Three of the biggest acts hailing from the Triangle area will unite Friday for a free concert held in the same small town that helped launch their careers.
Famed music club Cat’s Cradle will host a free outdoor concert event in Carrboro’s Town Commons — aptly titled “Cat’s Cradle in the Commons” — featuring Megafaun, Mandolin Orange and Tift Merritt. Gates open for the event at 5 p.m., and the performances will run from 5:30 to 9 p.m.
Cat’s Cradle began offering vouchers for the free event in August. As of Sept. 15, all of the vouchers — more than 5,500 — had been given out.
There has not been a show of this magnitude in years, said Annette Stone, community and economic development director for the Town of Carrboro. “We’ve worked on this project for the past six months.”
Stone and other Carrboro administrators are also looking forward to the business the event will bring to town.
“I know that clearly from the vouchers folks from different areas are coming from out of town,” Stone said. “And after the event there will be 5,000 people unleashed downtown to eat and drink.”
Emily Frantz, one half of local duo Mandolin Orange, looks forward to revisiting her Carrboro roots.
“We definitely look forward to local shows more than anything else by far, so especially having something that’s so free and open to everyone makes it that much more fun, because it makes it more relaxing,” she said. “You can invite people out to just enjoy themselves and not have it be so formal.”
Raleigh native and nationally known artist Tift Merritt will headline the concert while launching her fifth studio album, Traveling Alone.
“The concert was conceived as a special opportunity to get Tift Merritt, who has a new record out on Yep Roc this month, in front of as large and appreciative an audience as possible, in a comfortable setting that at the same time shows off the town of Carrboro,” said Frank Heath, co-owner of Cat’s Cradle.
The last show like this was more than 12 years ago, Heath said, when Squirrel Nut Zippers played a free show in the same location. Arcade Fire also performed there for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidental campaign.
“We cross paths with the Megafaun guys a lot, but we haven’t met Tift or even gotten to see her play yet, so that’ll be a really nice part of the event as well,” Frantz said. “Getting to play with both Megafaun and Tift Merritt, you know, it’s a pretty bangin’ lineup. And it’s such a beautiful time of year around town. I think it’ll just be something really laid back and easy for everyone to enjoy.”
Although the event will be held outdoors, parking will be very limited, Stone said.
“We particularly recommend that people in the area walk, bike or ride a bus,” she said, adding that shuttle buses will run to and from the Jones Ferry park and ride lot every 15 minutes until 10 p.m.
Charlotte Fryar, a UNC junior, is excited to see the musicians collaborating in the same neighborhood that helped them get their start.
“I’ve gotten really into Mandolin Orange my freshman year, really into Megafaun my sophomore, and just got into Tift Merritt this year, so I feel like this concert is my college experience so far,” Fryar said.
Stone said Carrboro has considered collaborating with Cat’s Cradle to make events of this scale happen more frequently if Friday’s is a success.
“It’s certainly something the town’s open to.”
Contact the desk editor at diversions@dailytarheel.com.
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