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07/14/2020 09:00 AMWith the sun shining and an occasional breeze stirring the lazy, warm air around the green, the Beach & Recreation Department debuted the first of seven summer concerts this past Sunday, July 12 to a grateful crowd of more than 200 people, as shoreline residents turned out in droves for the opportunity to enjoy live music and get out of the house after four long months of quarantine.
Clapping along in their chairs—with the occasional socially distanced dance breaking out—residents were treated to covers of popular songs by The Temptations, Tommy James and the Shondells, and Spencer Davis, among others, as the band ‘60s Satisfaction kicked off the first of a planned series of seven shows through July and August in Madison.
Dozens of signs encouraging social distancing were posted all around the green, and the area directly in front of the state was cordoned off, with only a photographer allowed to enter, according to Recreation Supervisor Carrie Gazda.
A single Madison police officer stationed near the perimeter of the green said he was providing security, but didn’t have any significant concerns about social distancing.
Gazda told residents before the show that they would have to practice good social distancing if they wanted the town to keep putting on the concerts.
Town officials previously had said the expectation for the summer concerts was around 100 people—significantly less than the turnout on July 12, but well within what the state allows.
According to the current state guidelines, an outdoor concert in a municipal park can host a maximum of 500 people, as long as they maintain 15 feet of space “blanket to blanket.”
As coronavirus cases in Connecticut have steadily declined since mid-May and with hospitalizations and deaths related to the virus also falling, Governor Ned Lamont paused the state’s reopening plan in response to significant surges in numbers in states and cities around the country.
An Appreciative Crowd
With a handful of other summer outdoor music series in the area canceled for the season, and others being forced to reschedule recent events due to inclement weather, July 12’s session was a welcome relief for many people.
Janet Avery and Joe Guidi said they are small-town concert enthusiasts who in years’ past have tried to attend as many outdoor shows along the shoreline as possible. This was their first concert in Madison and first of the season, according to Guidi.
“We were afraid that basically they weren’t going to have anything,” he said. “But Connecticut is basically on the right track” with the pandemic.
Many members of Avery’s family are involved in drum corps along the shoreline, and she said all the parades and events they usually participate in have been canceled.
For music fans, the crooning sounds of the ‘60s music and fresh outdoor air, taken in from the comfort of a folding camp chair, was an incredible experience after staying shut in for so long, both Guidi and Avery said.
Joann and Phil Pagnotti, who traveled from North Branford after driving by a sign advertising the concert the day before, said they “definitely” felt comfortable with how it had been set up, with people and families voluntarily spacing themselves out around the green.
Joann Pagnotti said “hopefully, as long as people follow the guidelines,” these kinds of outdoor concerts would continue to happen, though she said she was “disappointed” that parades, flea markets, and other traditional outdoor summer activities were unlikely to resurface this summer.
‘60s Satisfaction, formed in 2015, according to its website, had also been shuttered for a good while due to the pandemic, with frontman Pierce Campbell telling the crowd it was their first show in around eight months.
“And probably our last,” he quipped, before launching into their first song.
For more information the summer concert series, visit www.madisonct.org/710/Summer-Concerts.