The Final Four Shows of the Series - August Recap

Annie DiRusso - August 2 

On a pitstop before their big show at LollaPalooza, Annie DiRusso and her band gifted Gather an evening of their talent.

Before bringing some music to the rainy walls of Gather, the band was able to check out a personal tour of Hinterland Brewery.

“It was really sweet and fun, we had a great little day,” DiRusso smiled. “We got a tour of the Hinterland Brewery, the Citra Pale Ale is so delicious, and we saw Lambeau Stadium before the show. It was really sweet.”

It had been the first show the band was able to play again together in a little bit, but the magic came back as if they were never on hiatus.

“We haven’t played as a full band in a while because we had just come off of a month-long tour, going into a month-long break, so to be able to all play together as a band again was so much fun.”

Many artists point out the intimate feeling of Gather’s performances due to the smaller capacity of the venue in comparison to stadiums or theaters. The size of Gather offers a unique opportunity for performers to be able to see their fans faces, maybe even recognize a few. 

“There were some fans that came out from Oshkosh that I had seen before,” DiRusso exclaimed. “They came to some of the shows on the last tour and it was sweet to get to see them again. The whole crowd seemed to respond really well to my song ‘Nine Months’, which was really encouraging and fun to see.”

After a warm evening out of the rain, Annie DiRusso and her bandmates were more than happy to retreat to the comfort of The Loft at 143-B, a partner and next door neighbor of Gather who offer a beautiful modern industrial loft equipped with 5 queen beds, before rocking their way into Chicago for their LollaPalooza performance.

“It was such a beautiful and unique atmosphere, and we felt truly taken care of,” DiRusso smiled. “Everything just felt very sweet and caring, it was very relaxing to be able to enjoy the city before some big shows coming up, and The Loft was so comfortable to come back to at the end of the day.”

Check out their 91.1 The Avenue Interview!

‍‍

Arcy Drive- August 9

Arcy Drive rolled into Green Bay in their converted school bus, and rocked Gather for a ground-shaking night. 

Drummer, Brooke Tuozzo spoke with Gather Blog Writer, Kira Doman, about their hyped up evening in front of an excited crowd.

Tuozzo explained that when they first saw Gather, they weren’t exactly sure how it would play out.

“Because this wasn’t a ticketed event, we really had no idea what the outcome was going to be, and just seeing that many people actually showed up and stuck around was so amazing and fun,” Tuozzo said. “We were playing for people who didn’t even know us, and then became fans afterwards.”

Even though it wasn’t a ticketed show, Arcy Drive blew all expectations out of the water, and set up for one of the most populated shows within Gather’s walls.

“Performing at Gather was very different than what we’re used to,” Tuozzo explained. “We’ve become used to performing at gritty bars with loud people, and this was a very intimate, sort of sit-down location and audience. I think we were all a bit nervous getting on the gorgeous stage, we didn’t want to ruin anything with our chaotic energy, but a few songs in we were ready to rock it, and the people definitely adapted to our sound. I think we really got them jammin’!”

The day overall was very different from how the day of a show normally goes for the band.

“We actually got to explore the Farmer’s Market a bit before our set, we stopped into this vintage store right on the corner (Cockloft Vintage) during the market and I found this super cool shirt, which I then wore to the performance a few hours later,” Tuozzo revealed. “The only thing we forgot to grab before we made our way out of the city was the classic squeaky cheese curds, so we’ll have to come back.”

“The hospitality was phenomenal. We were treated so well, which was amazing in and of itself,” Tuozzo smiled. “The staff at Gather really made a day out of us being there which was really special. I feel like at other venues we'll just go do soundcheck, and then leave, and then come back, do our show, and that's it. At Gather, I feel like we've really made friends with the people and staff. We really enjoyed their company, they were super accommodating and I think that made our experience even better.”

The audience and staff were happy to dance with and welcome Arcy Drive to the Gather stage, and the band was even surprised to hear some of their words sang back to them.

