Beverly, who died last fall, was known for such hits as “Before I Let Go” and “Joy and Pain.”
“It’s definitely a throwback kind of show,” said Kilo Thompson, the operator of Syracuse-based Harlem Knights, which is promoting the concert.
The show is significant because it marks the return of live music to the F Shed for the first time since 2017. The shows hosted by the market at 2100 Park St. were stopped after complaints about in the surrounding neighborhood
Regional Market CEO Bill Fisher said officials are interested in returning shows and events to the F Shed. But, he said, they’re “taking it step by step” to ensure that shows do not create a problem for the neighborhood.
For now, the Feb. 22 concert is the only confirmed event. The market is holding open other dates later in the year but will wait to see if this one is successful, Fisher said.
“It’s really a bit of an experiment,” said Fisher, who took over as CEO of the market’s governing body, the CNY Regional Market Authority, last year after a We want to make sure we have everything right, have the logistics right, before we move forward.”
The F Shed opened in 2013 and is primarily used to house stalls during the the weekly seasonal farmers market. It has recently hosted other events, such as a Halloween-themed Spooky Harvest Fest last fall.
For about four years after it opened, the F Shed was a major local concert venue. It hosted jam bands and indie rockers such as But it has what Fisher called a “unique fabric roof” that can make it difficult to contain sound. The market is working on the concert set-up to contain the sound as much as possible.
Fisher said the goal of hosting concerts and similar events is partly to raise new revenues for the market. But he also hopes such events can “showcase and highlight the facility and all it has to offer.”
The market’s primary mission remains to support local farmers and agriculture, he said. But it has what Fisher called a “unique fabric roof” that can make it difficult to contain sound. The market is working on the concert set-up to contain the sound as much as possible.
Fisher said the goal of hosting concerts and similar events is partly to raise new revenues for the market. But he also hopes such events can “showcase and highlight the facility and all it has to offer.”
The market’s primary mission remains to support local farmers and agriculture, he said. The market was connected to Thompson and his Harlem Knights promotion business with help from Jason Smorol, general manager of the Syracuse Mets, who play in the adjacent NBT Bank Stadium. It’s cool that we get to be the first show back there,” said Thompson, who also runs the Harlem Knights night club at the corner of South Salina and Ballantyne Road on Syracuse’s South Side. “I think it will be a really good time.”