It’s been more than a year since so many smiling faces could be seen at once in downtown Owensboro.
For a few hours Friday night, there was a feeling of normalcy in downtown Owensboro.
By 6:30 p.m., more than a thousand people were strolling up and down the streets, enjoying the live music and dozens of vendors during the opening night of Friday After 5’s 25th season.
Two hours later, the front lawn of the Owensboro Convention Center was overflowing with an excited crowd eager to watch the Baha Men.
FA5 executive director Francine Marseille was overjoyed with how everything unfolded. During a meet and greet before the events got started, her excitement and pride nearly led to tears. And as she watched the crowd show their love for the Baha Men.
“This is fabulous,” she said. “Everyone coming together … nothing better than that. I had hoped we would have this many people. I wasn’t exactly sure how things were going to go. It’s a sea of people. I’m glad we’re all out celebrating.”
This was the first performance for the Baha Men since the pandemic cancelled so many live events.
“Praise the Lord! We’ve been waiting on this for long,” said Patrick Carey, one of two founding members who remains with the band — Isaiah Taylor is the other. “This is what we do. This is what we live for.”
Carey’s son Rik is now the lead vocalist. Patrick said it’s an honor to see the music passed down.
“It’s awesome because now it’s going to generations after,” he said. “It’s inspired the past and the future. It’s an awesome experience to have your sons in the group that you love, passing the legacy on to them.”
Marseille said she pulled out all the stops to make Friday night as memorable as possible, and knows it sets a high bar for the rest of the season.
But, she said “It’s only going to get bigger and better.”
