Lucinda Williams Performs Under the Stars at Free Great Park Concert August 13

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Country rock legend Lucinda Williams   will headline the Great Park Flights & Sounds Summer Festival on Saturday, August 13. Louisiana-born singer/songwriter Williams started out singing blues music. Her 14 Grammy nominations have sprawled across the folk, country, rock, pop and Americana categories. Vanity Fair has described her work as "part Hank Williams, part Bob Dylan, part Keith Richards circa Exile on Main Street," but even being named with that rarified company hardly describes Williams, who will take the Great Park stage at 8:15 p.m.

"We invite everyone to come out for our second weekend of Flights & Sounds performances featuring Lucinda Williams, a true American original," said Beth Krom, Chair, Orange County Great Park Corporation.  "The Great Park is proud to showcase high quality entertainment offered free to the public as part of our commitment to create wonderful experiences as we activate the Park."

Make it a weekend at the Great Park by dancing to the sounds of Jamaican dub and gypsy jazz with a salsa flavor with Nuriya,   who will bring sizzling vocals to rumba flamenco, Afro-Cuban rhythms and Arabic melodies on Friday, August 12 at 8:15 p.m.

Flights & Sounds Summer Festival takes place near the brand-new Palm Court Arts Complex and expansive North Lawn and Great Park Balloon.  Visitors will also be able to enjoy the Park's inaugural exhibition in the new Great Park Gallery, Plane Air Power by Laguna Beach artist Jorg Dubin.

Pack a picnic or enjoy something from the menu at the Hangar Cafe, now open in the newly-renovated historic Hangar 244.  It will feature a fresh selection of delicious food that will be available for purchase to enjoy at the Cafe or on the lawn before the dance parties and concerts.  Live music begins at 8:15 p.m. Hangar Cafe opens at 6 p.m. before all shows.

Flights & Sounds Summer Festival is presented by the Orange County Great Park and produced by the Irvine Barclay Theater.  Both theater-style seating and park space for lawn chairs or picnics are available for all shows.  The Orange County Great Park is located at Sand Canyon and Marine Way, and can easily be reached by the 5 or 405 freeways. For more information go to www.ocgp.org

Upcoming Festival Events:

Friday Night: World Beat Dance Parties
August 19 - Shotgun Wedding Quintet – From big band swing, to funk and gypsy jazz.
August 26 - H'Sao – High-energy dance music spliced with masterful a cappella vocals.
September 2 - BlackMahal – Punjabi funk with drums, horns and hip hop.

Saturday Night: American Music Styles in Concert
August 20 - Jazz Mafia – One of the most powerful assemblies of virtuosic performers with top-tier brass and an always premium rhythm section.
August 27 - The Del McCoury Band – High lonesome vocals and knife-sharp band keep the bluegrass flame alive.
September 3 - Preservation Hall Jazz Band – Joyful mastery of traditional jazz.

About the Great Park

The Orange County Great Park, with its 1,347-acre master plan, is the focal point of the redevelopment of the publicly-owned portion of the 4,700-acre former Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro. The Great Park is currently nearly 60 acres and includes an iconic tethered helium balloon that rises 400 feet in the air, providing an aerial view of Park development. Other features include the Carousel, Farm and Food Lab, Kids Rock Playground, Palm Court Arts Complex, North Lawn recreation area, historic Hangar 244. The South Lawn lighted soccer fields and Community Garden will be added in 2012.

For more information, please go to www.ocgp.org

SOURCE Orange County Great Park