PHENIX CITY, Ala. (WRBL) — It was a tale of two cities. Columbusites and Phenix City locals gathered on both sides of the Chattahoochee River on Tuesday, July 4 to celebrate Independence Day with a free concert and fireworks at the Phenix City Amphitheater.
Around 6 p.m. hundreds of couples, families and friends were gathered in Woodruff Riverfront Park and the Phenix City Amphitheater after pouring rain earlier in the day threatened to shut down the event, which began at 4 p.m.
As the night’s headlining band, The Red Clay Strays, took to the stage around 8:30 p.m. they expressed gratitude at playing Independence Day in Phenix City. Lead singer Brandon Coleman, dressed in a pressed white shirt and blue trousers, briefly addressed the crowd before each song the band played.
The Red Clay Strays performed a number of pieces from their 2022 Album “Moment of Truth,” including the title track. Coleman also told the crowd The Red Clay Strays would play a number of unreleased songs, some of which were still in developmental stages, for the free concert.
Sounds reminiscent of earlier rock hits by the Eagles and Elvis Presley highlighted the band’s classic rock, southern, soul and blues influences. Unreleased titles played at the performance included the emotional “I Just Wanna Be Loved,” soulful “Devil in My Ear,” dark sounding “Disaster,” and acoustically accompanied “God Does.”
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The crowd at the Phenix City Amphitheater watches fireworks on Independence Day 2023. (Olivia Yepez) -
Fireworks explode above the Phenix City Amphitheater on Independence Day 2023. (Olivia Yepez) -
The crowd at the Phenix City Amphitheater watches fireworks on Independence Day 2023. (Olivia Yepez) -
The Red Clay Strays perform as fireworks go off across the river. (Olivia Yepez)
Coleman told the crowd live performances had become the band’s practice space lately, with how demanding their Summer ’23 Tour schedule has been. He noted some of the songs played that evening might appear on the band’s next album.
Though the audience was quiet at the beginning of The Red Clay Strays’ set, hoots and hollers rang out more frequently as the sun went down and the performance progressed. By the last song, guests on both sides of the river cheered for an encore, which the band delivered.
After The Red Clay Strays left the stage, event organizers led locals in a countdown from 10 to kick off the fireworks show, finishing with a cheer of “Happy birthday America!”
Bursts of gold, red, white, blue and more filled the sky above the Chattahoochee River to the backdrop of songs like Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” The display lasted approximately 15 minutes.
Earlier in the night, local band Cigarette Girl also performed as eventgoers settled in at the venue. The group took the stage around 6:30 p.m. playing hits from Weezer and CeeLo Green.
Multiple food trucks selling everything from wings to funnel cake were stationed outside the Phenix City Amphitheater. Inside, guests could also purchase beer, wine and spirits with a valid ID to verify age.
The Red Clay Strays will continue on their Summer ’23 Tour with a performance in Greely, Colorado on July 7. They will once again appear in Alabama to play the Rock the South music festival on July 22. Cigarette Girl will next entertain locals at an upcoming gig at The Loft in Columbus this weekend.
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