Since the Town of Lexington opened the Icehouse Amphitheater on Main St. back in 2016, the music and entertainment venue has brought a series of enjoyable concerts to the area, and this year is no exception.

The amphitheater has a full schedule of concerts scheduled from bands ranging from beloved local favorites like The Root Doctors and Prettier Than Matt to tribute acts and variety bands like The Hitmen and Interstellar Echoes. 

Many of these acts are playing as part of the Icehouse Amphitheater’s Icehouse Live spring concert series. Every Thursday night, music fans can gather for a free concert in a family-friendly atmosphere with food and drink vendors on site, which is exactly the way that the Town of Lexington’s Downtown Venue Promoter Walker Brewer envisioned it.

“We wanted it to be a family fun place,” Brewer said. “We set out with a goal of making this somewhere that was accessible to all people. So we have our free shows here. We've worked really hard with our vendors to set what we believe to be the lowest priced food and beverages out on the market at events. We want to make this a spot where your average family of four can come out and not really have to budget and plan for a night out.”

In a larger sense, however, the Icehouse Live series and the Amphitheater itself are meant to encourage hospitality business growth in the downtown Lexington area, something Brewer says is definitely happening. 

“The amphitheater was built to help boost hospitality business along Main St.,” Brewer said. “When the amphitheater opened, there were three restaurants on Main St. Now, I believe, there are nine restaurants on Main St. with three more slated to be opened, and there’s also a hotel coming.”

The business aspect of the amphitheater is certainly important, but Brewer seems to enjoy programming the series schedule the most. This year’s series features local favorites Prettier Than Matt and The Root Doctors, but it also leans heavily on variety acts who play a range of classic hits from the ‘60s to today, bands like Under The Sun, The Hitmen and Fringe Benefits.

“It's definitely a balancing act,” Brewer said of the series-planning process. “People want to hear original music, but at the same time, they want to hear music they know; they want to hear music they’ve listened to for decades. So the tribute acts are definitely fun. It's definitely a juggling act you want to find that that right balance.”

Brewer added that he enjoys the series the most when he’s out among the audience during the concerts.

“You see these people come out year after year for these shows,” he said. “So I can catch up with them. I get to talk to them a little bit, see how their Christmases went, and some of them ask me how my family’s doing. You just get to know the people that attend the shows. And I love talking with our business owners, seeing how they're doing. Building these relationships has been the most rewarding part.”

Visit icehouseamphitheater.com for a full concert schedule.