What do you get when you mix excellent weather, one of the best venues in the country, and a trio of talented artists performing on stage on Memorial Day weekend? The answer is the perfect kickoff to what’s looking like to be another season of phenomenal shows on the Penobscot River. Waterfront Concerts are back at the new and improved Maine Savings Amphitheater!
Parker McCollum in BangorDavid Bugenske/TSM Maine
George Birge and Corey Kent Got the Party Started at Maine Savings Amphitheater
George Birge in BangorDavid Bugenske/TSM Maine
Maine Savings Amphitheater security opened the doors at 5:58pm and effectively and efficiently got the eager and excited crowd of concertgoers inside the venue in time to catch the beginning of George Birge’s set.
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The Texan most known for his hit “Mind on You” definitely left us with our minds on him. We were already anticipating Birge’s return to the Bangor Waterfront after he closed with his latest single, “Cowboy Songs.”
George Birge and Jordan VergeJordan Verge/TSM Maine
While George Birge took time to take photos with as many fans as possible including our very own Jordan Verge, Corey Kent hit the stage and continued the theme of the evening of bringing the Texas party to the great state of Maine.
Corey Kent in BangorDavid Bugenske/TSM Maine
Kent belted out hits like “Wild as Her” and “Something’s Gonna Kill me” while playing his new single, “This Heart” to all Mainers’ delight. The energy in the venue was at peak levels as Kent made way for the first headliner of 2024 at Maine Savings Amphitheater, Parker McCollum.
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Parker McCollum Rocked Maine Savings Amphitheater as the First 2024 Headliner
Parker McCollum in BangorSimon French/Waterfront Concerts
The “Burn It Down” rising star burned it down in Bangor to officially launch the 2024 Waterfront Concerts. Burned it down metaphorically, of course, and thank goodness. Lots of work has been put into the Maine Savings Amphitheater and it SHOWS and SOUNDS. As someone who has been fortunate to see shows at venues all over the country, they do not get better than this.
David Bugenske/TSM MaineDavid Bugenske/TSM Maine
There were a vast selection of drinks and food options with the best beers being offered. We never waited longer than 5-minutes for food or drinks. At one point there was a long line for one of the women’s restrooms, but it moved quickly. The staff at the amphitheater have clearly been prepped and trained to keep a crowd moving quickly and safely for everyone to enjoy their experience to the fullest.
Here are the shows coming up for this season’s epic Waterfront Concert Series in the new and improved Maine Savings Amphitheater!
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2024 Bangor, Maine Waterfront Summer Concert Lineup
Here are the performers who will be coming to the Maine Savings Amphitheater on the Bangor Waterfront in the summer of 2024.
Gallery Credit: Jordan Verge
Join Q106.5 at Urban Pizza Prior to Every Country Show at Maine Savings Amphitheater
Urban Pizza Pre-PartySales Lord Free/TSM Maine
While we wait for the doors to open for every country show this summer, be sure to join David & Cindy across the street from the amphitheater at Urban Pizza.
Jordan, Cindy, & David
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David Bugenske/TSM Maine
We will have games, music, giveaways, and awesome pre-party specials from Urban Pizza. Our next pre-party will be two hours before doors open for Lainey Wilson on June 29th. See you there!
The Top 10 Drunkest Cities in Maine
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Maine Senate hopeful, Democrat David Costello, speaks with a potential voter as he gathers signatures, required to be considered at the party’s convention, in downtown Brunswick, Maine on July 12.
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BRUNSWICK, Maine – On a sunny Sunday, Senate hopeful David Costello worked the sidewalk in downtown Brunswick asking for signatures.
“Woud you happen to be a registered Democrat?” he asked one woman before engaging in a back and forth conversation. She asks if he’s progressive.
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“Very progressive,” Costello said.
Costello is one of several Maine Democrats who see the fall of Graham Platner’s senate campaign as an opportunity to represent Maine in Washington.
