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SUNTRUST CONCERTS IN THE GARDEN in Atlanta

May 9, 2008 on 11:07 am | In Festivals, The South, Webbandstand |

Tickets go on sale Friday, May 9 for Atlanta’s most popular outdoor concert series.

Tickets go on sale Friday, May 9 for Atlanta’s most popular outdoor concert series. From melodic strains of New Orleans blues tortuous renditions of ‘60s rock and roll, Midtown is the place to be on Friday nights this summer, when SunTrust Concerts in the Garden returns to the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

Six spectacular shows, planned from May through August, will feature nationally acclaimed artists performing on the stage in front of the Fuqua Conservatory for guests invited to relax on blankets on the Great Lawn.

Tickets for all concerts are $35 and available at the Garden’s Gift Shop, and at the Ticketmaster banner at right for instant purchases with major credit cards, or charge by phone at 404-249-6400 (Phone and online orders are subject to processing fees and applicable service charges; no fees are applied to tickets purchased at the gift shop). Discounted tickets are available to Garden members for $31.50; to become a member, call 404-591-1539.

This season’s powerhouse lineup features:

Friday, May 30: Buddy Guy, with opening act The Mike Lowry Band

This pioneer of electric blues and Chicago’s fabled West Sidesound is a Louisiana native, an American blues and rock guitarist, and a singer as well. Considered an inspiration to Jimi Hendrix and other ’60s blues and rock legends, he’s been dubbed an important exponent of Chicago blues made famous by Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Known for his showmanship, Guy plays with drumsticks and meanders into the audience while performing. His career took off during the blues revival of the late 1980s. Notable albums include Stone Crazy, Damn Right I’ve Got The Blues, Feels Like Rain and Blues Singer.

Friday, June 20: Shawn Colvin with special guest Paul Thorn

Shawn Colvin garnered both Song of the Year and Record of the Year Grammies in 1998 for “Sunny Came Home” and was awarded a Best Contemporary Folk Grammy for her

1989 debut disc, “Steady On.” As a storyteller, Colvin remains both clear-eyed and warm-hearted, delivering her toughest tales with tenderness and empathy. Similarly, her musical arrangements are both succinct and seductive. Good-naturedly sexy songs share the spotlight with romantically ambivalent tales. A Midwesterner, Colvin first performed straight-up rock. Later, during a stint in Austin, Texas, she tackled western swing. Moving east, she backed up acts like Buddy Miller and Suzanne Vega. Guest Paul Thorn: A gritty, raucous energetic personality who combines R&B and rock ‘n roll into working-class poetry.

Friday, July 11: John Hiatt and the Ageless Beauties

In May, New West Records will release John Hiatt’s new full-length album Same Old Man, his first album since 2005’s critically acclaimed Master of Disaster, of which The Washington Post proclaimed, “Hiatt has written some of the best melodies of his career.” Appearing on Same Old Man are Kenneth Blevins on drums, Patrick O’Hearn on bass and Luther Dickinson on guitar, mandolin and national resonator. Hiatt’s daughter, Lilly, sings harmony on the songs “Love You Again” and “What Love Can Do.” John Hiatt’s career spans more than 30 years, and his songs have been covered by everyone from Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt and BB King to Iggy Pop, Three Dog Night and The Neville Brothers. Hiatt began his solo career with the 1974 album Hangin’ Around the Observatory. His landmark 1987 release Bring the Family received critical praise and was his first album to chart in the United States.

Friday, July 18: Jerry Jeff Walker

Jerry Jeff Walker has lived the troubadour’s life. Lots of musicians talk about the road, but as a kid Walker actually rode his thumb out of his hometown in upstate New York to such destinations as Key West, where he introduced another young musician, Jimmy Buffett, to the pleasures of island life. Walker sang for pennies on New Orleans street corners, alongside his “Mr. Bojangles,” and in the smoky cafes and folk clubs of Greenwich Village, following in the footsteps of Bob Dylan and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. Walker became, along with Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel, one of the arbiters of the internationally famous Austin musical community. He’s played for four or five presidents, toured in Lear Jets and his band of musicians, known variously as the Lost Gonzo Band and the Gonzo Compadres, have been indispensable parts of his endless caravan.

Friday, July 25: Lucinda Williams

Four-time Grammy winner Lucinda Williams was dubbed “America’s Best Songwriter” by Time magazine, and most recently her “Come-On” snagged the Grammy for Best Rock. Her openhearted approach lends a timeless feel to her music. Williams, who grew up intake Charles, Louisiana, has been finding new ways to perform since childhood. The singer-songwriter channels both her emotion and restive creative energy into a startling set of songs that touch on both darkness and redemption. Her lyrics attest to her willingness to stretch as a musician -and to put herself on the line as a chronicler of life. “I get tired of people looking at my songs and feeling that they’re all sad and dark,” she says. “There’s more to them than that. It’s a full circle, like I’ve come through a metamorphosis.”

Friday, August 1: KT Tunstall

Hailed as a “folk-rock goddess” by Rolling Stone, Scottish-born singer-songwriter KT Tunstall crafts a provocative sonic mesh of heartfelt pop, rootsy electric blues and left-field alt-rock. Within six months of its 2006 release, Eye to the Telescope, her gritty, soulful debut, was certified gold in the United States, and her music became omnipresent - all over radio, television, movies and the Internet. Thanks to the multi-media exposure of three singles - the Grammy-nominated “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,” “Other Side of the World” and “Suddenly I See” (from the hit movie “The Devil Wears Prada”) - Eye is now certified platinum in the United States. Her new album, Drastic Fantastic, features collection of thumping pop songs and intimate, often mysterious ballads.

Go to www.concertsinthegarden.org  for up-to-the-minute information on artists, dates and ticketing. Gates open at 7 p.m., and shows start at 8 p.m. All concerts are rain or shine. This year’s concert-goers will enter through the regular Garden admission area. The main entrance road will be closed to traffic, and off-site parking will be available at Colony Square for the discounted price of$5 with a voucher. From there, free shuttles will run to the Garden continuously. A limited number of Platinum tickets (on-site parking included) is available through Member Services at 404-591-1550.

Although outside food and beverages are not allowed in the Garden, a selection of premium beer, wine and soft drinks will be available for purchase, as will picnic fare from Sun In My Belly catering (appetizers, salads, sandwiches, entrees and desserts).A limited supply will be available for walk-up purchase, so pre-orderings strongly recommended. The menu and pre-order form can be downloaded at www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org.

The Garden thanks SunTrust Bank for its continuing and generous support of SunTrust Concerts in the Garden. Media support is provided by 92.9 DAVE-FM.

For information, visit www.ConcertsInTheGarden.org