Scarlet Magnolia, a Grateful Dead tribute band, opened the Sweet Sounds Encore series on Quimby Street on Sept. 4. The Downtown Westfield Corporation created the four-night September extension of its Sweet Sounds Downtown Music Series to keep the season’s music going and give residents another reason to meet in the heart of town. The free performances were held from 6 to 9 p.m. and featured a different musical theme each week.
For the opening night, Scarlet Magnolia brought the improvisational spirit and familiar sound associated with the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Band. The supplied photographs show the band performing amid downtown storefronts and string lights, while families, friends and longtime neighbors gathered nearby. Tie-dye shirts, children at play and listeners lingering on Quimby Street gave the evening the unhurried feeling of a final summer get-together.
That sense of togetherness was part of the point. The Encore series extended a popular downtown tradition beyond August, offering four September opportunities for people to reconnect before regular routines took over. Scarlet Magnolia’s night provided the first of those moments: music in the street, a crowd that stayed awhile and a bright community sendoff to summer.
The remaining Sweet Sounds Encore nights were scheduled to bring country music and line dancing, yacht rock and dueling pianos to Quimby Street later in September.
