By April Amadon<br><a href="mailto:amadona@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail April</a>
Lou Gramm took the stage as the sun set Friday, pumping his fist in the air as the crowd in the Ulrich City Centre cheered enthusiastically.
“Good evening Lockport!” Gramm shouted into the microphone. “Ain’t it a fine night to rock ’n’ roll?”
It was the kickoff concert for the Molson Canal Concert Series, which drew thousands of people to downtown Lockport for the performance by the former Foreigner frontman.
The concert festivities began about 5 p.m., with parking lots around the concert area filling up steadily throughout the evening.
Rochester’s Uncle Plum and Buffalo’s 53 Days drew cheers and applause as they played their sets before Gramm took the stage.
For the members of 53 Days, who also played at the Molson Canal Concert Series when it was in North Tonawanda, the venue was a nice change.
“It was fantastic,” said Davey O., bassist and vocalist for 53 Days. “I’m glad that people came out to welcome us to a new venue for this event.”
His fellow band members John Moore and Denny Pelcynski were both excited to see Gramm.
As they waited backstage for Gramm to arrive, Pelcynski reminisced about seeing Gramm play at Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo in the early 1980s.
“I can’t wait to see him,” he said.
Out in the crowd, Lockport’s Duane Duxbury played frisbee with friends in the parking lot as the opening bands played. He said it was a nice change to see so many people in downtown Lockport
“There hasn’t been a lot of stuff around lately,” Duxbury said. “There’s not a lot downtown, so it’s nice to see a lot of people down here. It’s pretty good for the city”
As the opening bands took the stage, more and more people filtered in through the security entrances. Some stayed outside the fence, setting up lawn chairs behind the stage because the chairs weren’t allowed inside the concert area.
Betty Sharer of East Amherst brought her husband to the show with lawn chairs, beer cooler and Pizza Oven pizza in tow. When the Sharers found out they couldn’t bring their picnic inside the venue, they set up on sidewalk near the Locust Street bus shelter, listened to the music and watched the festivities from there.
“I figured this would be in a grassy area where we could spread out,” Sharer said. “That’s OK. We improvised. This is great for Lockport.”
Ron and Joanne Sonnenberg of Middleport found a place to sit inside, taking a spot on the concrete at the bottom of a lightpost.
“I’m disappointed that we’re not allowed to have seats,” Ron said. “It would be nice to have a chair to sit down.”
Joanne said she thought the atmosphere of the show was welcoming, however, nodding toward the crowd outside Metropolitan.
“It’s nice to have the restaurants here,” she said.
Lori Tracy of Lockport agreed, saying it was nice to see Taboo open.
“I really like the choices of restaurants open,” she said. “I hope (the concert series) stays here. This is fantastic.”
In-between bands, people bought tickets and grabbed beers, mingling and chatting. A small circle of concert-goers played hackey-sack, while others bounced beach balls around the parking lot.
Dan and Sheryl Greeson of Gasport watched the crowd gather, beers in hand.
“We used to go to the (concerts) in North Tonawanda, but it’s much closer here,” Dan said.
“We’re happy they moved it here,” Sheryl said.
Contact reporter April Amadon at 439-9222, ext. 6251.
