Concert for Recovery 2021 Featuring Big Wave Dave and the Ripples

The inaugural Concert for Recovery, an event supporting substance abuse treatment and mental health services, will be held on Harbor Drive outside the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, on the east side of the building, facing the Duluth Harbor and Aerial Lift Bridge.

Bands scheduled to play are: Big Wave Dave and the Ripples, Virgil Caine, A Band Called Truman and South of Superior. Tickets cost $15 and are available at duluthbethel.org and eventbrite.com. All funds raised beyond expenses will support substance-abuse treatment and mental-health services. Gates open at 3 p.m., and the bands will play from 4 to 9 p.m.

The concert seeks to become an annual event and the Northland’s largest gathering supporting those in recovery as well as the community agencies that help them. The city of Duluth plans to close Harbor Drive that afternoon and evening to accommodate the crowd.

The concert will be a “proof of concept” event for the DECC, which is working with the city to consider permanently closing Harbor Drive to create a new outdoor events venues.

Part of the concert site will be dedicated to food vendors and treatment information. Cummings said community providers will be invited to provide information about their services. The event coincides with September’s celebration of National Recovery Month.

In addition to the DECC, the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office is a presenting sponsor of the Concert for Recovery. Along with the four bands, County Attorney Mark Rubin plans to be on stage at the concert performing and expressing his support for treatment and recovery.