Hipsters sigh as graying rock bands flock to Raleigh

RALEIGH -- When the pop-metal band FireHouse, last spotted atop the charts during the first Bush presidency, takes the Downtown Live stage in Moore Square tonight, Raleigh's summer of musical nostalgia will commence.

"I just noticed there's so much '80s, hair-rock bands and comebacks," said Daniel Whittaker, 27, creator of the Moore Square Art District Alliance. "You recognize the name instantly, but not necessarily the music."

Over the next two months, FireHouse ("Love of a Lifetime," 1991) will be followed by free shows by Eddie Money ("Two Tickets to Paradise," 1977), Night Ranger ("Sister Christian," 1984), Soul Asylum ("Runaway Train," 1993) and Warrant ("Cherry Pie," 1990).

Downtown Raleigh's magnetlike attraction for yesterday's hitmakers is drawing snickers from music snobs and those eager to make the city a haven for the creative class. But organizers say the dinosaur acts are a sure way to make money off a free show.

"It tends to be the music that appeals to the largest demographic," said Dave Rose, co-owner of Deep South Entertainment, the booking agent behind this summer's lineup. "If an artist's been around 20 to 25 years, people know and respect their music."

Well, not all people.

"Just incredible," Rich Ivey, 22, an employee at Schoolkids Records on Hillsborough Street, said about this summer's Downtown Live lineup. "I don't know what type of people they are drawing."

Eddie Taylor, 46, who plays in the local band The Loners, said he'd rather see a Piedmont blues player perform solo.

"You can look at the roster and it's like, what do these guys listen to?" Taylor said. "I just think they could do better if they were more in touch."

For years the main outdoor music event in the summer was Alive After Five, which occurred on Fayetteville Street and usually featured beach or cover bands and many coolers of beer.

The Moore Square concert series, now in its third year, is meant to keep covers to a minimum and to be more family-friendly, even if it is sponsored by Bud Light.

"This was the natural next step," Rose said. "Do we think it will be this sort of lineup 10 years from now? No, it won't be."

Rose said the first thing people should know is that the city isn't putting money toward the Moore Square shows. The cost of putting on the concerts is shared equally by Bud Light, Deep South and the Raleigh Convention Center.

"I hope people will understand that their taxes won't be raised because Warrant is coming to town," he said.

Picking headliners comes down to a mixture of scheduling, economics and demographics, Rose said. Critically acclaimed music acts such as Bright Eyes, TV on the Radio and Of Montreal rarely attract the 8,000 to 10,000 people needed to fill Moore Square and consume enough food and alcohol to produce a profit.

In the case of tonight's headliner, Rose said he narrowed it down to either FireHouse or Quiet Riot, a glam-metal group known, as you may recall, for inspiring fans to "feel the noize" and "get wild, wild, wild."

Rose, who hosts a Friday night radio program on the station 96rock, eventually let his listeners make the decision.

"Overwhelmingly, almost 100 percent, said, 'We want FireHouse,' " Rose said.

And while Moore Square may not be New York City's Central Park or Millennium Park in Chicago, it does have a certain cachet.

When Rose approached the rock band Everclear, whose last major hit was seven years ago, their agent said the band was taking the summer off and not touring.

Everclear's agent later called Rose back.

"Is this the city with the acorn down in the middle of the park?" the agent asked. "They want to come."

Everclear played Moore Square earlier this month.

IF YOU GO

What: Downtown Live free concert featuring FireHouse and others

Where: Moore Square at the corner of Blount and Martin streets, Raleigh

When: Music begins at 2 p.m. and ends at 11 p.m. Firehouse is expected to take the stage about 9 p.m.

For more information, go to www.raleighdowntownlive.com.