Ticket proceeds directly support the Levitt’s free summer concerts, helping ensure live music on the lawn remains accessible to all.
The defining element of Levitt UpClose is the surprise: Ticket holders receive the concert location approximately 36 hours before the show. Artists are revealed only when they take the stage. The performances take place in intimate venues where audiences wouldn’t normally experience live music.
Past venues have included The Black Box Improv Theater, Joui Wine, Engineers Club, ThinkTV, The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Base Camp Outdoors and more.
There are three more UpClose concerts this season. The next is Jan. 14. Tickets are available to the general public now.
Because of the secretive aspect of the series, each concert features three acts — often a local opener, with two regional or national acts following — each with a different style. This UpClose season has run the gamut of genres, including folk, pop, jazz, neo-soul, R&B, hip-hop, and alt-country.
This is the third year for Levitt UpClose. The series attempts to mirror the curation of the Eichelberger Concert Season.
“We’ve built this trust among the people who join us at other functions, that they know who we are and what we’ve cultivated in the past,” said Brandi Schneider, Marketing Manager at Levitt Pavilion Dayton. “They might find something that they didn’t know that they liked. Some people get stuck in what they normally listen to, and I think it’s a great opportunity to kind of find out new things that you might enjoy.”
Levitt’s mission is to build community through music one free concert at a time. As winter set in and the summer concerts went on hiatus, the team looked for ways to keep that sense of community alive.
Part of that effort involves bringing audiences to a handful of non-traditional downtown venues — typically spaces not known for live music — introducing them to spaces they may not otherwise be privy to.
“Lisa [Wagner, Levitt Pavilion Dayton Executive Director] talks about it kind of like a ship and water,” Schneider said. “The more water you add in, the more the boat floats higher. Everybody kind of rises.”
For the December UpClose concert, Harpoetic, blucone and Ben de la Cour performed at the Dayton Vitality Hotel, just steps away from the Levitt Pavilion. The concert gave the audience a look into the revitalization of the former Crowne Plaza — in a room co-opted for music — while also providing a platform for a hotel representative to discuss the renovations.
The intimacy of the performances — often in rooms with a 100-seat cap or less — allows for a more personal experience, giving the artists space to connect with audiences and do some storytelling of their own.
Dayton’s Harpoetic blended jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and gospel into “alternative jazz” and “poetic music.” The short genre-blending opening set was soulful, and the band’s singer wouldn’t let the crowd leave without learning how to spell the band’s name: H-A-R-P-O-E-T-I-C.
Blucone, out of Columbus, brought indie alt-pop to the Vitality Hotel. The five-piece made music for experimentalists and pop-heads alike. The members also participated in Levitt’s educational outreach program earlier that day. The program’s mission is to empower youth of the community through music.
From Nashville, folk artist Ben de la Cour shined a bleak yet humorous light on the human condition. He wore a sweater and ascot that made him look like Fred from “Scooby-Doo” and he let the audience know that he was aware. He closed out the night with a mix of laughter and awe.
Every Levitt UpClose concert has nearly sold out. The next venue is a smaller space, and will only hold roughly 40 people.
“We really want it to be an enjoyable experience for everybody who’s attending,” Schneider said. “But also to have that intimate feel so that you feel like you’re there with the artist.”
More info: Tickets for Levitt UpClose concerts are $45 and are available at LevittDayton.org.
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