$20 or Less: Bethesda Concert Series

Are you a music lover? Are you a music lover with a miniscule budget? Tired of investing half your paycheck into the latest "concert of the year" or over-sized festival? Well fear not, fellow budget-keepers!  Bethesda has something that you, too, can enjoy! They have a FREE summer concert series on Thursday nights!

I don't know about you, but I love when I hear the word "free." Free is just associated with awesomeness. Obviously there are sketchy free things that you should probably avoid like tattoos, haircuts, etc. But generally speaking, free = wonderful (you should see my coworkers and I bull-rush the break room when they put out free food). And I have to say, not only was the cost (or lack thereof) appealing, but the concert aspect was a draw in and of itself. I don't get to go to concerts all that often, so not only was it a welcome treat, but it was also something different to do - something fun other than going to happy hour or watching a movie in an apartment. So I rallied up some troops (via Facebook event of course - whattup awesome planning skills) and dragged a bunch of friends to Bethesda to check out last Thursday's performance - The 19th Street Band.

 

We had an awesome time. The concert was at this little outdoor area called Veteran's Park - which, if you're a Bethesda rookie like me, I feel the need to tell you ahead of time that it's not so much a park as it is a mini plaza. I was  taken a bit off-guard when it turned out to be a patio instead of a patch of grass, but that didn't change the awesomeness of the evening - it sort of gave it that outdoor cafe feeling. I'm glad I got there early and snagged a table, because the whole area filled up quickly - chairs, wall space, you name it.

I wasn't sure if the place filled so quickly because everyone else was just happy to enjoy a concert or if they knew that it was a good band performing - if it was the latter, The 19th Street Band did not disappoint. They were fantastic! To quote their website, "Their style can best be described as an acoustic mix of popular Rock, Country, Celtic, and Bluegrass songs" (the19thstreetband.com). They were really great performers and a lot of fun to watch. Plus they're a local band and have a lot of upcoming shows around the area, so I can't wait to see them again. 

As a bonus for the night, not only was the band fun, but the audience was something to watch as well. First of all, there were adorable little kids dancing to the music right in front of the band. But then there was another hidden gem - one of the restaurants in the park served beer, but you couldn't take it past a certain area on the patio. So of course, that's where all the dads were, rockin' out and clearly having a grand ol' time:

The guy in green was having the most fun of all. He was jammin':

 


If you're looking for something fun, different, and cheap, definitely check out the other groups performing for the rest of the summer. You can see the list of groups (and time and location) at Bethesda's website. Not from the area? Google your city and see if they have something similar! That's how I found out about these concerts in the first place - I just Googled "Bethesda, MD" and the rest was history!