Rocking the roof – free curbside concerts are back

Six years of great musicians doing what they love under the stars. Curbside Concerts is back on the best roof in downtown Elkhart.

The stage lights back up at 7 p.m. Friday, May 16. Come hungry for the food trucks. Come thirsty for the beer tent. Come smiling and we’ll protect that ready-for-the-weekend mood.

Let’s get right to it, because we have to uphold our reputation as a “Well Crafted” event in Elkhart County.

The bands

Every year, we mix in favorites with some fresh sounds we want you to try out.

• Friday, May 16 – The Buddy System, fronted by Buddy Pearson and featuring our favorite drummer, Brendyn Cane;
• Friday, May 23 – Society’s Child, guys who seem like they never found a song they liked after 1989;
• Friday, May 30 – High Gravity, our house band performing for the record sixth time;
• Friday, June 6 – Lalo Cura, the Latin rock sensations;
• Friday, June 13 – Nine2K, featuring members of High Gravity and UltraFab and playing all the ’90s and alt faves;
• Friday, June 20 – The Erly hit at 9pm with Anna p.s. and friends hitting at 7pm – it’s the first night of our jazz fest doubleheader
• Saturday, June 21 – JR Clark Band, with the incredible Johnny B. Gayden on bass, plays the blues at 9pm, with Dylan Tolbert bringing the funk earlier in the night at 7pm.
• Friday, June 27 – The legendary Duke Tumatoe wraps up the spring set with his iconic blues.

All these shows are presented with the support of the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

And more music …

Then, we take a break. But not as long of one this year!

The summer heat forces us off the roof for a while, but we’ll be starting a new venture – Stories and Songs, our take on songwriter nights featuring local hosts you know. This new series, presented by Pillars of Elkhart and the Elkhart County CVB, kicks off Friday, July 18 – watch for more announcements. We’re happy to say good people like Abbie Thomas, Paul Erdman and Rafael Chávez y Moreno have already signed on to host!

The roof kicks back up Friday, Aug. 29, for our short fall series. We have a couple of neat surprises planned, but Abbie Thomas & The Crazy Hearts are kicking us off, and Jake Miller and the Midwest Heat are wrapping us up.

The food and the other things to know

As always, these concerts are free. Bands play on our roof, so bring camp chairs and watch from our parking lot. We sell beer, wine and soda – ask the bartenders, and they’ll probably get you the library book you’ve been wanting, too.

And what about the food?

That Guys Gourmet Ribs will be here on most Fridays and all jazz fest weekend. Loupa’s Chicken with the Caribbean flair will be here on some select nights. Tropicana Ice Cream Shop has all dates the dates covered for the sweet treats.

The library parking lot will be fenced and open to all ages (only the marked alcohol sale area is 21-and-over). Parking is available on the street or in nearby municipal lots. Musicians may bring merch to sell, and the library accepts cash and card.

This year, we are saying it never rains here in the springtime. Curious if the show is going on? Watch our Facebook page for all the updates.

And if you missed them …

We like to say High Gravity is the house band because we couldn’t have gotten here without them and a bunch of other great musicians who have brightened our stage. We had this bright idea, then Covid happened, but we didn’t give up. In fact, we saw this is our way to support local musicians through a difficult era – they stuck with us, we continue to give them a stage.

New to the Curbside crowd? Here’s a list of all the bands we’ve featured.

• 2020 – The Dean’s List, High Gravity, Darryl Buchanan and the Soul Motown Allstars
• 2021 – Rica Obsesion, High Gravity, Caught on Cline, Maybe April
• 2022 – Zach Dubois, Darryl Buchanan, Anna p.s., Tumbleweed Jumpers, High Gravity, LowDown Brass Band, The Go-Rounds, Lalo Cura, Paul Erdman, Abbie Thomas, Memphis Underground
• 2023 – Shiny Shiny Black, Anna p.s., Kansas Bible Co., Society’s Child, Joe Baughman and the Righteous Few, High Gravity, Gretchen’s Revenge, Bumpus, Dylan Tolbert, Empire Strikes Brass, Lalo Cura, Paul Erdman, Quite Frank Lee, SPACESHIPS, SHAM, Rica Obsesion, Los Ortega, Grupo Renacer
• 2024 – Paul Decker and the Remnants, Jake Miller and the Midwest Heat, Society’s Child, Darryl Buchanan, The Hatchbacks, Half Built Homes, The Distractions, High Gravity, Paul Erdman, JAGALCHI, rebel noire and the accomplices, Lalo Cura, BEE! The Band, JR Clark Band, Los Ortega, Quite Frank Lee, Nine2K