BETHLEHEM, Pa. — How much would you pay to see a free concert?
Musikfest will find out at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, when a concert by blues-rocker Devon Allman, son of the late Allman Brothers founder Gregg Allman, headlines Musikfest’s Americaplatz stage at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks.
- Musikfest is selling $10 tickets for the free Saturday show by blues-rocker Devon Allman at the free Americaplatz stage at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks
- The show is part of Allman's tour attempting to break a concert world record by playing shows in all 50 states in 49 days
- The tickets, available on the Musikfest website, are for a small, roped-off general-admission standing area nearest the stage
Americaplatz is a free stage at Musikfest, but the festival is offering $10 general admission standing tickets for the area closest to the stage for the show on its website.
Jennifer LoConte, director of communications for ArtsQuest, the nonprofit that presents Musikfest, said the tickets are for a special general-admission standing “pit” area near the stage that will be roped off.
The Musikfest show will be the first day — and second stop — in Allman’s See It All American Tour with Donovan Frankenreiter.Media release for the See It All American Tour
LoConte said the special area was requested by Allman’s team because the show is part of Allman’s attempt to break a world record for concerts.
The Musikfest show will be the first day — and second stop — in Allman’s See It All American Tour with Donovan Frankenreiter.
The tour will be an attempt by Allman and Frankenreiter to set the official world record by playing 50 shows in 50 states in 49 days.
The tour will start earlier Saturday in Maryland, with the Musikfest show being Allman’s second of the day. It’s scheduled to wind up Sept. 22 in Los Angeles.
In order for the Musikfest show to count for the world record, it has to be a concert that at least some of the audience pays to see – hence the paid-ticket area at the Musikfest show.ArtsQuest Communications Director Jennifer LoConte
ArtsQuest’s LoConte said that in order for the Musikfest show to count for the world record, it has to be a concert that at least some of the audience pays to see – hence the paid-ticket area at the Musikfest show.
The duo has even released a song, “See It All,” to commemorate the world record attempt.
No other concerts at Americaplatz, or other free stages at Musikfest, will sell tickets.
There’s no record of Musikfest charging admission to any of its free stages since 1999.
Until that year, Musikfest didn’t even sell tickets to its main stage Kunstplatz shows — shows that drew thousands for acts such as Ray Charles and The Village People. In 1999, Musikfest sold tickets to the closest 5,000 seats to shows such as Hootie and The Blowfish.
When the main stage moved to RiverPlace on Sand Island a couple of years later, it became a fully gated, ticketed venue.
