"Downtown Countdown" New Year's Eve Celebration
9 PM - 12:30 AM
Bo Diddley Community Plaza

The City of Gainesville Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs will host Downtown Countdown, a New Year’s Eve celebration concert at the Bo Diddley Community Plaza.

Headlining the concert will be the Beatles tribute band, The Imposters. In addition to drawing large crowds for their appearances at the “Free Fridays” concert series, The Imposters are the root band for the annual All American Song Fest Fourth of July celebration. The band began in 1999 as a two-piece Beatles, Lennon and McCartney tribute. It has now grown to a seven-piece group comprised of some of the areas most popular musicians. Band members include Mike Boulware, Don David, Michael Derry, Mark Loveland, Mick Marino, Rob Rothschild and Ron Thomas. Sitting in for Rothschild on the drums will be Larry Thompson. The Imposters play a full range of Beatles music from the popular hits of the early heydays, through the experimental era of “Revolver” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” to the final rooftop appearance and “Abbey Road.” The Imposters also throw in some great covers of other groups such as The Byrds, The Hollies, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young and Left Bank.

 

Opening for the Imposters is the group Other Voices. Other Voices brings a fun mix of upbeat songs to the celebration. The band participated in the “Free Fridays” concert series both with their own feature concert and as part of the lineup for the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock Tribute. The Woodstock concert drew a crowd of 3,000 breaking all previous attendance records for the series. The four musicians who make up the band are Michelle Ott (percussion and guitar), Dan Tampas (voice and guitar), Fagan Arouh (voice and guitar) and Alan Hill (bass and occasional voice). With a hallmark of intricate vocal harmonies and tight arrangements, they perform acoustic originals, select standards and obscure classics in the realm of pop, folk, blues and jazz. They have described their music as folk and roll.

The free concert will begin at 9 p.m. and run until 12:30 a.m. At the stroke of midnight, there will be showers of streamers and confetti along with the sounds of noisemakers passed out to the audience earlier in the evening.

The Bo Diddley Community Plaza is located on the corner of Southeast 1st Street and East University Avenue. The City of Gainesville Cultural Affairs Division is the designated local arts agency for Gainesville and Alachua County. Its mission is to promote cultural activity and encourage community based cultural resources.

For more information please contact David Ballard at 352-393-8746 or ballarddg@cityofgainesville.org.