More concerts coming to the Downs

SCARBOROUGH — Waterfront Concerts, which has staged A-list shows in Bangor for the past three years, is looking to expand its operations into southern Maine, with as many as five shows staged this summer at Scarborough Downs.

“Honestly, these shows will likely be on a smaller scale because, currently, Scarborough doesn’t have enough parking to do what Bangor can do,” Alex Gray, the company’s president, said on Tuesday. “But we’d like to have as many as possible in order to do this right.”

Gray was slated to appear before the Scarborough Town Council on Wednesday, after The Current’s deadline, to apply for a mass gathering permit, for an act yet-to-be-named on a date yet-to-be-determined.

“Really, we’re at the mercy of the industry,” said Gray, noting that many big acts already have their summer schedules set, while others find Maine to be a bit of a cul-de-sac so far as tour operations are concerned.

“Maine really isn’t on the way to anything else,” explained Gray. “Acts generally have to come in, then turn around and go back out.”

Still, Gray said his company would like to hold as many as five shows at the Downs this summer, partly to amortize costs by spreading set-up and breakdown outlays over multiple events.

Fire Chief Michael Thurlow wrote in a March 30 memo to the council that he and police chief Robbie Moulton have conferred with their colleagues in Bangor and that everything checked out on Gray to their satisfaction.

Gray said his company has an exclusive deal with the Downs, meaning Good Music Productions, which brought Brad Paisley to town last year, will not return.

Gray said if things work out in Scarborough, his company may eventually alternate his headline acts, to play Bangor one year and Scarborough the next.

Representatives from Scarborough Downs could not be reached for comment.