Local reggae favorite Jah Movement plays this month’s Friday Fest

The end of summer is only a month away, and that means that the popular Friday Fest at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is going to draw to a close before long.

Before it closes, two of the area’s most-popular bands are playing at the last two installments of the free outdoor concert series.

This Friday it’s Jah Movement Reggae Band. The five-piece Sarasota outfit is widely regarded as one of the area’s best reggae outfits and one of the area’s best live acts in any genre. The band’s music will please reggae purists, but Jah Movement adds touches of R&B, soul and funk that give the music an even broader appeal. The band is known for putting its own spin on familiar songs.

At this weekend’s Friday Fest, Jah Movement will be celebrating singer Shantel Norman’s birthday.

The Friday Fest concerts take place on the Van Wezel grounds, overlooking the bay, so the music is often accompanied by a gorgeous Florida summer sunset. On rainy evenings, Friday Fest moves inside Van Wezel.

The last Friday Fest of 2017 features the eight-piece Reverend Barry & Funktastic Soul on Sept.15. As the name implies, it’s a funk and soul band, with music powered by a four-piece horn section.

Details: 5 p.m. Aug. 25, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Free. 941-953-3368, vanwezel.org.

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Local reggae favorite Jah Movement plays this month’s Friday Fest."