Glen Campbell.

Other highlights

of musical perfomances included Ultima Thule at the Log Cabin, the Allen

Goodman Band at a number of local festivals, the sixth annual country

concert for Fayette Senior Services, the third annual Bluegrass Blast

for the Fayette County High School Select Chorus, the Americana Festival

in Coweta County, Music Midtown in Atlanta, U-Night 17, which was a three

day Christian Music Festival at "The Fred," Powers Crossroads

and more.

There was also

some sadness as Bob Lancette, founder of the Peachtree Wind Ensemble and

Community Band passed away this fall. The group had grown under him and

has become a local institution with their summer picnic concerts at Picnic

Park in Peachtree City, their annual Fourth of July and Christmas concerts

and their stirring, patriotic concert in rememberance of Sept. 11. The

wind ensemble will continue to perform under new direction.

In addition

to all of these performances there were also free concerts at the Fayette

County Public Library, performances by choruses and bands within the schools,

including Whitewater Middle School's second annual muscal legacy concert,

which features students and their parents performing together, and a myriad

of artists that perform in and around the area throughout the year. Not

to mention the hundreds of classically trained performers that take the

stage at Spivey Hall.

2003 should

be an exciting time for music lovers. Stay tuned to upcoming editions

of the Weekend section of The Citizen for further information.

Back

to the Top of the Page Back

to the Sports Home Page