50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love: All Star Line-up for Free Concert in the Wolfe Park Amphitheater July 29

Woodstock was not the beginning. In 1967 the San Francisco music scene awoke to produce a phenomenon that became known as the Summer of Love. In three weeks, the Minnesota musicians who brought us seven years of Bob Dylan tribute concerts are back for one final concert, saluting the 50th Anniversary of that Summer of Love.

Kevin Odegard, leader of the Minneapolis band that backed five cuts on Bob Dylan’s seminal “Blood on the Tracks” album, is a co-producer of this, his final park concert. He marks it with a poignant, special suite written just for the occasion. (Odegard was, among other things, co-author of the book Simple Twist of Fate which provides the untold backstory about that major Dylan album.)

Stan Kipper, drums, with Barb Meyer and team.

The list of musicians is a virtual who's who of Minnesota talent including Peter Ostroushko of Prairie Home Companion fame, Barbara Meyer, Gary Lopac, Aaron Ollswang, Jim Steinworth, New Primitives and some surprise guest musicians. MC for the event is St. Louis Park homeboy Magic Marc Percansky.

To no one's surprise Odegard chimes in, "And we'll tip the hat to Bob Dylan before it's all over... with the help of a choir and ukulele club." Of course.

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The concert is co-produced by Odegard’s lifelong pal Stan Kipper, who has played with Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jay "Thunder Island" Ferguson and many of America's greatest stars. Kipper says, “The concert this year will a perfect time to celebrate with family and friends. Reconnect with yourself, wear flowers, break out the bell bottoms and sandals, dance with your family and neighbors, sing along with us, and remember the days and fun times you had during the Summer of Love. It's going to be the best night of the summer for the folks at Wolfe Park in SLP!”

Opening the show is Milwaukee's Kharma Shotgun, the official band of the Guitars for Vets charity. The band also acknowledges the loss of core member and guitar player extraordinaire, Lonnie Knight, with a rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

Free concert. Stellar constellations of stars. Make a memory. Wolfe Park. July 29.

"He not busy being born is busy dying." -- Bob Dylan