LANCASTER FESTIVAL

Gatlin entertains audience with wide range of music

Carl Burnett Jr.
Reporter

LANCASTER – Country music fans, soft rock fans, even fans of musicals were treated to a wide range of music during the Gatlin concert Monday at the bandstand.

Darryl and Andrea Gatlin, whose roots are with country, entertained the crowd in Lancaster with songs such as "Unforgettable," "Over the Rainbow," "I Got You Babe," and their renditions of hits like "Pontoon," along with country classics such as "Ring of Fire" and "Jackson."

Darryl is from Pennsylvania and Andrea is from Marion.

"We still spend from May through September here in Ohio, probably doing about 80 events," Andrea Gatlin said. "But the rest of the time we are singing at events in southwest Florida around the Fort Myers Beach area."

For Taylor McGinity, an eighth-grader from Lancaster, the concert was great.

"They are playing all the hits everybody knows," McGinity said right after she sang the lyrics sitting in the audience to Little Big Town's hit "Pontoon" when Gatlin performed it.

"I just love the concert," McGinity said.

During the performance audience members at one point had to pull out their umbrellas to fend off the rain.

To combat the rain, Gatlin performed a couple of "rain" numbers, including "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" and "Somewhere Over The Rainbow."

By the time they finished with the "Rain" numbers, so had the rain.

The emotional highpoint came when the pair sang the "Phantom of the Opera," which ended with the pair hugging on stage to a cheering audience.

The largest audience participation song by far had to be "YMCA," with most of the audience getting to their feet to join in.

The concert ended with Darryl praising and thanking military service members and veterans for their service, with both singing "Proud to be an American."

Roger Kennedy, an audience member from Lancaster, said he really enjoyed the concert.

"I come out to the Lancaster Festival every year and to the bandstand concerts about two or three times during the week," Kennedy said. "It was just amazing the variety of music they played for us. And all of it was good."

More than two dozen people joined the pair on stage to sign autographs and take pictures with them.

"I just want to personally thank all the people who came out during the rain to see us," Darryl said. "I hope to see everyone again next year."

cburnett@lancastereaglegazette.com

740-681-4346

Twitter: @CarlBurnettJr

Upcoming Bandstand concerts for Lancaster Festival

•Tuesday: Festival Brass Quintet, 12:15 p.m.

•Wednesday: Agent 99, 12:15 p.m.

•Thursday: Lancaster High School Percussion Ensemble, 12:15 p.m.

•Friday: The Ladies of Longford, 12:15 p.m.

•Saturday: Lancaster Summer Youth Band, 10 a.m.; One Voice, 10:45 a.m.; Lancaster Community Band, 11:30 a.m.; Geneva Hills Festival Campers, 12:15 p.m.; Reynoldsburg Community Band, 12:45 p.m.

All the concerts are free. The Bandstand is at the intersection of Main and Broad streets, Lancaster.