A crowd of more than 3,000 people appeared to be having a good time Saturday during the second annual Riverfest event with headliner 38 Special at the Irvin N. Anderson amphitheater.
The evening kicked off with local band The Poor Boys, which filled the air with its traditional renditions of music popular in the 1960s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. The band brought the crowd to its feet to set the tone for the energy that would take over for the night.
Arch Allies, of the Twin Cities, showed their musical skills by performing songs made popular by Styx, REO Speedwagon and Journey.
Saturday was the second time this year the band has made a trip to International Falls and Kevin Todd, the group’s lead guitarist said Arch Allies enjoys its visits to the community.
“We love it here,” he said. “The crowd is always so great when we come to this community. We have a great time.”
Popular ’80s rock band 38 Special performed many of the hit tunes that have made it a traditional favorite of outdoor music festivals.
“We do about 100 shows each year,” said Don Barnes, singer and guitarist for the band. “We’ve been doing this for more than 30 years, so we must be doing something right.”
Before taking the stage, Barnes told The Journal that the band thought International Falls was “just beautiful.”
“What a great town this is,” he said of the band’s first-time visit to the community.
Barnes laughed as he said the group was really enjoying themselves and spent their night off Friday bowling at the International House of Bowling.
Steering his attention back to 38 Special’s performance, he said he could already feel the energy of the crowd and predicted it was going to be a “memorable show.”
“We’re going to take the crowd on a ride,” he said of the show. “We open up with ‘Rockin’ Into The Night’ and it is loud as hell. It is going to be 100 feet tall out there.”
The crowd’s response once 38 Special took the stage indicated Barnes’ earlier prediction held true. Within minutes, almost the entire VIP section was on its feet, followed closely behind by the rest of the concert-goers.
“It was just fantastic,” said Tim “Chopper” McBride of the festival Monday. “Just a totally great, awesome day.”
McBride, a Falls city councilor, serves as the president of the city’s Economic Development Authority, which owns the complex, including the amphitheater. He was in charge of much of the details in organizing the music fest.
“The music was great and the crowd behaved very well,” he said. “As far as the city is concerned, the day was a complete success.”
He said the volunteers and sponsors are what helped make the show the success that it was.
McBride added that this year’s show brought in a larger crowd than the first-time event last year. “We had about 3,000 (people) last year. This year topped that.”
He noted that things got a little rushed as the wind picked up at the end of the night, but overall, the weather held off and it was a “perfect day.”
Backstage, Donnie Van Zant, 38 Special lead vocalist, took in the colorful sunset over Rainy Lake before stepping into the spotlight.
“It doesn’t get much better than that, does it?” he said.
Barnes summed up that if there was anything 38 Special wanted its fans to know was how much the band appreciates their loyalty.
“There are people out there who grew up with us and now their kids are in the crowd tonight,” he said. “We can’t thank people enough for sticking with us after all these years.”
