July 18, 2010
Folk/pop singer Daniel Byrnes provided a delightful early evening concert for all ages at Peg Noonan Park on Main Street in Falmouth last Friday. He has a good voice and is skilled with the guitar, creating a nice mellow sound and a warm and friendly mood. He attracted a crowd of listeners; most brought chairs, and many had a picnic dinner from home or, like us, bought drinks and sandwiches from one of the restaurants across the street.
It was a relaxing way to enjoy dinner, music, and friends outside on a beautiful summer evening.
I didn’t remember I had my little FlipVideo camera with me until the last song, “Satisfied,” which I recorded and posted on YouTube:
If you missed this performance, you can catch Daniel Byrnes at the Harwich Monday Outdoor Concerts at Brooks Park on Monday, July 26.
One of the things you may notice about this video is the many children running around Daniel, up and down the steps to the stage, and across the stage itself. In a way it is great that the kids are enjoying the music, but at some point, their parents ought to draw a line, and suggest that their children dance to the music, but not on the stage with the performer.
The kids did not do this for every song; they became progressively bolder and I think this was the only song in which they actually ran across the stage in such numbers, while Daniel continued to play. He remained very good-natured and tolerant of the children, but I know this kind of behavior from children can be distracting to both the performer and the audience.
I am all for bringing young children to concerts, especially informal outdoor concerts such as these; it is a great family experience. But, I think parents should teach their children to respect the performers and the other audience members. And they should show them the difference between dancing or moving to the rhythms of the music and just racing about.
This was not the only concert I went to last week in which children were running about. It was one of three. Only at one concert did a parent do anything to reel her children back in, and that was after I and others talked to the kids first. (One was jumping on the chair in front of me.)
My husband attended yesterday’s Friday Concert with Stanley & Grimm (I was on the other end of the Cape), and said that children were running about for that concert too. There were some young musicians performing (members of Sonnay Fiddlers), which may have encouraged the children from the audience to join them, so to speak.
The Friday concerts are wonderful community music and social events. Parents can make them more wonderful by teaching their children how to enjoy a concert.
Friday evenings from 6 to 7:30 PM throughout July and August, you’ll find a free concert at Peg Noonan Park, sponsored by the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, Citizens Band, and the Falmouth Village Association.
Upcoming concerts include:
Friday, July 23, Liam Maguire, Irish traditional music
Friday, July 30, Groovy Afternoon, classic rock of the 1960s and 1970s
Friday, August 6, Fred Clayton Blues Band, blues, funk, and soul
Friday, August 13, The Elbows, music for kids and their families
Friday, August 20, Joanna White & Company, soulful rock
The Citizens Bank Summer Concert series is also held on Thursday evenings in Mashpee, Friday evenings in Sandwich, Tuesday evening in Hyannis, Monday evenings in Harwich, Wednesday evenings in Chatham, and Wednesday evenings in Eastham.
For a complete schedule, visit 2010 Citizens Bank Summer Concert Series.
Notes on The Arts 