Platner won June’s Democratic primary election handily. But allegations of rape by a former romantic partner last week forced him to drop out of the race. It leaves Maine Democrats scrambling to find a new nominee before the July 27 deadline to put a name on the ballot. Platner denies the allegations.
The Maine Democratic Party will hold a convention on July 25 where 601 delegates will choose that nominee. That candidate will need to capitalize on the enthusiasm Platner generated to defeat Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
An unstoppable incumbent or a top pick-up opportunity?
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, leans down to listen to a young paradegoer at the annual Moxie Day Parade is Lisbon, Maine on July 11.
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Collins remained quiet at the end of Platner’s campaign but at the annual Moxie Day parade Saturday in Lisbon, Maine, she walked with volunteers in red shirts.
“People appreciate the fact that I provide steady leadership — and the word steady does come up a lot,” Collins said at the parade, “and that I continue to work really hard for Maine.”
Collins has represented Maine in the Senate since 1997. She has managed to stay in her seat even as Maine has voted for Democrats for president statewide, including in 2020 when the state voted for Joe Biden. Collins last won reelection that year with a comfortable margin — more than 8.5%.
At the annual Moxie Day Parade in Lisbon, Maine, supporters of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, march with signs and giant letters spelling S-U-S-A-N, on July 11.
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Democrats see Maine as pivotal to their chances to retake the Senate. Platner’s departure from the race puts pressure on the party to choose a replacement candidate who can win over Platner’s loyal voters and appeal to independents who are key to Collins’ electoral success. Maine state Senate President Mattie Daughtry, a Democrat, is encouraged to see many of the candidates running on Platner’s progressive platform of transformational change. But she’s worried about voters being turned off by the process.
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“I do have that deep seated concern of how many folks are going to say ‘oh well, this man failed me. Why trust someone ever again?’” Daughtry said.
Daughtry did not endorse Platner and she quickly called on him to drop out of the race after the rape allegations surfaced. Still, she thinks his message resonated.
“I ran for office when I was 25 because I was really really angry. I was working 4 jobs. I couldn’t afford an apartment and I had no healthcare. And unfortunately that story has not changed and it is a lived reality for millions of us across this country,” Daughtry said.
“And we need to find who can pick up that mantle. Who understands what that life is like and really tap into that raw energy,” she added.
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Supporters weigh what’s next
Just one month ago, Alan Crichton was playing saxophone at Graham Platner’s primary night victory party. At a brewery in Belfast, Maine this weekend, he noted his ambivalence.
“I have so many mixed feelings. I like the guy. I like his message a great deal and I think he galvanized people who are just kind of sick of what’s happening,” Crichton said.
Now, though, Crichton calls the situation “a big old mess.” As a Democrat, he hoped the charismatic populist Platner would be the one to finally knock out Collins. Though, at this point, he’ll vote for whoever the Maine Democratic party selects.
“I hope it’s somebody who can kind of carry the torch that Graham kind of lit and held out there very strongly. He was a very inspiring guy,” he said.
Joseph Berube of Northport, Maine, gave up on politics in 1972 after Democrat George McGovern lost the race for president in a landslide. This year, though, he got excited about Graham Platner’s candidacy for U.S. Senate.
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Joseph Berube is an independent voter who lives in Northport, Maine. After decades disengaged from politics, Graham Platner sparked something in him he could hardly believe.
“Because I am so apolitical,” Berube said, “I want nothing to do with it. [But] I was actually considering giving money to his campaign.”
Charlotte Agell is on the opposite end of the engagement spectrum. A registered Democrat, she is very politically involved and has been for decades. She met Platner early on in his campaign.
“One of our neighbors said, ‘hey would you like to come to my backyard and meet Graham Platner?’ I had sort of heard of him,” she remembered. “When I went to that back yard event, I just by happenstance walked in with him. It was me and Graham Platner walking in.”
By the time that event ended, she had signed up to volunteer for his campaign.
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“I felt a kinship with everything that was coming out of his mouth basically. Very smart. Good at identifying the problem,” Agell said.
