Before Everclear ever played a note on May 8th, Lynchburg got a warm-up act that was anything but an afterthought.
The Lynchburg Amphitheater at Riverfront Park made history that evening as the site of its very first ticketed concert , and Marcy Playground opened the show to a crowd that was already buzzing with excitement . With the James River glimmering in the background and a warm spring sky overhead, the setting couldn’t have been more perfect — and Marcy Playground rose to meet every bit of it.
The band is best known for their 1997 hit “Sex and Candy,” which spent close to four months at number one on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart (and was the sing-along highlight of the evening!) Marcy Playground has always been more than a single song, and anyone in the crowd who came with just that one tune in their back pocket left knowing a whole lot more. Named for the Marcy Open grade school in Minneapolis where frontman John Wozniak attended as a child, the band’s music draws deeply from youth, memory, and a kind of wistful nostalgia that feels both personal and universal. Wozniak’s songs have a way of pulling you back to a specific moment in time — a summer afternoon, a back porch, a feeling you forgot you’d had — and that quality hit especially hard on a warm Friday night in a brand new outdoor venue.
Formed in New York in 1996, Marcy Playground signed to Capitol Records and built their sound around Wozniak’s distinctive songwriting — a style that blends modern folk, psychedelia, and a clear rock edge into something quietly and confidently its own. Over the years the band expanded their catalog with albums including Shapeshifter, MP3, Leaving Wonderland… In a Fit of Rage, and Lunch, Recess & Detention , building a body of work that rewards listeners willing to dig past the hits. With more than 25 years of active touring and recording under their belt , Marcy Playground is a band that has quietly earned its longevity.
What made the Lynchburg set so memorable wasn’t just the music — it was the crowd. Kids who hadn’t been born when “Sex and Candy” topped the charts were mouthing every word right alongside parents who remembered exactly where they were when they first heard it. Couples swayed together, strangers sang to each other, and more than a few people in the lawn section had their eyes closed, completely lost in it. That’s the mark of a song — and a band — that has genuinely stood the test of time.
The amphitheater, designed to host everything from nationally touring artists to community celebrations, clearly found its footing on night one. And Marcy Playground, cool and unhurried as ever, was the perfect band to ease everyone into what turned out to be an unforgettable evening on the James.
Not bad for an opening act.
