Thursday and Main Concert Series returns to Buffalo, New York

Thursday evening concerts return to Fountain Plaza starting June 6. Monday was the unofficial start of summer and that means one thing: outdoor concerts.

The Thursday Night Concert Series returns to Fountain Plaza this year, with Organ Fairchild kicking off the festivities on June 6 and Diyené opening the show.

To clarify things a bit: yes, M&T Bank announced earlier this year that it was canceling the Plaza Event Series, also at the Fountain Plaza downtown, but that was referring to the hourly show series of the luncheon that the bank has supported since 1969. , an M&T spokesperson said the series had “run its course” and it was time to close the curtain on the broadcasts.

“What we saw was that attendance, even before Covid, was down. Instead of measuring ridership in hundreds, we were measuring ridership in tens,” Keith Belanger, senior vice president of corporate services at M&T, said in March.

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At the time, some news reports suggested that all events at Fountain Plaza would come to an end, but that was not the case. In addition to continuing to support the New Year’s Eve Ball, Buffalo Place and Fountain Plaza will welcome Buffalonians and passersby with the free Thursday and Main Concert Series.

With the exception of July 4, the series will run eight consecutive Thursday evenings, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., from June 6 to August 8.

This year’s series includes:

• Organ Fairchild with the opening of Diyene on June 6
• The Strictly Hip with Erin Hoyle on June 13
• Handsome Jack with Uncle Ben’s Remedy on June 20
• Super American with Letter to Elise on June 27
• Son of the Sun with A House Safe for Tigers on July 11
• Willie Nile with A Potter’s Field on July 18
• Dwayne Gretzky for a double set on July 25
• The lowest of the lows with Thee Isolators on August 1st

In recent years, Ron Hawkins, lead singer of Toronto’s Lowest of the Low, has performed solo at its Thursday and Main appearances; this year, he’s bringing the full band, a few weeks after their headline set at the East Aurora Music Festival next weekend. Dwayne Gretzky, for the uninitiated, is a powerhouse group of highly talented musicians from Toronto, known for playing multi-hour shows on New Year’s Eve, with setlists incorporating music from the 1970s (think Fleetwood Mac, Queen, ABBA) to the 1990s with heavy portions of danceable favorites will definitely get people moving.

Among other highlights of this year’s series, the opening set will serve as an album release party for Organ Fairchild with their new album, “Songs We Didn’t Write,” dropping the following day. Those who arrive early for the opening band may recognize Danielle A. Johnson as Diyené, the former singer of funktastic Farrow.

Outside food and drinks are not permitted at the Thursday and Main concerts, but a series of local restaurants, including Bijou Grille, Jack Rabbit and Fat Bob’s Smokehouse, will be on hand with weekly specials, in addition to drink stands inside the square.