Summer Tunes, Stripped Down
Free acoustic concerts Mondays at Somerville’s Assembly Row
Assembly Row’s Baxter Riverfront Park is the site of live music events every Monday and Thursday night through September 28. Photo by Team Shred Photography
When Assembly Row opened last summer, the mixed use development created immediate buzz. Patrons were soon flocking to its 32 new outlet stores, Legoland Discovery Center, and Cineplex as well as the brand-new 6.1-acre Baxter Riverfront Park on the banks of the Mystic River. The park has an amphitheater, a playground, a bike path, and even a boardwalk that connects the complex to the nearby Ten Hills neighborhood.
This summer, Assembly Row is taking full advantage of the park, implementing a number of new outdoor programs. A free Summer Music Series kicked off June 1 and runs every Monday and Thursday through September 28. On Acoustic Mondays, talented local acoustic musicians are featured. Live Music Thursdays offer full band performances. Both begin at 6:30 p.m.
Acoustic Monday performances are held in the park area behind Assembly Row’s River Bar restaurant. The setup allows restaurant patrons, parkgoers, and passersby alike to enjoy unplugged tunes while enjoying the riverfront views. The Thursday concerts are in the park’s amphitheater.
Boston-based singer-songwriter Todd Thibaud will perform original songs that blend elements of Americana, folk, country, and roots pop rock at Acoustic Monday tonight. Thibaud cites Elvis Costello, Neil Finn, and Johnny Cash among his musical inspirations, and his songs have been featured on popular television series like 7th Heaven, Smallville, and Melrose Place.
Assembly Row is hosting a number of other outdoor events at Baxter Park this summer, including a free movie series on Saturdays through August 29, beginning at dusk. Among upcoming films are Big Hero 6 (July 18), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (July 25), and The Wizard of Oz (August 8). Visitors can also take part in a free riverfront yoga class each Saturday through September at 9 a.m. The class is taught by instructors from Somerville’s some.yoga.studio (be sure to bring your own mat).
Assembly Row’s free Acoustic Mondays performances are at 6:30 p.m. at the Point Park area of Sylvester Baxter Riverfront Park, 300 Grand Union Blvd., Somerville. Take an Orange Line train to Assembly Station and walk down Foley Street.
Mara Sassoon can be reached at msassoon@bu.edu.
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