George Knight performing at Arlington Town Day. Photo by Ross Ketschke
By Ross Ketschke:
Thousands of people and over 200 local businesses lined Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington on Saturday for the 40th annual Arlington Town Day. WERS was there to catch all the action, and we brought some of our favorite local acts with us to play for the crowds!
First, our very own George Knight took the stage with his band Pablo Palooza. With GK on the bass, the crowd was treated to powerful covers of great songs like “Made Up Mind” from Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Cake’s “Short Skirt Long Jacket”. The events main stage was set up right in front of City Hall, in the center of Town Day’s festivities. Old fans and new came to the stage to watch their favorite morning show host bring some extra funk and groove to the beautiful Saturday afternoon.
Next, a Wicked Local Wednesday favorite The Dirty Dottys kept the block party rolling! Combining an entertaining mix of glitter and grit, The Dirty Dottys kept the crowd dancing and singing along to fun tracks, and even hung out with the WERS crew under the tent to meet fans after their set. Using a unique mix of instruments like the stand up bass, trombone, and vibraphone, along with good old-fashioned electric guitar and drums, the Dottys drew in a huge crowd to the stage, and left everyone at Arlington Town Day wanting more.
Finally, Boston’s very own Air Traffic Controller was set to close out the festival. Fresh off a new album, and an explosion of international success with songs like “The House” and “The Wire” fans waited all afternoon to see ATC take the stage. Adding synthesizers and acoustic guitar into their usual set, Air Traffic Controllers one of a kind sound showed everyone in attendance why they were the perfect group to headline the day’s festivities. The veteran group did not even let a blown PA disrupt their set, bringing all the members to the front of the stage to play entirely unplugged for three songs while the sound crew fixed the speaker system. ATC closed out the day with energy and excitement, and WERS was thrilled to be there sharing the day with three of our favorite bands around.
