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Dave Matthews Band, Allman Brothers Rock Piedmont Park

Sunday, September 9, 2007 – updated: 8:33 pm EDT September 10, 2007

What a night!

In one of the largest concerts the city of Atlanta has hosted in a long time, the Dave Matthews Band and the Allman Brothers rocked Piedmont Park.

The Park hosted the "green concert" to raise awareness about environment-friendly activities people can incorporate into their own lives as well as to raise money for a 53-acre expansion to Piedmont Park. Organizers reported the concert raised more than $1 million for that project.

VIDEO: Crank It Up! Dave Matthews Band & Allman Brothers Play Piedmont Park

Concert organizers encouraged attendees to ride MARTA. Concert vendors had to use recyclable or biodegradable products. The ATMs were solar-powered. There was also a village set-up featuring groups promoting environment-friendly practices.

The Piedmont Park Conservancy came up with the idea to host the show after learning the Dave Matthews Band had played similar shows at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and Central Park in New York City.

Pre-concert estimates predicted that 50,000 fans would attend the show. Many in the park believed the actual number in attendance was closer to 100,000 than 50,000. People stretched from one side to the other, from the concert stage all the way to the back of the park. This was the largest show on the Dave Matthews Band 2007 Tour.

As for the show itself, the Allman Brothers hit the stage around 5:30 p.m. They played for nearly two hours before giving way to the Dave Matthews Band. They played for nearly two and a half hours before calling it a night.

If a concert can be judged by fan support, the show was a hit here in Atlanta. Many fans lined up at the gates Saturday morning, several hours before Piedmont Park opened. At 3 p.m. the gates were moved and fans sprinted to the front of the stage. Due to the volume of people, those fans at the front had to stand up the entire time, from 3 p.m. until the show's conclusion at 11 p.m. No one seemed to care. For those that decided standing up all day wasn't their thing, there was plenty of room at the back of the park to throw out a blanket and take in the show.

Don't miss the video and slideshow from the big event.

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