A new outdoor music event in downtown Three Rivers drew a full audience this past weekend. Backstage Bash 2020 was organized by the Riviera Theatre and the Three Rivers Downtown Development Authority and Main Street Program (TRDDA). It took place Saturday afternoon and evening on a temporarily closed section of Railroad Drive behind the theatre. Featuring four music acts, it served as a fundraiser for this year’s upcoming Christmas Around Town.

“We’re just trying to think outside the box as far as our programing and events go and, you know, trying to be COVID-conscious, but also take advantage of opportunities for good music and to get out and enjoy downtown,” TRDDA Executive Director Tricia Meyer said.

The evening’s four acts included a troupe of bagpipers from the Kalamazoo Pipe Band, a local vocalist named Courtney Moore, and a pair of northern Indiana bands, Here nor There and the Tumbleweed Jumpers. Each performed at set throughout the afternoon and evening, donating their time for the event. Spectators purchased socially distanced circles, marked on the ground for seating, and downtown businesses provided food delivery.

John “Charlie” Wolgamood, TRDDA’s Promotions Committee Chair and a member of its board, helped plan the event with other volunteers and Riviera staff. “It’s a good day,” he said. “I guess we sold quite a few tickets.”

Meyer said, “It’s a beautiful day. The weather cooperated. It’s exciting to see everyone out and about and watch the local talent. The turnout is really good so far. We’re going to be up to 20 circles. People are kind of filtering in as the different performers go up on stage. The Riviera’s been great to work with, and everything came together really smoothly. It’s just exciting to be able to do something outside and be social again.”

Riviera Theatre staff sold refreshments and hurried about throughout the event assisting volunteers on sound, and helping with band setup and other logistics.

The Kalamazoo Pipe Band opened Saturday evening’s show. “I love bagpipe music,” Wolgamood said. He had been looking for a bagpipe player for the event when he happened to be contacted by Peter Butts, the new Children’s Librarian at Three Rivers Public Library. Butts is a member of the Kalamazoo Pipe Band and arranged for the troupe to come to Three Rivers.

Moore is a Three Rivers resident who Wolgamood said has a “beautiful voice,” and is “up and coming” as a performer. Moore, a vocalist with R&B and pop influences, performed a combination of songs written by herself and others, set against prearranged tracks. “I think it went pretty well,” Moore said. “It was really nice being outside and having people that I know around me.”

Moore has performed several times in Three Rivers. She has been a featured performer as well as a regular monthly attendee at “Tom Talks,” at Lowry’s Books, which has evolved into the First Fridays Open Mic series. She also sang at a social justice rally in downtown Three Rivers earlier this past summer. Most of her music is available on popular streaming platforms.

“Here nor There has played at the Riviera before,” Wolgamood said. Although the band is from Northeast Indiana, the Riviera Theatre was its first performance gig. Lead singer Avery Glick said the band members have a friend who knows Riviera Theatre Manager Danielle Moreland and put them in contact.

“They’ve got a nice sound. Some originals, some covers. Kind of Americana type stuff,” Wolgamood said about Here nor There. During its set, the band played a collection of songs with bluegrass, jazz, and other influences. For band members, Saturday night was “just a terrific event all around,” Glick said. “Thank you to Three Rivers for having us out.”  

As the sun set, a performance set by Tumbleweed Jumpers closed out the event. Wolgamood described them as a “big band, they’ve got horns and stuff, I love that kind of stuff,” Wolgamood said. The band also includes string instruments, drums, and a keyboard. Their Saturday music set included songs with rock, bluegrass, jazz, and other influences.

Band member Ryan Miller said although the band has played previously in St. Joseph, Saturday night’s event was the band’s first encounter with Three Rivers. Band member Scott Lehman said, “we’ve always wanted to play more in Michigan. We’ve played everywhere in Indiana.” Event co-organizer Jonathon Casselberry-Scott has been friends since college with Lehman and arranged for the band to come to Three Rivers.

Of Saturday night’s show, Lehman said, “it was really fun. We love new communities and making new connections.” Through his connection with Casselberry-Scott, Lehman said the band’s members had been excited to come to Three Rivers to play. “It turned out the crowd was awesome and people here are super nice, so we’ve had a great time.”

Due to the positive experience, Lehman said, “we’d love to be back here. Your town is super awesome. We’ve never been here, but were like, ‘we want to just come back and check out downtown.’ It looks really cool. Love the theatre. It’s a really similar vibe to our town and the guys would like to have a little more connection between Goshen (Indiana) and Three Rivers.”

Miller said, “It’s great, in this day and in the age of COVID, when there can be events that are safe and enjoyable. All the acts that played here tonight were different kinds of fun. People got a chance to hear a lot of different things, and to be in a place where we can be a community, which is tough sometimes these days.”

Carli Thompson, who lives between Three Rivers and Marcellus, attended the event with her family. “I thought it was so refreshing to have a safe way for the community to get together and celebrate all the good stuff in life when there’s a lot of hard stuff going on,” Thompson said. “Our family has a farm, and so we go to the (Huss Project) Farmer’s Market every week, and that has also been a really great way to see people in a safe way, but it was just really special to be able to celebrate with people in our community.”

By the time Tumbleweed Jumpers began performing near sunset, the circles had mostly filled in, and additional audience members had joined around the periphery. Following the band’s last song, in his closing remarks to the audience, Wolgamood thanked the performers, the behind-the-scenes technicians, and fellow organizers, as well as the audience who attended. “We’re going to have to do more of this stuff,” Wolgamood said.

Dave Vago is a writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.