Main Street Live set a new record for attendance Friday night with its opening season performance by Little Queen — the Music of Heart.
The eight-week concert series is held on the comfortable confines of the West Lawn of Security Federal in downtown McMinnville.
“This is the largest first-night crowd we have had,” said Main Street McMinnville executive director Carla King. “The lawn is crowded from one street to the other. I think there are well over 1,500 people here tonight. Maybe close to 2,000.”
King says offering a tribute band first in the eight-week lineup was definitely the way to go.
“Having a tribute band kick off Main Street Live was the right decision,” she said. “It’s a great way to get people here on the first night and in the mood for music. Hopefully, they will enjoy the next seven bands just as much.”
Little Queen is the only Heart tribute act authorized by Heart to perform its music. The five-member band is from Nashville and consists of Shonna Harrison, Andra Durham, Sean Harrison, Phil Wilson and Jeff Gibson. Playing with the band for the first time Friday night was David Albro on electric guitar.
The band performed Heart favorites such as “Crazy on You,” “Wild Child,” “Heartless,” “What About Love,” “Never,” and “Nothing at All.”
The crowd gave the band a standing ovation, which prompted an encore of “Magic Man.” When the crowd screamed for more, lead singer Shonna Harrison said, “All right, you asked for it” and ended the evening with “Barracuda.”
“I really enjoyed playing in McMinnville,” Harrison said. “It’s always fun to play for a good crowd and McMinnville definitely has that. This is the first time we’ve played on a blacktop surface, but the area is beautiful with the grass and trees.”
Main Street Live is a production of Main Street McMinnville. The concerts are free and will be held for the next seven Friday nights beginning at 7 p.m. Admission and parking are free.