By Sarah Baker - The Daily News -

A free outdoor film series will kick off this weekend at the Levitt Shell in Midtown Memphis’ Overton Park.

Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Radiohead, B.B. King, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, U2 and the Rolling Stones are just some of the artists that will be featured in the series, which is presented by Indie Memphis and the Levitt Shell.

The stand-alone series is a way for both nonprofit organizations to combine its audiences, said Erik Jambor, executive director for Indie Memphis.

“Normally (Levitt Shell) doesn’t have a whole lot going on in the summer; their season just ended, and our main festival doesn’t take place until November, so it’s kind of a way for both of us to get our audiences mixing and mingling and enjoying music and film at the same venue,” he said.

Recognized as the site of Elvis Presley’s first professional rock ‘n’ roll show, the Levitt Shell has been an outdoor performing arts pavilion since the 1930s. With 2011 being the Shell’s 75th anniversary, the series creates yet another opportunity for bringing the community together and keep activity alive at the historic venue, said Anne Pitts, executive director of Levitt Shell.

“We want to really highlight all of the wonderful things that the Shell can do throughout the year and highlight all of the wonderful things that it’s done in the past,” Pitts said. “We’re looking forward to being active year-round at the Shell and having people come out for outdoor films in the park during the summertime just like they did back in the ’80s and ’90s.”

The series beings on Friday, July 1, with Martin Scorcese’s “The Last Waltz,” which documents the 1976 farewell concert of The Band and features performances by Dylan, Clapton, Mitchell, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Emmylou Harris, Diamond and Waters.

“We wanted to have a very eclectic mix of films and a lot of them have some pretty nice Memphis connections,” Jambor said.

One of the series’ shining attributes, Pitts said, is the timeframe of the concerts – 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The timeframe brings the community together and promotes local business at the same time, she said.

“Most people are leaving work and they’re meeting friends or spouses or families in restaurants around Midtown and then they’re coming to the Shell,” she said. “A lot of them are picking things up from local restaurants and bringing them to the Shell, and then of course we have concessions, which are generally local businesses and they’re coming out and spending money with those businesses.”

While money and donations are essential, Pitts said it’s important to remember that the Levitt Shell is made possible through volunteers. The entire organization – which puts on 50 free concerts annually, not including rental and special events – is made up of only three full-time staff members.

“Our volunteers are great because they go out into the community and they spread the word about the Shell and create a lot of other opportunities for us and they present a really positive face to the public,” Pitts said. “We hope what they’re doing is reminding people that, ‘Oh yeah, the Brooks Museum is here and the Zoo is here and all of these great restaurants are here in the area.’ We want them to walk away with a more positive attitude about the great things there are to do in the Midtown area and the wonderful things there are to do right there in Overton Park.”

Films will begin at dusk on Friday evenings from July 1 through Aug. 12, when the series will close with a concert film to be determined by an online poll.

Admission is free and open to the public. Beverages and snacks will be available for purchase beginning at 8 p.m.

The Concert Film Series is made possible through a First Tennessee Foundation Award for Innovation in the Arts.

For more information, visit indiememphis.com/concertfilmseries.