Fans of River Town Days and good tunes filled the Earle May Boat Basin Friday night to check out some classic cars and hear the musical stylings of Evergreen and headlining southern rockers, the Atlanta Rhythm Section (ARS).

Many families and friends brought blankets and chairs to take a load off as they kicked off their shoes and enjoyed the week’s end with the free concert.

Kicking off River Town Days’ musical experience at the Performing Arts Building was Evergreen—comprised of a group of friends who began playing together in college. They played a diverse array of hits from artist including Don Henley, Pince and John Mellencamp, just to name a few. Now all living in different areas, the group gets together whenever possible to play shows, getting to spend time with old friends, said drummer and Bainbridge resident Brian Rivers.

As the sun began to set over the nearby Flint River, ARS took the stage boasting their smoothly blended sound of southern and classic rock.

The band performed a number of their hits including “Spooky” and “Champagne Jam.”

One of the remaining original members of the band, keyboard player Dean Daughtry, told The Post-Searchlight about how the band got started more than 30 years ago.

He said the band began as a group of artists living and working in the Atlanta area, writing and performing music for various artists. The band struck out on their own in 1970 under the guidance of Alabama and Georgia Music Hall of Fame inductee, song-writer and the band’s producer/manager Buddy Buie.

Daughtry said he has performed in Bainbridge once before, in the late 1960s when he was playing with a previous band, the Candymen, which also performed as the back-up band for Roy Orbison.

Since ARS was formed, they have produced two platinum and four gold albums and six top 20 hits and were inducted in the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1996.