GREENFIELD — After a successful introductory year, the stage has been set for the second concert season hosted by the Greenfield Parks Department at Depot Street Park.
Concert coordinator Tony Seiler has been hard at work securing multiple acts to perform at 12 different concert dates to be hosted by the parks department this summer, including the Friday night concert series sponsored by Greenfield Banking Co.
That doesn’t include any concerts that will be hosted by The Depot restaurant, which also hosted some last year.
Regional acts like Jennie DeVoe and Duke Tumatoe will take the stage for the Greenfield Parks along with more nationally known tribute bands like The Prince Project and No Fences, a Garth Brooks tribute band that drew over 2,500 people to Depot Street Park last year.
Dusty Miller, the No Fences frontman who wears Garth Brooks’ signature western shirt and cowboy hat, said he can’t wait to get back to the Greenfield stage.
“We’re looking forward to coming back,” said Miller, who hails from Carthage and graduated from Knightstown High School in 1999.
“The entire band and myself agreed at the end of last season, when we did about 40 performances, that the shows at Depot Street Park and at the Riley Festival were in the top three of the entire year,” he said.
“They were just really good shows, and it was great to see a lot of familiar faces in the crowd at both of them,” said Miller, whose band logged around 8,000 miles of touring in seven different states last year.
Miller called Depot Street Park’s amphitheater “an awesome facility,” where the near-capacity crowd seemed to fully embrace his band’s performance. “They were really into it the entire night, from the very first note,” he said.
“A lot of towns the size of Greenfield have gone to having an outdoor amphitheater. It’s an awesome thing to do,” said Miller, whose band returns to his hometown stage Aug. 26.
Miller credits Seiler for his tireless devotion to booking crowd-pleasing entertainment for multiple Greenfield venues, including Depot Street Park, the Riley Festival and the H.J. Ricks Centre for the Arts.
“Tony is a great guy. He and (his girlfriend) Heather just go above and beyond in planning great entertainment for this town,” said Miller, whose band will also perform at the Ricks Centre in April.
While he’s enjoyed playing at a number of similar cities, Miller said “one thing the Greenfield Parks did that a lot of places didn’t is they really went above and beyond in regards to hospitality for the band. They had a trailer for the band to change in and plenty of snacks. Everybody is treated really well,” he said.
Seiler said that’s no accident.
“We really like to spoil the bands so they want to come back each year,” commented Seiler, who said every band who played at Depot Street last year reached out wanting to come back again this year.
In addition to No Fences, the two other bands returning this year are a 60s British Invasion band called 45 RPM, whose lead vocalist is New Palestine resident Bill Rumely, and a local hard rock band called Mammoth Flynt.
While Seiler thinks last year’s concert series were a huge success, he’s even more excited about this year’s lineup.
“Every band on the list is amazing and is going to draw big crowds,” he said.
Seiler credits the parks staff for being “extremely organized” and managing to kick off the park’s inaugural year by packing the new park, which can accommodate roughly 3,000 to 3,500 per event.
“The biggest draw is probably the amazing venue. It’s just beautiful,” he said.
Seiler said the AC/DC tribute band Thunderstruck probably brought in the biggest crowd of the year, with a lead guitarist that did a spot-on impression of Angus Young.
While last year’s concerts featured mostly acoustic opening acts, Seiler said each Saturday show this year will feature two full bands — a headliner and a warm-up act — both of which he predicts will be able to bring the crowds. The Friday night shows also feature opening acts, versus the one-band shows featured last year.
“The opening acts are mostly local performers,” he said.
Hoosier singer/songwriter Jennie DeVoe has drawn a huge fan base throughout the state for years, as has Indianapolis-based guitarist Duke Tumatoe, who got his start as a member of REO Speedwagon and has played with the likes of John Fogerty and B.B. King.
Seiler said the Friday night shows will run from 6-8:30 p.m. this year, while Saturday night shows will run longer, from 6:30-10 p.m.
While he was impressed with the sound at the new venue last year, he promises that this year’s sound will be even better.
He and his son C.J., a professional sound engineer, will be doing sound for all the shows, “whereas some of the bands wanted to do their own sound last year,” said Seiler, a professional drummer who owns the Greenfield Music Shop.
“We’ve stepped up the (sound system) for this year as well as the lighting, which I think the audience is really going to enjoy,” he said.
The lineup
The concert lineup for this year’s Depot Street Park concert series hosted by the Greenfield Parks has been announced following a successful first year of concerts at the new venue in 2022.
Concert coordinator Tony Seiler said crowds can expect more great bands and an even better sound at this year’s concert series, which will take place from 6-8:30 p.m. Fridays and 6:30-10 p.m. Saturdays on 12 different dates throughout the summer.
FRIDAY NIGHTS
Entertainment @ Depot Street Park concert series
(Sponsored by Greenfield Banking Co. )
June 9 — Endless Summer, with opener Chloe Anna Kenny
June 23 — 45 RPM, with opener Jeff and Sherrie
July 14 — Blue River Band, with opener Denver Crull
July 28 — Jennie DeVoe, with opener Kara Kole
Aug 11 — Motown Sounds Of Touch, with opener Revealed 2.0
Aug 25 — Duke Tumatoe, with opener Two Jasons
SATURDAYS
Live @ the Rails concert series
(Sponsored by the Greenfield Parks Department)
June 17 — The Woomblies Rock Orchestra, with opener On Air
July 22 — That Arena Rock Show, with opener Dawg Daze
Aug 12 — Crush, with opener Mammoth Flynt
Aug 26 — No Fences, with opener Jenna Rose and the Ramblers
Sept 9 — Night Moves, with opener Mike and the Boys
Sept 23 — The Prince Project, with opener Andrew Young
Admission to all concert is free.
Food and drink vendors are available, but carry-in alcohol is not allowed.
