1,000 people attended the 2023 season kickoff of the Silver Bay Music In The Park Concert Series featuring local musician Charlie Parr
Jul 17, 2023 10:12AM ● By Content Editor
All photos by Tryg Solberg
By Tryg Solberg for Boreal Community Media - July 17, 2023
Charlie Parr, an Austin, MN native, is well known for his head noddin', foot-stompin' blues music. His local popularity combined with the warm, dry weather on Friday, July 14, brought out concertgoers from all age groups to the 2023 season kickoff of the Silver Bay Music In The Park Concert Series, presented by Rocky Wall Productions.
Visitors and locals came from nearby North Shore communities to enjoy a night of music, dancing, and camaraderie. One Grands Marais local noted that the turnout seemed higher than usual. Nelson French, President of Rocky Wall Productions, estimated that there were around 1,000 people in attendance, which was almost 200 more than in 2022 when Parr performed.
Parr played a nearly 90-minute set of his handwritten blues songs and finished with a few covers from other artists. After a standing ovation, Parr set down his guitar and encored "Ain't No Grave" by Claude Ely. The crowd followed the rhythm of Parr's electric kick drum as he showed off his strong vocals to end the night.
The Tommy Bentz Band will be playing next Friday night at 7:30 in Silver Bay's City Center Park."
You can find clips of the concert here: https://youtu.be/D6rjIvMNy-4 (more will be added in the near future)
Parr performed in Silver Bay's City Center Park with city hall pictured in the background
Food trucks and tents from the area came to provide food for concertgoers
Parr performed in Silver Bay's City Center Park with city hall pictured in the background
Parr's strong beat led some concertgoers to dance throughout the performance
Parr conversed with concertgoers between songs
Hazy skies from Canadian wildfire smoke had no visible effect on Parr's performance or attendance
Parr played the strings of his National NRP steel guitar
