FREEHOLD – Freehold’s fall concert series kicked off on September 3, with residents gathering downtown to watch the Phil Engel Band play in front of the Monmouth County Hall of Records on East Main Street.
The music kicked off around 7:30 p.m. and continued until 9:30, with the majority of event attendees pulling out their lawn chairs and staying for the entire show. Sponsors of the event had a private section to sit in, which was blocked off by red tape to the front right of the band. Concessions, including popcorn, were available to concertgoers.
The band played a diverse range of songs from various genres of music. Classics like “Take It Easy” by the Eagles were mingled with modern hits like “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk The Moon. The band concluded the show by playing a song that is always strongly associated with the state of New Jersey, “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey.
According to the Phil Engel Bands Website, they are a band that provides timeless music and use different styles of music throughout the night while keeping people moving on the dance floor. Their versatile skillset allows them to tailor song selections for each event as they always seek to provide both hosts and guests the utmost quality in entertainment. They showed off this level of talent at the concert series by playing music from different decades with distinctly different sounds.
This concert kicked off a schedule of concerts known as Freehold’s Fall Concert series. The concert series will take place at the Hall of Records every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. from now until October 15. Other bands in this lineup include Yacht on September 24, Mushmouth on October 1, Almost Santana on October 8, and The Gab Cinque Band on October 15 to close out the series. The concert series aims to bring a unique sound to downtown Freehold every week, with each band having a different type of music they specialize in.
These events are run by DowntownFreehold.com in partnership with Shore Point Distribution Company, Monmouth County Tourism, and Visit NJ.com. DowntownFreehold.com is one of the community outreach arms of The Freehold Center Management Corporation, a nonprofit entity that is founded upon the belief that downtown Freehold is the heart of Freehold Borough and Western Monmouth County. According to Downtown Freehold’s website, The Freehold Center Management Corporation was created to foster the town’s economic development, encouraging the downtown’s revitalization, and preserving the downtown’s historic past.
The fall concert series is not the only place to hear live music in downtown Freehold, as many different bands are hosted at the gazebo on Main Street as well.
