We headed to the Britt amphitheater in Jacksonville this past Thursday evening to take in our last concert of the summer. Change was certainly in the air: After weeks of hot, sunny (and sometimes smokey) weather, that afternoon the lightning flashed, the thunder rolled, and heavy, dark clouds dumped half an inch of rain on the area in less than an hour. Luckily, the weather had cleared by the time we staked our claim to our bit of real estate on the grass amidst the sold-out crowd of Doobie Brothers fans. (And for the record, can I just say that some of us are really showing our age!!!) We set up our chairs, popped open a luscious Zinfandel (thank you, Carol Shelton), gnoshed on the goodies from the cooler and settled back to enjoy the show.

The opening act entertained the audience with fantastic vocals and polished acoustic performances. Gypsy Soul is a local Rogue Valley group, fronted by powerful singer Cillette Swan and guitarist-producer Roman Morykit. The two have been making music together (at least 10 CDs) for over 20 years, and they call their sound “Americana Pop.” There’s a decidedly country influence there, but they can rock it, too. Anyway, after listening to 30 minutes of their music and the lovely harmonizing of their voices and enjoying their original songs as well as a few excellent covers, I decided I’ll be looking for them this winter at local venues.

The rain made a brief appearance just before the Doobies came on but disappeared quickly as if it couldn’t endure the heat from the stage. Founding members Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons were joined by 30-plus-year veteran John McFee and five other band members and put on a lively, entertaining performance. The Doobies continue to make new music, so we heard cuts from their latest album, World Gone Crazy, as well as those sing-along favorites like “Listen to the Music,” “Black Water,” “China Grove” and “Takin’ It to the Streets.”

It was a wonderful way to finish up the summer concert season, with a dip into favorites from the past and new performances to look forward to in the colder, darker months to come.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor