Threat of rain fails to dampen crowds

BANGOR - It seems Mother Nature likes it 'Chicken Fried' and held off the rain for the 12,000-plus attendees of the Zac Brown Band's (ZBB) June 2 performance at the Bangor Waterfront Pavilion. Braving the cold and predictions of rain, fans flocked to see this special blend of Southern music hospitality.

The show opened with two young artists from Atlanta, Ga., signed to the ZBB label, Southern Ground. Nic Cowan was energetically fresh, mixing funk, rock, and reggae. His songwriting is a smart twist of smirk and style evident in his single 'Hardheaded' and the humorous 'Double Wide.' Sonia Leigh, reminiscent of a young Melissa Etheridge, had a sound somewhere between garage band and honky-tonk. She was all rock n' roll on 'My Name is Money,' but true country with her single 'Bar.' Ending with a cover of 'Born to Run,' she was dead on with her gutsy rendition of this classic.

BANGOR Country music fans were plentiful Sunday as the Country Throwdown Tour made a stop at The Bangor Waterfront Pavilion. The lineup of acts ranged from sweet traditional acoustic to heavy Southern rock and a lot of twang in between. 

Fans were welcomed by Maggie Rose, a cute little blonde with a big old voice who sang from a young woman's perspective of fighting back and standing up. Her band jumpstarted the afternoon and was followed by Florida Georgia Line, a seemingly drinking game-inspired group. Eric Paslay, who has several published songs to his credit, delivered a deep talent for lyrics harkening back to Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. He is a young man to watch if he can find some traction in a music market saturated with backwoods worship. Sunny Sweeney, always a fan favorite with her rhinestone bedazzled guitar, performed her own brand of trailer park songs. This is her second time in Bangor, last appearing with Lady Antebellum in September 2011.

OLD TOWN - Waterfront Concerts is pleased to announce that after a thorough municipal peer review process by the town of Scarborough City Services and Staff it was granted unanimous council approval to host a series of concerts at

Scarborough Downs during the summer of 2012. The approved mass gathering permit calls for one to five concerts during the summer and early fall of 2012.

While planning for the 'Music at the Track' series is still in the very early stages, Waterfront Concerts hopes to build on the success experienced in Bangor during the Waterfront Concert Series at the Bangor Waterfront Pavilion during each of the past two summers. The goal is to bring the same caliber of world-class entertainment to Southern Maine.

Bangor, ME - Multi-platinum pop rock group the Barenaked Ladies have announced their 'Last Summer On Earth,' a freewheeling road show featuring Blued Traveler, Big Head Todd & The Monsters and Cracker. They will visit the Bangor Waterfront Pavilion on Sunday, August 19th. The much-anticipated tour will hit more than 30 arenas and amphitheaters across the country, with tickets going on sale March 23rd. 

"I love playing outside in the summertime," says Barenaked Ladies vocalist/guitarist Ed Robertson. "To travel and hang around with a bunch of bands, and get a chance to do some collaboration is part of the magic of a summer tour." As for the tour's moniker, Robertson says, "I'm a man of science, and therefore put zero stock in all of the disastrous predictions about the year 2012. But JUST IN CASE, I think everybody should come out and see one last great summer concert tour! It can't hurt, right? Here's hoping the Mayans just got tired of chiseling!"

BANGOR - After an eventful year on the charts, the Grammy-Award winning Zac Brown Band is hitting the road once again this summer. They will visit the Bangor Waterfront Pavilion on Saturday June 2. 

Zac Brown Band's second major label studio album 'You Get What You Give' (Atlantic/Southern Ground Artists, Inc.) was released on September 21, 2010 and debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album features guest appearances by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett.

"It's a defining record...Every step of it's done the right way and I expect people are really going to love this record and see the depth of our musicianship, we're always growing,' said Brown to the Associated Press. 'Not that we've arrived at any grand finale or anything, but the progress from this last record to this one, it's tremendous and I'm proud of it."

A conversation with Ken Casey