Greensburg Music Fest plans 20-plus acts on 4 downtown stages
Downtown Greensburg will resound with music of all kinds on Saturday, as more than 20 acts take to four stages during the daylong Greensburg Music Fest.
Take it from musician Chris Fafalios, it will be “the best thing to do within hours of Greensburg.”
Fafalios and his band, Another Cheetah, will be among bands and solo acts performing from 12:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., as Westmoreland Cultural Trust welcomes back live music fans to the third annual festival.
“Greensburg is seriously underrated. Our city is getting really cool lately,” Fafalios said.
In addition to free music, the event will feature food trucks, an artist market and vendors.
The Palace Theatre will host headliners Jim Donovan & Sun King Warriors at 6 p.m. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for general admission seating.
Two stages will be set up in the the Helman-Ghrist Parking Lot, adjacent to the theater and WCT’s Art in the Alley. The fourth will be behind Green Beacon Gallery at 235 W. Pittsburgh St.
“I remember playing (The Palace) as a teenager with Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra and then again opening for The Clarks for a Big Brothers Big Sisters event a few years ago,” said Donovan, also the former drummer for Rusted Root. “It’s always a pleasure to play at such a beautiful and great-sounding venue.
“As a resident of Hempfield Township, this show is extra special for me,” he said. “It’s always a kick to see your friends and neighbors out in the audience.”
Royal treatment
In addition to the free headlining event, attendees can purchase a Royal Treatment Palace Wristband for $12. The wristband allows patrons access to the theater and its Megan’s Suite and S&T Bank Courtyard for a trio of intimate performances from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Wristband holders also receive a $1 discount on all drinks at WCT bars and a free reusable Palace Theatre cup to bring drinks into the theater.
Free outdoor performances will take place consecutively throughout the day on the Live! Casino Pittsburgh and Elegant Catering stages, located in the Helman-Ghrist lot, where the artist market and food vendors also will set up. Food vendors include Speal’s on Wheels, Ash & Kris Kitchen and Elegant Catering.
“We tried to be very thoughtful about our programming,” said Adam Seifert, WCT manager of corporate and community engagement. “The bands will be doing both covers and original music, so we’ll have a balance of crowd-pleasers while highlighting bands that are creating and playing original music.
“We worked hard on our programming to present a lineup that represented the variety of interactive and engaging musicians in southwestern Pennsylvania.”
‘Best of’ acts
The trust curated acts performing at The Palace and parking lot, while owners of Green Beacon Gallery scheduled their own music, with edgier acts ranging from classic to indie to hip-hop and punk-inflected rock.
Coincidentally, the gallery already was planning a music showcase on Aug. 28, prior to announcement of the music festival. It made sense, Seifert said, for the two entities to combine efforts.
“I love what they’re doing in bringing in different bands,” Seifert said. “A number of their acts have played at their other events, so it’s kind of a ‘best of’ list.
“We’re hoping for a good-weather day,” he said. “We’re working on a rain plan to have in place, which I hope we won’t have to execute. The goal is to get people out early to spend the day, and have a good flow of people throughout the day.
“We hope they’ll stop at a bar and visit a restaurant, too,” he added.
The music festival is part of WCT’s mission “to offer great, accessible entertainment for the community,” said CEO April Kopas. “WCT’s Greensburg Music Fest showcases the variety and caliber of talent we have locally and celebrates the return of live performances.”
In addition to the headline act, the festival schedule includes:
‘Royal Treatment’ performances
2 p.m. — Joe Grushecky (solo)
3:30 p.m. — Andy Davis (acoustic duo)
4:30 p.m. — Kal & Moore
Elegant Catering Stage
12:30 p.m. — WCT’s Greensburg Music Fest Kickoff
1:45 p.m. — Essential Machine
4 p.m. — Another Cheetah
5:30 p.m. — Byron Nash
8 p.m. — Buffalo Rose
Live! Casino Pittsburgh Stage
1 p.m. — Gary Pratt
2:30 p.m. — Twisted Fate
4:45 p.m. — The Bricks
7:15 p.m. — Alec Henderson Band
Green Beacon Stage
12 p.m. — Grey Face
1 p.m. — Rod Wilkins & the L.O.C. Band
2 p.m. — Bartlow Brothers Band
3 p.m. — Luke Weltz Band
4 p.m. — Dream Job
5 p.m. — Village Elder
6 p.m. — Normal Creatures
7 p.m. — FYD
For more information, visit westmorelandculturaltrust.org.
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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