Core to Platner’s economic populist message was that the system has been failing regular people while the rich and powerful get more rich and more powerful. He had faced controversies throughout his campaign. He easily won the nomination anyway. But then came the rape allegation. Berube believes the rush to judgment was too swift.
“I agree with women’s rights and women shouldn’t be abused,” he said. “But to have one person come up and stand up and say, ‘he abused me,’ and then that’s it? It’s just not really fair to him.””I just think they didn’t want him,” Berube added.
Berube says Democrats chopped the legs out from under someone who had brought people back into politics.
“He was bringing in people like me and that’s what’s going to do this. And you know what, we’re in the middle of a war to save this country,” Berube said. “And we have the other side that’s fighting with the gloves off and we’re putting the gloves on. We’re in trouble.”
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Charlotte Agell has been processing it all a little differently. Agell admits to being a chronic optimist but says this was never about one man.
“You know, we’re not a cult. We’re just a movement that wants to take back this country for the middle and the working class,” she said.
Agell wants to believe this massive disruption won’t sap the momentum for change she felt.
“It’s really been like a rocket ship. We’ve all been on it. And that’s why, when these very serious things have been alleged and rightly he has dropped out of the race, we’re kinda still flying at 90 million miles an hour and saying ‘who can take the controls’ and we’re going to figure that out,” Agell said.
State Senator Chip Curry says the state party is doing the best it can with a tight timeline.
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“It’s a winnable race and we’ve got some great people. We’ve got to get there,” Curry said.
There are more than half a dozen announced candidates. And for Democrats the stakes couldn’t be higher. No clear frontrunner has emerged from the candidates who have put themselves forward to be considered. It’s also not clear if one candidate can capitalize on the momentum that Platner was building in Maine. Still, some are remaining optimistic.
“People are going to grumble. I’ve grumbled a little bit. But I think we’ll get through this,” Senate hopeful David Costello predicted. “I think whoever the nominee is will have tremendous support.”
The National Weather Service is predicting a scorcher for parts of western and northern Maine on Tuesday, with the possibility of thunderstorms, high winds and hail.
“The heat and humidity is going to supply energy to the atmosphere,” said meteorologist Hunter Tubbs on Monday. “That energy is going to clash with a cold front expected to come down from Canada tomorrow night. That clash has the potential to produce severe storms.”
The evening storms could bring large hail up to 2 inches in diameter and heavy thunderstorms, but severe winds are likely to cause the most damage, forecasters say. There is a low possibility oftornadoes, according to the severe weather bulletin.
The areas at most risk include Maine’s western mountains and the northern part of Maine, from its northern foothills up to the Canadian border, Tubbs said. There is some risk of severe storms in the south, but not as much, he said.
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Heat and humidity are expected to peak Tuesday, Tubbs said, with heat indices climbing into the upper 90s in cities like Augusta, Lewiston and Waterville. The heat index temperature — or how hot it feels when combining heat and humidity — is predicted to hit 104 in Fryeburg.
The humidity will ease Wednesday, Tubbs said, but the heat will linger into Thursday with highs in the low 90s. By Thursday evening, a gradual cooling trend will emerge that is likely to last into the weekend.
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Penny Overton is excited to be the Portland Press Herald’s first climate reporter. Since joining the paper in 2016, she has written about Maine’s lobster and cannabis industries, covered state politics…
More by Penelope Overton
The poster for “The Texas Carol.” (Courtesy of Lakewood Theater)
“THE TEXAS CAROL”
Don’t miss “The Texas Carol” set to be performed at various times July 16-25 at Lakewood Theater, 76 Theater Road in Madison.
The production by Jayme McGhan and Kevin Dean focuses on the Dinkel family as they head to Mee-Maw Jane’s East Texas ranch for what might be her last Christmas. The only problem? When the first two grandchildren arrive, they discover that Mee-Maw is already gone! Now how to keep that fact (and her body) from a family on the edge and salvage what remains of Christmas?
