Nothing sounds better than a beautiful summer night, a drink in your hand, and live music filling the air. 

You get all of that every Saturday night from June 15-July 27 as Rock the Plaza returns for its 18th year outside the downtown Allen County Public Library. 

Putting space to use

With the library’s 2007 renovation and expansion, a stage was built on the east side of the property. 

For local musician Kyle Haller, seeing the stage sparked an idea. 

“I’ve played in bands for quite a few years all around town,” the Rock the Plaza founder said. “And so I kept bugging the library and bugging the library and trying to get a show. Finally, I got to talk to the assistant director. He said, ‘Well, the library doesn’t really do one-time shows. We like to do series.’ 

“And I said, ‘Well, you know what, dude, I know tons of musicians in town. We can do a concert series.’ And we’ve never looked back.” 

The first show was projected to bring in around 50 people, but when you know enough musicians in town, you can father quite the crowd. As it was, more than 200 people showed up that night, and it has only progressed since.

Diverse acts

Haller is huge into the local music scene. He loves giving people a stage, and this year he focused on the diversity when selecting bands for Rock the Plaza.

“As I was booking, I was very conscious of trying to get multiple different kinds of tunes,” he said. “We have a little country. We have some blues. We have some soul. We have some hip-hop. We have some R&B. We have some… you know, just all different kinds. 

“It’s still predominantly rock, but we worked really hard this year to have different types of genres of music. Hopefully, we can reach some different audiences that we haven’t reached before. 

“The one thing about Rock the Plaza that I love is how diverse the crowd is to begin with. When you look around, you see kids, like little kids, you see teenagers, you see white-haired people, wild punk-type people all together on the plaza, all bopping their heads, all having a good time. That’s what music’s all about, bringing everybody together.” 

Inviting atmosphere

Haller talked about how Rock the Plaza has changed his perspective on the music scene. He used to be focused on his own music and style, but now he seeks out new music and who is doing what. 

Fort Wayne has one of the biggest music cultures flourishing constantly and bringing in new artists all the time. 

“Everyone that plays Rock the Plaza loves it,” he said. “I’ve had numerous people tell me that this is their favorite show they’ve ever played. That’s what makes my day. 

“The other thing that is huge is that about 90 percent of the time, I’m playing in bars. And then it’s so nice to get out and have your family see you, like little kids and stuff. And numerous musicians have told me that their 5-year-old has never seen them play before, and now they get to. So, I think to a lot of musicians, that’s a very big deal that their kids get to see them play. 

“It’s also a great gig. You get to play at a huge stage, and there’s usually about 500 people there.” 

The music kicks off each Saturday at 6 p.m. and you should be sure to bring your lawn chairs and blankets.

Along with the music, 816 Pint & Slice will be on hand to serve up food and drinks. 

If you are wanting to be more involved in your community, this is a great opportunity to venture out and catch a performance from someone you may have never even heard of before. Who knows, maybe they could be your new favorite artist.