Perhaps best known as a keyboard player with Maroon 5, PJ Morton will be appearing as the headline act with his own band at 8 p.m. this Friday at Nightfall, the free concert series produced by Chattanooga Presents, at Miller Plaza. Local artist Courtney Reid will open the show at 7 p.m.
Nightfall 2016 represents a series of 15 free Friday-night concerts held at Miller Plaza in downtown Chattanooga. Each Friday through Aug. 26, Nightfall will showcase a broad spectrum of musical genres featuring a Chattanooga band at 7 p.m, followed by a headline show by a superior national artist at 8 p.m., many of whom are performing for the first time in Chattanooga.
Nightfall bulk discount beer and wine tickets are available at each show, offering a 20% savings on a packet of 20 drink tickets (typically $6 per individual ticket, but sold in a bulk packet for $96). Food trucks and non-alcoholic drink concessions are also available on site. No outside food or beverages are allowed to be brought in to Nightfall.
"Over the course of 28 successful seasons, Nightfall has grown into Chattanooga’s signature summertime program for Chattanooga and the surrounding region. Known for its family-friendly environment as well as being recognized nationally for the quality of its musical programming and locally as 'Best of the Best' for Chattanooga Events, Nightfall is a family-friendly concert series with an average attendance of between 2,500-3,000 each night," officials said.
For more information on this free community concert series, call 423-265-0771 or visit NightfallChattanooga.com for a complete, interactive website that includes music samples by each headliner, as well as other important information for first-time attendees.
Review of PJ Morton
PJ Morton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is most famously known as the keyboardist in the multi-platinum Grammy Award-winning band Maroon 5, since 2010. In his first few years away from his native New Orleans, Morton quickly made a name for himself. While a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, he met a friend in the same apartment complex who turned out to be India Arie. Morton and Arie collaborated on a track that landed as a bonus on Arie's 2002 album, "Voyage to India." The project earned the pair a Grammy, and Morton was still just a junior in college.
That leap led to others, and Morton eventually joined Maroon 5 as an auxiliary keyboard player then as a permanent member of the band. When Adam Levine (Maroon 5) started as a regular on “The Voice” TV show, Morton moved with his wife and three kids to New Orleans. He released his solo major debut on his own locally bred Young Money label, a label which he envisions as "the New Orleans Motown."
Review of Courtney Reid
Courtney Reid, who will open the Nightfall show with her band at 7 p.m., is known around Chattanooga and the greater southeastern US for her smooth vocals and soulful sound. Originally from Memphis, Courtney has laid down some serious ties in the Chattanooga music scene over the past few years. She has been singing professionally since she was 17, and holds a degree in sociology with a minor in music performance. Her greatest musical influences are Whitney Houston, Beyoncé and Stevie Wonder, and through their inspiration, Courtney has created a sound all her own.