The crowd danced like no one was watching, and sang like no one was listening.
And the bands played like it was standing room only at North Bay's Memorial Gardens.
At the end of the night, the small but enthusiastic crowd left Friday night’s Summer In The Park concert with a smile on their face.
The night began with a performance by local talent Nicholas Cangiano, followed by Jonathan Roy, Scott Helman and DNCE on their only Canadian stop.
“It was fantastic. My kids loved it. I have four of them and they thought it was great. I listen to what they listen to and I really enjoyed it,” said Melissa Gauthier.
With roughly half the arena floor full, and a smattering of people in the stands, she would have liked to have seen a bigger crowd.
“I’m disappointed by the community support. It should have been a little better. They ask for things like this and you provide it, and they’re not here. Too bad for them. They missed out on a good time.”
Jenna Wilson joined the crush of people who made their way to the front of the stage, dancing to their heart’s content, waving their arms in the air, belting out the tunes.
“I thought it was really amazing. I really liked Scott Helman. He was an amazing opener. And DNCE put on an amazing performance. It was awesome the entire night. It would have been more fun if there were more people, but because there wasn’t a lot of people, I got to get really close up front.”
Wayne Williams wasn’t sure what to expect from the night's lineup, but he was willing to take a chance.
“I’ve never heard of any of the bands actually. We just decided we’d come check it out. So we got the tickets, and actually loved it. I did recognize some of the songs from the radio, but I didn’t know who sang them. It was like ‘Oh, I’ve heard that song,’ so it was a nice surprise,” said Williams.
Many people appreciated the opportunity given to local musicians.
“I thought it was great to come out and support the local talent with Nick (Cangiano) playing at the beginning. It was great to see everyone cheering him on. Having Jonathon Roy and Scott Helman come out was a great build up to DNCE, which were absolutely incredible. They really got the crowd going. Everyone was cheering and yelling and really coming together for this event,” said Nicholas Clement.
“I think there is great value to have more concerts here. Between the arena and the Capitol Centre, I think there is an opportunity for more great performances in the city.”
The concert series continues Saturday night with four more performances.
The night kicks off with hometown talent Annie Sumi at 7:00 pm, followed by Kira Isabelle,
Tebey and Dean Brody.
Tickets are still available online.
A free shuttle bus will be running from 11:00 am to midnight Saturday, with stops at the former Sears parking lot, the transit building downtown, and Memorial Gardens.
