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FREE DOWNTOWN CONCERT! History of the Downtown Concert Series Downtown Concert Series: The Beginning Shortly after 98.9 WMMO first signed on-the-air in August of 1990, Orlando's foremost soft rock-and-roll station gave birth to a Central Florida tradition which is still going strong today. The WMMO "Downtown Concert Series," a listener-favorite "event" consisting of several free rock performances each year, began in 1991 as a "thank you" to the station's listeners.  Since then, WMMO has put on dozens and dozens of shows, playing host to a wide-range of acts from Peter Frampton to Pat Benatar and Joe Cocker to the STYX... and all at no cost to the public. Said WMMO general manager Debbie Morel, "For WMMO it's an opportunity for us to give back to the community and our listeners, promote our sponsors and help market their products and services, and brand our radio station as the Orlando station that brings free music concerts to Downtown Orlando." She added, "We would not be able to bring the free 'Downtown Concert Series' to Orlando if it wasn't for our fine sponsors." According to Jim Stout, WMMO's very first promotions coordinator and architect of the "Downtown Concert Series," the shows began as a joint-venture with the city of Orlando. "We started doing Friday lunch shows then changed it to Tuesday nights because the Church Street clubs wanted to increase their business on those nights. --- But WMMO wanted to do things different, and at that time no other radio station was doing free, outdoor concerts, especially at the investment and frequency we did."  The concerts began a bit modest the first year with Lobo, Wet Willie and Don McLean as DCS's first three free shows with a few thousand listeners filling the streets to see them in the Church Street Market. Stout said, "We soon realized: the bigger the acts, the bigger the crowds. So we started to bring in classic acts that were totally unique to the touring market that branded with the musical niche of the radio station." The Defining Moment: Downtown Concert Series Takes Off During the early-90's, the WMMO "Downtown Concert Series" evolved from acts like Melanie, Brewer & Shipley, Arlo Guthrie and Pablo Cruise to bigger draws such as Dr. Hook, Ambrosia, Firefall, Jeff Healey, Al Stewart, Robert Cray, Billy Preston, and Starship. But it was an appearance from Peter Frampton in 1993 which was a defining moment for the "Downtown Concert Series" as it was WMMO's first concert to break the 10,000 attendance mark (and the show that is said to have resurrected Frampton's touring career).  Other DCS performers during the 90's have included Paula Cole, Survivor, Edwin McCain, Ambrosia, Greg Kihn, the Guess Who along with such rock legends as Richie Havens, Roger McGuinn, Jefferson Airplane, Donovan, Eddie Money, Leon Russell, Dave Mason and Gary Wright. WMMO doesn't just put together a concert; they produce a first-class event for the listeners... and the artists too. Stout said, "The artists, and their music, were the mainstreams of WMMO. We realized that the touring business was sometimes difficult for artists. So we rolled out the red carpet from catering to hotel accommodations. --- And (as a result) we received many letters complimenting the station on doing it right." Morel concurred, "We go to great lengths to provide a positive experience for everyone...our listeners, our sponsors, our co-workers and the artists."  The Evolution of the Downtown Concert SeriesLike any successful venture, the DCS has evolved over the years. During the 1990's, the WMMO "Downtown Concert Series" was typically a string of three or four consecutive shows held a couple times a year. The initial DCS performances were first held on successive Tuesdays. The shows were later moved to Friday nights, and then eventually Saturdays. Then in 2005, in a move to bring in bigger and bigger national acts, the DCS model shifted from multiple shows a month, to four weekend stand-alone concerts spread throughout the year. It was this change... along with moving the venue from Church Street to a much more spacious area adjacent to Orlando City Hall on Orange Avenue... that helped bring in some of the biggest "Downtown Concert Series" crowds to date such as Cyndi Lauper, STYX, Forgeigner, Cheap Trick and the largest crowd to date was Joe Cocker in April of 2009! Morel concluded, "Every aspect of our events continues to grow... the crowd, the level of bands, sponsor support and the cost of the entire production. But, one very important aspect has remained constant... it's always been FREE!"  As the newest promotions coordinator, Kirsten Benfield explains, “It is an AWESOME event to be a part of, from planning months to day of set up and break down I still continue to get that one of a kind feeling that we did something that meant a lot to so many, especially our listeners. I am so happy to have the opportunity to work on a one of a kind event with great people!” | |
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