“Fans seemed to really like our last song, ‘River’, we were hearing it sang back to us and that’s always such a nice feeling,” Tuozzo grinned. “People also always seem to enjoy our most streamed one, ‘Roll my Stone’, but overall the audience seemed to love every vibe we threw out. I was sad to be done after ‘River’ because it just felt like we were all comfy up there, I could have played on for another hour at least.”

Overall, Arcy Drive would agree their experience of Green Bay was welcoming and beautiful, and will lead them to continue to branch out where they perform.

“The crowd was awesome, everyone was so friendly, and we just felt good vibes all around,” Tuozzo smiled. “Our stuff's pretty loud, but the vibes were super high and it was really fun. We liked it a lot. The staff of Gather and the organizers of the event were so sweet and made sure we felt comfortable, we had some amazing food… we were truly given a great impression of Green Bay.” 

Shane Guerrette - August 16

For the last night of August’s Farmer’s Market music, Gather featured a double-headliner consisting of Shane Guerrette and Zach Person, for a doubly-talented evening of music.

Shane Guerrette was the first of the two performers, crooning sweet, country-rock to the ready to dance audience.

“The whole event was really well put together: the concept of having this kind of local community come out for this event really highlights the importance community has on a city,” Guerrette noted. “I've played at farmer's markets before, but I have to say this one is definitely high up on the list, for sure.”

Guerrette noticed Gather’s utlization of all of their employees, finding it incredibly smart to have an individual talking up the menu, the bar, and not to mention the complimentary music on behalf of Nicolet just outside the front doors. 

“While the Farmer's Market was going on, I saw that you guys had put out a spokesperson to draw in more guests, and I just think that's such a good move on your guys' part,” Guerrette said. “It seemed that people were intrigued enough to come inside, and we really drew up a good crowd!”

Guerrette took this performance to test out the waters on a new release, pleasantly surprised by the  audience’s reaction.

“I have a song dropping next week, 'Only One', and I feel like the audience really liked that one. And that's exciting to have that response when it is a newer song, and you don't know how it's going to be received.”

Overall, Guerrette was happily surprised with his first impression of Green Bay, getting to explore the city’s most famous landmarks, and even try delicious beer.

“It was my first time in Green Bay, and we got to do the whole tour of Lambeau Field and Hinterland Brewery,” Guerrette exclaimed excitedly. “The only thing I could think of while I was in there [Hinterland] was, 'This is like the adult version of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory!' So that was definitely memorable. I've never toured a brewery before! Gather’s overall hospitality was unreal. We’ll be back.”

‍

Zach Person - August 16

Zach Person closed out August’s live music on the Gather stage, with a rockin’ performance style comparable to Lenny Kravitz and Jimi Hendrix.

“It's always interesting to see how people respond to the music that they play around different parts of the world and parts of the country,” Person pondered. “It seemed like we were pretty well received though, especially for our first time coming through.”

Like many of the artists that have performed at Gather, this was Person’s first time in Green Bay.

“We haven't gotten this far north or central of the United States, we do a lot of west coast stuff, but it was really fun to come up here and experience the city,” Person explained. “We did a tour of the stadium and the local brewery and it was nice to get a break from blistering hot temperatures in Texas.”

Person was impressed by the unique set-up the Gather Farmer’s Market Concert Series takes on, providing a new outlet for listeners to discover new artists and music styles they may not have found on their own accord. 

“It's a really cool environment that the show is hosted in,” Person smiled. “With the Farmer’s Market happening outside, and people being able to hear the music and wander in and stumble across something new is really cool.”

After having a successful show and experience in Green Bay, Zach Person admits he looks forward to adding Wisconsin to his performance lineup again in the near future. 

“Everyone at Gather is just a super warm and welcoming group of folks,” Person smiled. “They've made the first experience of coming to Green Bay really inviting and really special. We're looking forward to coming back.”

Not ready to say goodbye to live music at Gather, complimentary of Nicolet Bank? Our Encore round of shows has been revealed to the public! Come back for 4 more shows in September to close out the Farmer’s Market!

https://www.gatheronbroadway.com/public-events 

Check out their 91.1 The Avenue Interview!