Live from the Lawn: Marcella Simien

A Saturday Special on the Strathmore Lawn

Strathmore's free summer concert series usually belongs to Wednesday nights, but on Saturday, August 1 it gets a special weekend edition: Marcella Simien at 7:30pm on the Gudelsky Gazebo Stage. Simien grew up in Louisiana zydeco royalty and built her own sound in Memphis, a warm mix of soul, blues, jazz, and American roots that works exactly the way lawn concerts should: grown-ups swaying on blankets, kids inventing dances in the grass, nobody checking the time. A Saturday date means no bedtime-on-a-school-night math, which makes this the easiest concert of the summer to say yes to.

The formula is the same one that makes Live from the Lawn great all season. It's free, no tickets, with an RSVP on Strathmore's site recommended so you get weather updates. Bring a picnic and blankets or lawn chairs, or buy dinner at the BBQ tent and dessert at the Ben & Jerry's truck. No outside alcohol. If it rains, the show moves inside the Music Center, first come, first served. The Red Line drops you at Grosvenor-Strathmore with a covered walkway to the campus, and weekend parking in the Metro garage is free.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓Arrive around 6:45. Prime blanket real estate with a clear stage view goes early, especially for weekend shows.
• ✓RSVP for the rain alerts. Free show, but summer storms are real and indoor seating is limited.
• ✓Let the kids go up front. The grass by the stage turns into an unofficial kids' dance floor at every show.
• ✓Bring bug spray and a light layer. Maryland lawn, August, dusk. The mosquitoes RSVP too.
• ✓Ice cream before the line. The Ben & Jerry's truck queue peaks mid-show. Go early or go twice.