LONGVIEW, Texas — The Green Street underpass has developed quite the reputation over the years with many 18-wheelers and other vehicles getting stuck underneath the downtown Longview road. The area even became known as "The Green Street Monster."
This fall, several Longview community leaders have taken a negative and turned it into a festival that celebrates music, food, art and culture. Befittingly, the event will be titled the inaugural Green Street Monster Fest happening on Sept. 21 at the intersection of Green and Tyler streets in downtown Longview.
One day, Zahck Israel, co-owner of Ollie’s Skate Shop and Solo Sandwich Co., had a vision of an amphitheater when looking at how Green Street dips down sharply on either side of the underpass, according to a story from the Longview News-Journal. In June, the idea for the celebration was fully fleshed out with a date too.
“The sound should be great coming up from there,” Israel told the News-Journal. “I describe what we’re going for musically like the best playlist at a backyard barbecue. There will be alt rock, soul, acts that cross over into some country, even some jazz, possibly. It’s not going to be a single genre. And the goal is to do a good enough job this year that we can attract bigger and bigger bands every year going forward."
Longview real estate assessor Geff Grimes, Israel’s longtime business partner Chad Nevils and Jess McKinney are also a part of the organizing efforts.
The festival will feature 14 bands on two stages with the Polyphonic Spree taking the stage as the headliner on the Peters Main Stage. Tickets are on sale now for $45 and can be purchased at greenstreetmonsterfest.com, the organizers announced on Thursday,
VIP tickets cost $150 and these passes will allow access near the main stage to view the show, VIP parking, an air conditioned area/indoor restrooms, lithograph festival poster and food/drink amenities. The number of VIP tickets are limited.
The Polyphonic Spree is internationally known for a blend of psychedelic pop/symphonic rock music with a full vocal choir and instrumental ensemble.
To be a sponsor or vendor, people can email info@greenstreetmonsterfest.com. The deadline is Aug. 21.
MUSIC LINEUP:
Peters Main Stage:
- The Polyphonic Spree
- Jonathan Terrell
- Slow Joy
- Seratones
- Die Spitz
- The Hollow Decks
- MoonKill
Side Stage:
- Treasure Mammal
- Pedal Steel Noah
- Gorgeous Jetson
- The KuL
- Fiction Love
- Josh Mandreger
- Real Live Wire