Raleigh Wide Open 2, RWO2

This years big downtown event looks to be shaping up nicely, er, yeah some awesome bands! I swear.  Eddie Money will be headlining playing for the large Raleigh population of 45+ year olds, seeing as how his last hit album came out in 1977. Yes folks, we are that hip. Following Mr. Money’s Two Tickets to Paradise we will get a fireworks show, a variable Pyrotechnic Pageant as labeled by the marketing speak.  Well I for one will be out for the Pageant, nothing a southerner likes more than Pageants.

Hey I am as excited as anyone about the redevelopment going on downtown and celebrating it is the right thing to do.  But our city leaders both in the government and commercial sectors need to drop some cash and throw an event with a budget that can support artists relevant in this decade. I say this in light of the next weekend’s downtown Asheville festival Bele Chere which acts as a huge tourist attraction.  The city is one twelfth the size of Raleigh!

The event lasts three days and encourages as much involvement from local groups and businesses as possible, by going all out the city has created a long lasting tradition and given outsiders a sense that the city is ‘cool.‘

The following is excerpted from here

It’s Back! Downtown Raleigh, that is; and to celebrate it, so is Raleigh Wide Open!

Raleigh Wide Open 2(RWO2) is going to fill up Fayetteville Street from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 21. The entertainment Schedule looks something like this:

12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.      —Mickey Mills & Steel (reggae);
2:20 p.m. to 3:05 p.m.      —Airiel Down (rock);
3:25 p.m. to 4:10 p.m.      —Kickin Grass (bluegrass);
4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.      —Bio Ritmo (Latin);
6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.      —PARADE
7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.      —Dillon Fence (pop rock); and,
8:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.      —Eddie Money (pop/classic rock).
10:15 p.m.                  —Pyrotechnic Pageant

The headliner of course is rock icon Eddie Money, whose long-beloved tunes such as “Two Tickets to Paradise” and “Baby Hold On” are being joined by hits from his current album “Wanna Go Back” featuring 12 rock classics.

Notice, it’s non-stop music except for 6-7 p.m. That’s parade time!

The RWO2 parade will begin at the Capitol and make its way down Fayetteville Street, ending at Davie Street.

If you’re “tuned out” by mid-evening, saunter on down to Moore Square and enjoy a free showing of the movie “Dreamgirls” around 8:15 p.m.

Raleigh’s southern downtown sky will turn into a pyrotechnic pageant around 10:15 p.m. when the boom and blast of fireworks signal the conclusion of the first anniversary of Raleigh’s downtown revitalization celebration.

The charge for parking downtown will be $3. The City has five convenient parking garages that offer approximately 5,000 parking spaces. The garage locations are as follows:

  * Cabarrus Street Parking Lot, 100 E. Cabarrus St.;
  * Convention Center Parking Deck, 429 S. Wilmington St.;
  * Moore Square Parking Deck, 233 S. Wilmington St.;
  * Municipal Parking Deck, Morgan Street entrance, W. Morgan St.; and,
  * Wilmington Street Parking Deck, 327 S. Wilmington St.