Off the Rails

 Off the Rails concert tonight featuring Chicago Farmer and the Fieldnotes and Lucas Wayne and the Cottonmouths. Estimated attendance for the first Off the Rails earlier this month was between 300 and 400 people. Given that students are back and moved in and the temperature is more moderate, I would expect to see another 200 to 300 people .

Off the Rails 2

 Talking with Matt at Carbondale Main street, the estimates for the first Off the Rails concert were between 300 and 400 attendees.  When I stopped by between 8 and 9 p.m., I saw quite a bit of space in the crowd but it was still pretty warm which likely kept people away,  However if that many people came out in muggy weather like this, I imaging the August 29th event will see between 500 to 1000

Off The Rails

 the first Off the Rails concert of the fall takes place tonight, featuring House of Soul and Funky Mojo Daddy. This means Washington Street between Main and Walnut will close until sometime around 10 p.m.

SI Music Scene

 The city sent this press release out highlighting upcoming music events in the city. I hope the Off the Rails concerts can pull the sorts of crowds that the street concerts of a few years ago did and that they pull people into businesses in downtown

Carbondale has long been home to a cherished local music scene, but with the development of the new Downtown Entertainment and Events Plaza, venues hosting local and touring bands, and non-profits investing time and energy into live entertainment, it is ever growing as a nationally centralized music hub.  

We recently shared that a 2 million dollar RISE grant was awarded to the City of Carbondale for Phase 2 of the Downtown Entertainment and Events Plaza- with there being such a buzz of live entertainment we wanted to take the opportunity to share the many avenues in which you can experience top notch performances here in Carbondale! 

Brown Bag Concert Series- Carbondale Main Street produces free concerts every Wednesday from 12-1 PM through the months of May- June, featuring local artists in an intimate setting at the Town Square Pavilion. Guests are encouraged to bring lunch from a local establishment, which gains them an extra ticket for a giveaway contest to local stores and restaurants. Find the lineup of musicians and more details here: https://carbondalemainstreet.com/events/brown-bag/ 

Sunset Concerts- The Sunset Concert Series is in its 46th year of bringing lively entertainment to Carbondale residents over the peak of summer! Beginning June 12th and running through July 24th, these concerts take place every Thursday evening, held either on the front steps of Shryock Auditorium or the Gazebo at Turley Park. This series is a beloved staple for Carbondale residents, regional neighbors, and SIU students who stick around for the summer. Artist lineup and event details can be found here: https://spc.rso.siu.edu/events/sunset-concerts.php 

The Varsity Center-  Woodbox Gang, Friday, June 13 

Woodbox Gang: On Friday, June 13th The Woodbox Gang will release their first album in 12 years! The Woodbox Gang have spent a quarter of a century creating vibrant and timeless music, combining the traditional sounds of American roots music with a raw and ragged sensibility. From the rickety stage floors of a church in downtown Makanda to the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., The Woodbox Gang has excited audiences of all kinds over the years. Recently, the band played only a handful of shows, often digging into the vault for tunes written more than 20 years earlier, now offering highly anticipated new tunes for eager audience members in the Big Room at The Varsity this June.  Chicago Farmer will open the show with his sharp wit and amazing storytelling in his music.  

SI Music Fest- Now in its 21st season, the 2025 Southern Illinois Music Festival runs May 23 through June 8, under the artistic and administrative direction of SIU School of Music Emeritus Professor Edward Benyas. Professional singers, instrumentalists and dancers from across the United States and Europe converge in Southern Illinois to perform orchestral and chamber music, opera, jazz and educational programs, along with select SIU faculty and students. The Festival promotes our region’s reputation for cultural activity on a national scale. Symphony magazine listed it as the only professional music festival in Illinois south of I-80, AAA magazine described it as a Midwest Travel Treasure, and the Chicago Tribune cited it as one of 24 top summer activities (musical and otherwise) in an eight-state region. http://www.sifest.com/ 

Off the Rails- Last but not least in the seasonal lineup of free concert series in Carbondale, is the Off the Rails Concert Series! Located in Downtown Carbondale at the site of the new Downtown Entertainment and Events Plaza, this series offers free lively concerts twice a month, August-October, right in the heart of Downtown. A few of these concerts are paired with larger community events. Save the dates and stay tuned for artists announcements for these epic concerts: 

Saturday, August 9 & 23 

Saturday, September 6  

Saturday, September 20- Hemp, Hops & Shrooms Festival 

Friday, October 3- SIU Family Weekend 

Friday, October 24, Cdale Halloween & SIU Homecomin

Off the Rails Concert

 Thee is another Off The Rails Concert tonight with Jeremy Todd playing from 7 to 8:30 and Doom Gong from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Concert will take place in the Washington Street Event Space. Still not sure why the city has the south end of the space fenced off. Seems they would leave it open for concerts until construction started.

Event Space

 It looks as if the city will break ground on the Washington Street Event Space in the near future as the grassy area where the stage will stand has been fenced off.  Of course, given that the first Off the Rails concert takes place on August 10th, the construction company will have to work really fast to get a pavilion built in less than 2 weeks.

I do not expect them to have the stage built of course. Still I wonder why fence off the area when the city knows the Off the Rails concert series starts so soon.

Concert

 Stopped by the last Off the Rails concert of the year toward the end of the night to catch the Modern Day Saints playing. Not sure if it was the band choices or the chill in the air but attenance was pretty light for the last few songs. I counted roughly 60 people there. One of the food truck vendors said attendance, and sales, had been comparatively light all evening. Attendnace had been much heavier at approxiately the same time at the previous two concerts.

Eclipse

 Well looks as if the "ring of fire" eclipse viewing was a bust as clouds covered Carbondale all day.

However, you can still attend the final "Off the Rails" concert of the year at the Washington Street event space. Concert goes on until about 10 tonight. Maybe sometime next year the planned stage will be installed but I would be willing to bet not until 2025 after the multi modal transport center is completed.

Off the Rails Concert

 I read some people complaining that the Joslyn and the Sweet Compression took place the week before move in started at SIUC, hence students would not be in the city in great numbers to attend. Those folks failed to look at the Off the Rails concert schedule as Laura Jane Grace and the Copyrights will  perform tonight starting at 7 p.m.

According to the schedule, barring rain, we can expect a concert in the Washington Street venue every other Saturday through October. 

Off The Rails Concert

 The first fall Off the Rails Concert starts tonight at 7 p.m. and runs until 10 p.m. Takes place in the Washington Street Event venue, aka the grassy area along Walnut Street next to the railroad tracks.  Eventually the plan is to put a permanent stage at the south end of the space, meaning no longer having assemble and dismantle a stage for each performance.  Last time I checked, the plan was to get the stage built sometime in 2024 or 2025.  Doubt the city can get it in place in time for next year's eclipse.