Nightfall, Chattanooga’s longest-running outdoor summer concert series continues this week with a free headline performance by folk and Americana singer/songwriter Lilly Hiatt and her band on Friday at Miller Plaza.
As the daughter of legendary singer/songwriter John Hiatt, one of America’s leading songwriters who performed at Nightfall in the late ‘80s, Lilly Hiatt had a lot to live up to when she chose to make music her career.
She made her recording debut in 2008, singing backing vocals on her father's album Same Old Man, and she began playing out with her own band. Since then, she has more than lived up to her musical lineage, writing and performing rootsy, smart songwriting that straddles Americana, folk and rock and roll.
With a strong country/roots rock influence, Hiatt's music is also steeped in tough, guitar-based rock, and her lyrics are unflinchingly personal missives about complicated relationships and the rocky side of life's road.
Lilly Hiatt was nominated by the Americana Music Honors & Awards for Best Emerging Artist in 2018. She has toured with Aaron Lee Tasjan, John Moreland, Drive-by Truckers, Margo Price, and John Prine, as well as many others.
Opening this week’s show with a 7pm set is the husband and wife duo, The Briars. The Brairs are a Chattanooga-based Americana duo featuring Jerris Schmidt and Robert Lovett, each sharing lead and harmony vocals, and each on guitar and percussion.
The two also write, both separately and collaboratively, and the results are sure to please anyone who appreciates modern, melodic songs with acoustic textures rooted in traditional American music. This will be their first Nightfall performance.
Although the music starts on the Miller Plaza stage at 7pm, come early to take advantage of a new “Nightfall Happy Hour” offering weekly drink specials from 5:30-6:30pm.
Nightfall’s new layout will extend down M.L.King down to with Lindsay Street with a tasty variety of local food trucks, and include roller skating in the street by Dazey Skate Co on Georgia Avenue in front of the Volunteer Building (bring your own skates or rent some on site),
Each week around 25 local artisans will offer their work for sale around the perimeter of Miller Park, where kids can also enjoy The Chattanooga Football Club’s inflatable soccer field and other children’s activities, including face painting and lawn games.
Georgia Avenue will offer free convenient parking for motorcycles (above Patten Parkway) and bicycles (below Patten Parkway), on the block north of M.L.King.
Nightfall bulk discount beer tickets will again be available this year at each show, offering a 20% savings on a packet of 20 beer tickets. No outside food or beverages are allowed to be brought into Nightfall since concession sales are a primary funder of Nightfall (outside alcoholic beverages are prohibited by law at Miller Park/Plaza).
Known for its family-friendly environment as well as being recognized nationally for the quality of its musical programming, Nightfall is a family-friendly concert series that brings the Chattanooga community together in the heart of our city. Nightfall has again been nominated this year as “Best Local Event” by this community.
For more information on this FREE community concert series, visit NightfallChattanooga.com.
Nightfall is locally produced by Chattanooga Presents.