‘It fills my heart and soul’: Summer of Love concerts come to a close
Shattered singer Melissa Maher gets the music started. Photos by Bobby Grady
Guitarist Barry Collins rips a solo.
Beverly Orlando of Plainville is one of the first on the dance floor.
Kim Oram of Mansfield feels the groove.
Howard Baisner of Wareham rocks out in his seat before making his way to the dance floor.
Muriel Boyd, left, and Jeffery Pierce slow dance the night away.
Heather and Angelo Dellecave of Wareham dance.
Shawn Patterson lays down the bass.
Catherine Pederson of Beverly and her golden retriever Shadow break it down.
Shattered singer Melissa Maher gets the music started. Photos by Bobby Grady
Guitarist Barry Collins rips a solo.
Beverly Orlando of Plainville is one of the first on the dance floor.
Kim Oram of Mansfield feels the groove.
Howard Baisner of Wareham rocks out in his seat before making his way to the dance floor.
Muriel Boyd, left, and Jeffery Pierce slow dance the night away.
Heather and Angelo Dellecave of Wareham dance.
Shawn Patterson lays down the bass.
Catherine Pederson of Beverly and her golden retriever Shadow break it down.
For 10 weeks during the summer, there is one place to be every Wednesday night to hear live music, shop locally and be a part of the Onset and Wareham community.
The Onset Bay Association’s 17th annual Summer of Love concert series concluded Wednesday, Aug. 27 as a crowd of nearly 1,000 people gathered at the bandshell to hear the New England based rock band Shattered take the stage.
“It’s been extraordinary and we’ve had huge record breaking crowds,” association President Kat Jones said. “It’s just been an overwhelming, positive response, I’m actually stunned how big it’s gotten.”
Every Wednesday beginning June 25, a different band would rock the bandshell from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Jones said crowds averaged about 1,000 people per show and got up to over 3,000 people for select concerts.
“We have a little bit of something for everybody and even though there are several other concert series also on Wednesday nights I hear people say this is the best all the time,” Jones said.
Jennifer Killgoar of Plymouth agreed with Jones. She said that even though Plymouth has their own Wednesday night concerts, she is in Onset almost every week.
“We would always go back and forth between Onset and Plymouth and we’ve been to every show in Onset except one because we were away,” Killgoar said.
She added even though she does not live in Onset, she feels like a part of the community at the concerts.
“If the housing situation was different I would probably want to live in Onset,” she said.
Joining Killgoar was her husband Tom who said the event's energy is what keeps him coming back.
“Everybody is just here to have fun,” he said.
When Jones started the concert series, she said there was barely any money for the event and all the bands were local people and kids who were up for playing a free show.
“We couldn’t even give people gas money,” she said. “The first two years we had kids down the street, who were phenomenal, and by the third year we were maybe paying people $50 a piece.”
She added the concerts got more popular each year so they have been able to bring in more talent and build more of a community.
“I don’t mean to sound corny but it fills my heart and soul,” she said. “I look around and see nothing but people having a good time. I had no idea 17 years ago that it would grow into this.”
Jones said she has already begun planning next year’s concerts and while some bands like the funk and disco cover band Booty Vortex will return, there will also be some newcomers.
“I’ve built up a waiting list over the years because I just can’t get to everyone,” she said. “I could book a band every single night of the summer and still have talent leftover.”
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