Reaganomics Return August 3rd to Deliver Night of Fun and Hits at Station Park
Concert Series Proves a Resilient Highlight of the City's Summer Calendar
Since its inception in 2017 when Celebration at the Station was launched as the city’s first DORA event, many Hilliard residents and visitors have enjoyed listening to good music while enjoying a beer from nearby taverns and restaurants.
A variety of performers have taken the stage at Hilliard’s Station Park each summer for the Celebration at the Station concert series but only one- the Reaganomics- have performed each year (except 2020 when the series was canceled because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic).
This year, the Reaganomics are to perform Aug. 3- the second-to-last concert in the 10-concert series that began June 1 and ends Aug. 10.
“We love playing at Hilliard’s Station. It’s such a cool place because we can look out (from the stage) and see so much of the audience,”
Keenan Blanke, the band’s co-founder and lead vocalist.
In addition to the crowd that can surround the stage, many people line the rails of the second-floor balcony at Otie’s Tavern & Grill, across the street from the stage.
“It’s a panoramic view of the crowd,” Blanke said.
Reading an audience is important for live music performers, Blanke said, as it is one of the factors the Reaganomics use to determine which songs to keep in its repertoire.
“A lot of how we choose which songs comes down to the people at our shows, and how they react. When we see the crowd really digging into it, we know we are going to keep it,” said keyboardist Kas Streif.
Among the songs the Reaganomics perform at every show is Take on Me, a 1985 chart-topper from A-ha and arguably a song, owing in part to its award-winning video, that is a quintessential 1980’s pop tune.
“There’s just something about the decade of the 1980s and its music that so many people dig and get into,” Blanke said.
“Plus, the crowds just love the ‘keytar’,” Blanke said, referring to the keyboard that Streif wears with a strap while performing the number, similar to how a guitar is handled.
Among the fans gathered at Hilliard’s Station Park on June 15 to listen to Alan Carl were Rob Warburton, 55, of Hilliard, and Paul Cordova, 51, of Hilliard.
Both men had seen the Reaganomics perform at Hilliard’s Station Park and other venues.
“If it is music and people on a patio, I’m all about it,” Cordova said.
Cordova said he particularly enjoys the quality of the Reaganomics’ performances and Warburton said he enjoys the band’s energy on stage.
While many in the audience might be 50-somethings like Cordova and Warburton, audience members are on both sides of the core age group.
“It’s great to see children who are dancing,” Streif said.
In addition to Blanke and Streif, the Reaganomics are comprised of lead guitarist Paul Shamell, bassist Tommy Caradonna, and percussionist Donnie Gray.
The Reaganomics perform about 75 shows a year, mostly in central Ohio but several in other parts of Ohio and several out-of-state private shows.
The band formed 27 years ago as members from two other performing groups merged and created a 5-man band whose original lineup performed one time at The Loft in German Village as “Mr. Izod” before changing its name to the Reaganomics at the suggestion of Blanke.
Blanke said he particularly enjoyed new wave music in the 1980s.
“The B-52s blew my mind in ’81,” said Blanke, well before the Georgia-based band topped the chart in the final year of the decade with the more pop-oriented “Love Shack.”
Each of the members has other vocations but enjoy the live performances, especially when the crowd returns the energy to the stage.
“There is a great synergy there almost every night. Once in a while it is like we have to drag (the audience) into a good time,” but we find a way, Blanke said.
Hilliard’s Celebration at the Station continues June 22- the fourth of a 10-concert line up held each Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. at Hilliard’s Station Park.
Walk of Shame is scheduled to take the stage at 6:30 p.m.
There is no concert scheduled June 29, however, in advance of Freedom Fest, the city’s Fourth of July celebration at Roger A. Reynolds Municipal Park on July 1 to feature country-music artist Jameson Rodgers.
Celebration at the Station resumes July 6 with the Fabulous Johnson Brothers, followed by Swagg (July 13), Conspiracy (July 20), New Frontier (July 27), the Reaganomics, and Trailer Park Ninjas (Aug. 10).
More Info on Summer Events and City Activities can always be found at Destination Hilliard’s full website.