Levitt At The Falls Mission Comes To Life With New Executive Director and First Outdoor Concert

With its first Executive Director taking the reins at the same time Levitt at the Falls is on the verge of its first free outdoor concert, the mission its founders had in mind years ago is truly coming to life on Friday, August 3. "We've been telling Sioux Falls that our mission is to build community through music and our first free concert on August 3 puts that mission into action," says Board President Jennifer Kirby. "Regardless what language people speak, what social status they have or what age they are, when you experience the chemistry of live music with others, you're connected," added Kirby.

Levitt at the Falls' first free outdoor concert features a collaboration between Southern raconteur Paul Thorn, his five-piece band and Grammy Award winning gospel legends Blind Boys of Alabama. The concert will play in conjunction with the August Downtown Sioux Falls (DTSF) Block Party, which makes it the first of what new Executive Director, Nancy Halverson, hopes is many collaborations with other organizations to come. "In addition to featuring nationally recognized artist like Paul Thorn and Blind Boys of Alabama, Levitt at the Falls looks forward to showcasing an eclectic mix of family-friendly local and regional talent on our stage. Our goal is to collaborate and celebrate the many local artist and art organizations that represents the rich diversity of our community," shared Halverson.

Halverson, in her first public appearance as Executive Director of Levitt at the Falls', will take the stage on August 3 to welcome guests and introduce the night's entertainment. Attendees can expect the usual Block Party activities including food trucks, beverage sales and an amazing night of entertainment.

Billed as the "Mission Temple Fireworks Revival," the show will include songs off of Thorn's 2018 album Don't Let The Devil Ride-a celebration of classic gospel, soul and spirituals that pays homage to Thorn's gospel roots and features collaborations with none other than Blind Boys of Alabama themselves. Witnessing Thorn and his longtime idols perform side-by-side will make for an unforgettable night-get ready to move your feet to the exhilarating music!

Thorn boasts an innovative and impressive career, pleasing crowds with his muscular brand of roots music-bluesy, rocking and thoroughly Southern American, while speaking universal truths. He has performed on major television shows like Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live!; been the subject of numerous National Public Radio (NPR) features; charted multiple times on the Billboard Top 100 and Americana Radio Charts; and performed alongside living legends like Bonnie Raitt, Mark Knopfler, Sting, and John Prine among many others.

Blind Boys of Alabama-referred to as "gospel titans" by Rolling Stone magazine-continuously push musical boundaries with remarkable interpretations of traditional gospel and contemporary spirituals by songwriters such as Eric Clapton, Prince and Tom Waits. Celebrated by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) with Lifetime Achievement Awards, inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and winners of five Grammy Awards, they have attained the highest levels of achievement in a career that spans almost 80 years. They've recorded with fellow musical greats Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Aaron Neville, Susan Tedeschi, Ben Harper, Patty Griffin and Taj Mahal. Blind Boys of Alabama have appeared on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Late Night with David Letterman, The Grammy Awards, 60 Minutes, The Colbert Report and many other television shows. Levitt National Tour audiences are in for an electrifying evening of gospel meets blues meets rock!

Friends of Levitt Shell Sioux Falls, known locally as "Levitt at the Falls" is a non-profit organization dedicated to building community through music. Founded in 2012, the group has formed a partnership with the City of Sioux Falls, as well as the national Levitt Foundation to give everyone in Sioux Falls the chance to experience the power of live, outdoor music at Falls Park West. Once construction of Levitt at the Falls is complete, the group will offer 30 free concerts in 2019 and then 50 free concerts in 2020 and every year thereafter. Levitt at the Falls will be the 8th venue in the Levitt outdoor concert venue network.