Starring Donna Irish, Shana Page, Will Stecher, Addie King, Caleb Landry, Quincy Morin, David Shedd and Earl Boyd.
Tickets cost $30-$52 for adults or $23 for children 4-17; lakewoodtheater.org.
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Brothers Will and Reid Nichols, of 12/OC, performing August 2025 at Thompson’s Point in Portland. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)
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12/OC
Bowl in the Pines plans to host 12/OC at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at 1 Geranium Lane in Sidney.
Born in a family kitchen in Portland, 12/OC began as a shared dream between brothers Will and Reid, 14 and 11 years old, cutting their teeth at jam sessions and open mic nights. Their sound quickly resonated beyond Maine, capturing the attention of country music fans near and far. With a chart-topping single holding the No. 1 spot on Maine’s premier country radio station for 16 consecutive weeks, their momentum became impossible to ignore.
Tickets cost $52.73-$84-61; bowlinthepines.com.
Singer-songwriter Alice Limoges. (Photo by Alex Burnett)
Alice Limoges & missofija
Stop in at The Playhouse at Waterville Station at 7 p.m. Saturday for an intimate double‑bill featuring two of Maine’s most compelling rising artists: Alice Limoges and missofija.
Limoges has been singing since before she could walk. Whether performing her award-winning poetic songs about love and nature, or shining a light on mental health, her canon is lit up by her storytelling, unique, soulful voice and textural instrumentals. She has released six original albums/EPs, toured festivals and colleges across North America, and performed on Jon Samson’s Grammy Award winning album. She placed in the 2021 International Songwriting Contest and won the 2025 Maine Songwriting Contest.
After writing her first song at 3 years old, missofija never looked back. Her unique sound is inspired by her background as an opera singer and by the folk songs of her Lithuanian upbringing. She uses profound, symbolic lyrics, intricate melodies and complex harmonic structures to send chills through every audience she performs for.
Tickets cost $20; theplayhouse.me.
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Trombone Shorty will play Bowl in the Pines in Sidney in July. (Photo by Jean Frank)
TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE
Don’t miss the Let ‘Em Go Tour set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Bowl in the Pines – Amphitheather 1 Geranium Lane, Sidney.
Perhaps the most recognizable ambassador for New Orleans music working today, Shorty has spent his entire life carrying the torch for Crescent City culture, and propelling it forward into the 21st century with his ecstatic live performances and intoxicating blend of rock, funk, soul, jazz, blues, hip-hop, and Caribbean influences.
Born Troy Andrews, Shorty made his first appearance at New Orleans’ iconic Jazz Fest at 4 years old, when he took the stage for an impromptu performance with Bo Diddley. By 6, he was heading up his own brass band, and by his early 20s, he’d released the first in a string of albums that would lead to performances everywhere from the White House and the Grammy Awards to Madison Square Garden and the 2025 Super Bowl.
Tickets cost $63-$120; bowlinthepines.com.
THE PRINCESS CONCERT
Check out The Princess Concert set for 3:30 and again at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Waterville Opera House, 1 Common St. in Waterville.
The performance will pay tribute to the iconic, heartwarming, and nostalgic songs from films including “Frozen,” “Wicked,” “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” “Moana,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Beauty & The Beast,” “Anastasia,” “Pocahontas,” “Aladdin,” “The Little Mermaid,” “The Lion King,” “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” and more.
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Tickets cost $30-$67 for ages 16-plus; operahouse.org.
BLACK WOLF BAND
Waterfront Wednesday plans to host Black Wolf Band at 6 p.m. Wednesday in downtown Augusta.
The weekly Waterfront Wednesday events scheduled through Aug. 5 will feature free music, food and family fun returning to the Kennebec River.
Each week, concertgoers can bring a lawn chair or blanket and settle in for live music from local bands and DJs. There will be a food truck at every event.
For more information visit mainstreetmaine.org.
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Looking for more? Check out theonline calendar listings for other entertainment offerings.
