Free concerts are back in action in downtown Lexington, as the Icehouse Live series began its run of six consecutive Thursday concerts last week with a performance by The Hitmen.

While the free series isn’t new, the name is, as the town and its Icehouse Amphitheater rebranded the concerts, previously promoted as Lexington Live, this spring.

“We made a decision to increase the ability to make the Icehouse known,” Brewer said.

Just like in the spring, there will be food trucks and beer and wine available for purchase at the events.

“We’re excited to have it back this fall and excited to see everyone at the Icehouse,” said Brewer.

While this year is the first year for the shows under the Icehouse Live banner, the series of free downtown concerts began in 2017 when the amphitheater opened at 107 W Main St.

“We carried on the great tradition on Main Street,” Brewer said.

The amphitheater is a 900-seat venue catering to concerts and events year round and was a part of the Town of Lexington’s Vision Plan. The venue also hosts the weekly Market at Icehouse in its covered pavilion on Saturdays during the warmer months, and it is surrounded by forthcoming and relatively restaurants and businesses such as Barrio Tacos, Best Mattress and Alodia’s.

There are other shows sprinkled in around the concert series and after the fall concert series, with Brewer also noting that the town is getting geared up for its annual holiday celebration, the Snowball Festival, which will include programming at the amphitheater.

The rest of the fall calendar includes some notable acts, including Tokyo Joe’s “Rocketman” Elton Jon tribute (Sept. 8), Sister Hazel (Sept. 15), the Rock 4 Recovery concert headlined by Taylor Dayne (Sept. 29) and the Fallapalooza festival featuring ‘90s tributes to Chris Cornell, Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains (Oct. 6).

As for those free Icehouse Live concerts, they all start at 6:30 p.m., with more info available at icehouseamphihteater.com. Brewer shared descriptions for each of the featured acts:

CAT5 (Sept. 7)

Cat5 on the scene in June of 2019 from a trio of top East Coast Bands. Less than a year later in March of 2020, they had to cancel almost 200 dates from their 2020 calendar due to the pandemic shutdown of Covid-19 in March. The shutdown did not stop them from winning the CBMA Cammy Award for New Artist of the year in 2020.

2021 would bring much more success with Cat5 being nominated for 10 Cammy Awards at the CBMA’s.

Cat5 set the ball rolling with the release of their new song “The Beach and The Boulevard,” which won the Cammy for Song of the Year.

Cat5 ended up taking a total of 5 awards home in only their second year of performing. Including the prestigious award for Group of the Year, Song of the Year with “The Beach and The Boulevard”, Smoothie of the Year for their remake of the popular song “Something Said Love.” Songwriter of the Year for “The Beach and The Boulevard” and Instrumentalist of the Year for Cat5 Drummer Camron Dudley.

Swingin’ Medallions (Sept. 14)

Featuring an ever-popular horn section, the group effectively blends the sounds and music of yesterday and today. The band has performed throughout the nation in thousands of venues. Their diverse repertoire has made them overwhelming favorites with college audiences as well as the more mature rock and rollers.

The band was made famous by its 1.5 million selling hit album, “Double Shot of My Baby’s Love,” in 1966. It remains the signature song of the band. The song, in fact, continues to demonstrate its timeless quality on radio, television and in motion pictures. “Double Shot” was followed with another hit, “She Drives Me Out of My Mind,” in 1967. In 1969, they released yet another hit, “Hey, Hey Baby,” the song featured at their 2004 Gator Bowl Half-Time Show performance. The band released countless other singles through Capitol and Smash Records.

The Root Doctors (Sept. 21)

The Doctors are in ... and their prescription of choice is a proverbial hair-of-the-dog, one-two punch. You know, treat the ailment with a dose of cure by the same name.

“It’s simple. If you’re in a funk, well ya gotta go and get the funk. It’ll fix you straight up,” says Dr. Walter Hemingway, medical chief of staff for The Root Doctors - South Carolina’s preeminent feel-good clinic. “Music - funky music- is the remedy, man.”

Combine heaping portions of bass, rhythm guitar, and brass with uniquely hip, feel-good grooves and you have the beginnings of a healing party that is safe to administer in massive doses to any member of the family, ages 8 to 80.

If you’re looking for a talented, professional, and experienced band that strives to remedy your blues, The Root Doctors have the cure and are ready to administer your next dose!

Under the Sun (Sept. 28)

Under the Sun is a six-piece party band from Columbia that plays a huge variety of genres and all the hits especially from the ’90s, ’00s and today. With multiple vocalists, professional lighting and sound and thousands of successful events under their belts, the members of Under the Sun know how to bring the party to your event.

Too Much Sylvia (Oct. 5)

Too Much Sylvia will play something that everyone can enjoy. Their onstage antics and personalities will touch all. Whether it’s a low-key dinner setting, an energetic party, a festival with all ages attending, the band easily adapts. By NOT working from a “setlist,” 2MS has the ability to pace the song selection and provoke audience interaction to reach a peak at the right moment.