Radio station The Summit launches concert series near baggage claim

GREEN Dan Monea of the local band Hey Monea has played some unusual gigs in his day, ranging from shows for nursing-home residents to opening for Bruce Springsteen at Hyde Park in London.

But this one was a first. On a recent Friday afternoon, Monea stood barefoot in the back of a 1977 El Camino parked inside the Akron-Canton Airport terminal, strumming an acoustic guitar and singing to people on their way to baggage claim.

Monea wasn't playing for tips, as musicians do in the New York subway system. Instead, his performance was part of the 330 Road Show concert series presented by Akron-based FM station The Summit 91.3. The pop-up concerts, funded by a grant from the Knight Foundation, are designed to spotlight Northeast Ohio musicians in unexpected venues.

"One of my favorite things about playing music is you always find yourself in new and unique situations," Monea said. Pre-show, he was concerned about playing in an airport, "because everybody traveling is always on a time crunch. I couldn't believe how many people stopped for a few minutes to check out what was happening. I thought it was really cool."

Among the spectators were four Spirit Airlines flight attendants, who posed for selfies with Monea. One, who seemed delighted by Monea's sound, said she'd never experienced live music before at an airport.

Richard McQueen, president and CEO of the airport, said the concert was timed to coincide with the arrival of "one of our biggest flights of the day," a Spirit flight from Myrtle Beach. Its arriving passengers, mostly in shorts and T-shirts, seemed surprised to encounter a soulful troubadour in the concourse. The sound quality was crisp and clear.

"The Summit has been a great partner of ours," McQueen said. "The idea of the free concerts in the terminal is to create a little fun for our customers and let them experience some top local talent."

"Everyone who works here — the airport employees, the airline employees, the rental-car folks — was really excited when they heard we were bringing in local music," said Lisa Dalpiaz, the airport's marketing director. "We had positive comments on social media, too. It was wonderful to have someone like Dan Monea, who is so tied in with the community."

Three more 330 Road Show concerts are scheduled for the airport. Rachel Brown, a country torch singer and pianist from Cleveland, will perform Wednesday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Marc Lee Shannon, Michael Stanley's guitarist and a solo artist, will play Sept. 22 from 4:30 to 6. The performer for Nov. 9, a concert to celebrate Spirit Airline's one-year anniversary at the airport, will be announced. A schedule of 330 Road Show events can be found at www.the330.net.

Potential concert-goers should note that short-term parking at the airport is just $2 per hour.

"Akron-Canton Airport is a sponsor with The Summit and the 330 Road Show, and we thought it would be fun to bring music directly to them. Lisa (Dalpiaz) loved the idea," said Ryan Humbert, marketing and events manager for The Summit. In spring 2016, The Summit launched an online radio station, The330.net, which plays nothing but local and regional music from Northeast Ohio. The 330 Road Show is both a way to promote that station "and a cool way to get local music out into the community in places you might not normally hear it," Humbert said. "There's such a fantastic talent pool around here."

The El Camino that serves as the airport concert stage is owned by The Summit. "It was a big effort getting it in here," Humbert said. "We drove it down the runway, and took it through baggage claim. They did a whole security sweep of the car."