Connect Savannah and Rock 106.1 are taking live entertainment from the pages of the magazine and the sound waves of radio to the lawn at Trustees’ Garden for a July 3 concert featuring Puddle of Mudd, Sponge and Filter.
The concert will be a 20th anniversary celebration of Savannah’s local rock radio station, Rock 106.1, in collaboration with local news, arts, and entertainment magazine, Connect Savannah, and the first of its kind in Savannah in a very long time, according to Aaron Wilborn, Market Manager for Dick Broadcasting Radio and DBC Next, the company’s digital company.
“Yes, it’s a rock show, but the good thing about the bands is they are all well-known,” said Gabe “Kotter” Reynolds, on-air personality for Rock 106.1. “Everyone is going to know a few songs from those bands.”
The media entities announced Monday at 8 a.m., they will host this 6,000-person event, which will mark the first concert since COVID-19 began.
click to enlarge 
Photo courtesy of the band
Sponge will take the stage at Trustees’ Garden July 3 for the 20th anniversary rock concert.
“I think concerts are something that’s been needed in town forever,” Reynolds said. “By doing something like this where we’re bringing the artist in for the show, I think it’s a good opportunity for us to grow other shows and then move on from here, because you don’t get them in the area and we want to deliver something special to the community. And, I think people will come out.”
Connect Savannah provides readers information on the latest events, as well as hosts several in the area.
“I am so excited to offer outdoor music again and that Trustees’ can be the perfect venue for these acts,” said Morris Multimedia founder Charles H. Morris.
The live music event will feature a variety of food trucks and food vendors, beer, alcohol, soda and water for purchase and varying other local vendors on site, all at affordable prices.
The opener for the concert will be 90s alternative grunge, Savannah-based band, LILAKK. Gates will open at noon, with the first act taking the stage by about 2 p.m. and the final act, Puddle of Mudd, will perform around 8 p.m., closing the show by 10 p.m.
“I think you’re going to see a great response to it; I think it’s going to be the start of something that is a more frequent thing,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds and John Marshall, on-air personalities for Rock 106.1 — The Kotter & Marshall Show said the 20th anniversary show is a look back at how Rock 106.1 began.
“When you look at a lineup like this, it’s a celebration,” Marshall said. “These bands are massive, they helped kick off 106.1; they were the stalwarts of the station itself. It’s pretty cool that they get to come in, all at the same time and melt some faces off out there.”
The Kotter & Marshall Show will be live-streaming backstage interviews at the show.
“It just won’t be audio, you’ll be able to pop on your phone, whether you’re at the show or not, and be able to watch Kotter and I talk to each band,” Marshall said. “Even if you’re not there, you can see live interviews from the band, see how the guys are doing, what they’ve been up to, what new music they have coming up, how they survived the pandemic, even.”
Marshall and Reynolds went from doing afternoons to mornings in March of this year, the station’s 20th anniversary. Their morning show airs from 6-10 a.m. weekdays locally in Savannah and is streamed live on Facebook, YouTube and Twitch.
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Photo courtesy of the band
Richard Patrick of Filter. Filter will perform July 3 as part of the summer rock concert on Trustees’ Garden.
Sponsorships are still available and the historic event is still seeking local vendors for this one-day concert. You can contact DBC Radio or Connect Savannah for more information.
“It’s local people putting on a local show with a local radio station in partnership with a local magazine in Connect Savannah,” Wilborn said. “This is something for the community that, to me, is quite special because it hasn’t been done or it hasn’t been done in a long time. And, coming off of what we’ve been through over the last year, and stadiums opening up and venues opening up, it’s time for us to get back together and be social … and hear some amazing music. Ah, it’s going to be spectacular.”
Tickets are on sale starting at 8 a.m., May 7, with the first 500 advanced general admission being sold at a discounted price of $25, and 50 advanced VIP tickets going for $75. The 200-person VIP area will feature a private bar and bathroom with a great view from above. Prices will be raised after the first advanced tickets are sold. Visit connectsavannah.com and rock1061.com for details.
