Better Than Ezra entertained a large crowd at the Liberty Bank Alton Amphitheater on Saturday night. (Photos courtesy of Michael Weaver)

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ALTON - The Liberty Bank Alton Amphitheater summer concert series continued to draw crowds to the city's riverfront last night with a performance from Better Than Ezra.

Sam Foxman, the promoter for the amphitheater, said they're trying to bring in as much diverse content for the community as possible.

With bands like Air Supply and Better Than Ezra, and free family events like the upcoming solar eclipse viewing party, the Alton Food Truck Festival and the Alton Jazz and Wine Festival the amphitheater is proving to provide that diversity.

"From the beginning we believed that the diversity of what we bring in is what's going to really bring different pockets of people," Foxman said. "So we're trying new things. As you saw last year it was a lot more country and we got a response for that. Then you'll see that we're trying a little bit more classic rock, that's really working. Not only do we have that plan to keep being diverse, but we're seeing what's working and then continuing to do it."

Foxman said with more free events than any other year and more VIP specials they're getting a lot of good feedback this summer.

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Alton Mayor Brant Walker said it's great to see how much the amphitheater has brought more attention to the city's riverfront with such a full summer schedule.

"It's really very cool that we expand from great first class entertainment all the way down to a fun family movie for free, and then the expo is coming back with a carnival. It doesn't get much better than this," Mayor Walker said. "To see where we had conversations less than five years ago about what if we try this to five years later it's movies, it's concerts, it's festivals, its barbecue, it's carnivals."

Mayor Walker said it's great to see how the amphitheater is helping to make Alton premier regional downtown, pointing out all the visitors from outside of the city and the economic impact that's been brought to the Broadway corridor.

The Alton Amphitheater still has events planned for this month with the free solar eclipse viewing party on Monday, Aug. 21, and the Alton Food Truck Festival returns Saturday, Aug. 26.

"The Food Truck Festival is right now probably second the expo in terms of interest," Robert Stephan, Chairman of the Amphitheater Commission said. "The first year I think was nine or ten trucks. Last year we had 19 trucks and right now we're at 18 trucks with three of four weeks to go. Our goal is to keep adding more events. Just using this venue, taking advantage of its setting."

Mayor Walker said it's great to see how the amphitheater has grown with the community but it wouldn't be possible without all the sponsors.

"This doesn't come from taxpayers," Mayor Walker said. "Everything you see here is from community based businesses that believe in what were doing and are basically stepping up to allow this to happen."

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