The four-day downtown Roanoke music festival is back in a big way from April 14-17.
The Freedom First Down by Downtown Music Festival is back in a big way with headliner The Wallflowers. The ticketed headliner show will be held in downtown Roanoke’s outdoor amphitheater, Elmwood Park, on Saturday, April 16 alongside the Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon race festivities.
The four-day music festival, created to showcase the city’s vibrant downtown, will feature 15 or more live music acts at 11 different venues from Thursday, April 14 through Sunday, April 17. Performances include a variety of genres from acoustic sets in intimate settings, to rock concerts at outdoor breweries, to funk and reggae shows at local venues, to the national headliner in Elmwood amphitheater.
For the past 30 years, The Wallflowers have stood as one of rock’s most dynamic and purposeful bands – a unit dedicated to and continually honing a sound that meshes timeless songwriting and storytelling with a hard-hitting and decidedly modern musical attack.
That signature style has been present through the decades, from 90’s hits like “One Headlight” and “6th Avenue Heartache”, to their recently released album Exit Wounds. The band is also known for lead-singer and primary songwriter Jakob Dylan, who is legendary song-writer Bob Dylan’s son.
“The festival was founded as a way for venues to work together to shine a light on Roanoke’s music scene, and by shining that light, grow it into something special,” said Kait Pedigo, events manager for Roanoke Outside. “The pandemic hit and could’ve stopped things, but it’s 2022 now and the venues are working together, Freedom First is championing the event, Berglund is involved, and we have a great act like the Wallflowers. All that’s left is for Roanokers to come out and show that having a live music culture is important to them.”
Full lineup here – www.downbydowntown.com
The Wallflowers Ticket Portal – https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/8510269/the-wallflowers-roanoke-elmwood-park
