It originated outside the Omni Hotel in 1988, and it quickly became a Charlottesville tradition. In the 90s it moved to the grassy bowl at the other end of the Mall, and when the Pavilion opened in 2005, it took up residence there. If the Downtown Mall is the locus of Charlottesville civic life, the free warm weather concert series called Fridays After Five is its most popular social occasion. The Dave Matthews Band has played it, and so have Sons of Bill – but whether the band onstage is pumping out blues or rock, country or soul, oldies or something not yet named, Fridays After Five is the place to hear the finest local talent.
The 2015 Fridays After Five season kicked off at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion on April 17th, and runs each Friday through September 11. All shows run from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. This year’s lineup “runs the gamut from younger folks who are just getting started, to some musicians who have been playing in Charlottesville for decades and decades,” says Fridays After Five General Manager Kirby Hutto. “Stylistically it’s all over the map too, so there is something for everyone over the course of the season.” As always, volunteers will work the concessions booths on behalf of local non-profits, who will share in the proceeds.
What Hutto calls “a celebration of summertime in Charlottesville” naturally draws a large and diverse crowd. “When the weather is gorgeous, we’re going to be packed,” he says. “We’ll have upwards of 5-6,000 people through the gate over the course of an evening. Fridays is sort of a gathering place. People will come down, meet some friends, and then head down the Mall to get dinner. Early on we’ll see lots of young families – kids in strollers, toddlers running around. Then towards the end of the evening it’s a more young professional type of crowd.”
“One of the reasons for the success of the event is that at least 80-85 percent of the artists are local, Central Virginia-based acts,” Hutto notes. “It’s a fun gig for them to play, a chance for them to play in front of their friends and family.” Such fun for them, he says, that the booking process is insane. “I have 22 dates to fill, and when I start the process there are probably 80-100 artists on the list – that doesn’t even count the hundreds from out of the area that have heard of the event and want to come and play it. To all of those folks I have to politely say, ‘Sorry, this is a local series.’ Sometimes it’s tough decisions about who gets a slot and who doesn’t in a given year.”
Each Friday six different non-profits help staff the event. “I think last year we had sixty-some different groups that worked with us at least once,” Kirby says, “so it’s a really good fundraiser. They don’t have to do any of the organizing, they don’t have to do any of the cleaning up – they just come down, we slot them in, and our paid staff takes care of getting everything set up and breaking it down at the end of the night.” Each group is paid based on the number of volunteer hours they provide, “so that even if they come down and it’s a colder night and the crowds aren’t there, they’re still going to get paid for the work they’re putting in.”
REALTOR Drake Van de Castle has worked Fridays After Five for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville “around ten times,” going back to 2001. “They provide a wealth of acts that come through for free – it’s really pretty amazing,” he says. “A lot of people have copied it; I think it was a little bit of a trendsetter. The city really loved it because it brought people down to the Mall, and people usually go for eats afterwards, or they’ll get some ice cream, so it’s a huge residual. The Mall businesses certainly are benefactors.”
“I find it to be a fabulous resource,” says REALTOR® Pam Whorley. “Everybody’s there together, and it’s a really good way to get a feeling for the community. When I have clients coming in, sometimes we’ll meet there and maybe have dinner so we can go over our weekend plans looking at houses.”
“You can look at the economic activity that takes place on the Mall on Friday evenings – every outdoor café seat is full most of the night,” Hutto says. Restauranteurs and other Downtown business owners are naturally appreciative. “If I go down and walk the Mall today, I guarantee I’ll get asked ‘When is Friday starting, we’re ready, bring it on?’”
2014 Rockn’ to Lockn’ competition winners Erin and the Wildfire open this year’s season on April 17 with rock, blues, folk, and soul. Erin has an awesome voice,” Hutto says “Her career is definitely on the way up. With her recognition growing, it was the right time to let her be the kickoff band for the season.”
April 24 brings Crozet’s six-member, all-originals band, Second Draw. “When you see the mandolin and banjo out-front, people assume bluegrass,” says mandolin player Rob Frayser. But electric guitar, electric bass and drums give the boys “a solid rock and roll foundation,” and with an accordion in the mix, the sound defies categorization – electric newgrass, jam-band dance pop? They call it “Blue Jam Music.”
On May 1 The Pollocks make their Fridays After Five debut. “Jason Pollock was the lead guitarist for Seven Mary Three when they were putting out number one hits and touring the world,” Hutto says. “After he got done with that, he moved back home to Batesville and put together a new band.”
The party continues each Friday through September 11. “After 28 years, Fridays After Five has become part of the tradition of Charlottesville,” Hutto says. “It’s an event that has grown and grown and grown, and for a lot of people it’s an automatic – it’s Friday evening, let’s go downtown.”
by Ken Wilson