NIAGARA FALLS — The family oriented free concerts on Saturday evenings in the former E. Dent Lackey Plaza are long gone, but downtown Niagara Falls soon will be rocking with a new Saturday night concert series that will be more upbeat and more modern and may appeal to a more diverse audience of active tourists and residents.

The Hard Rock Cafe announced Tuesday that it will sponsor six free outdoor concerts starting July 3 on Old Falls Street, adjacent to the cafe at 333 Prospect St. and across the street from the main entrance to Niagara Falls State Park.

Mayor Paul A. Dyster joined Hard Rock General Manager Dominic Verni in announcing that Canadian performer Gord Downie would headline the first concert at 6 p.m. July 3, with Independence Day fireworks to follow. “It will be truly an international celebration of the Independence Day weekend,” the mayor said.

Verni said each of the five succeeding concerts also will begin at 6 p.m., rain or shine, and will be free. He added that local music groups will open for the major acts and that a handful of local sponsors have joined with the Hard Rock Cafe to present the series.

A limited number of VIP tickets for each show will be sold to people 21 and older, and will include food and beverages and a tent with preferred viewing. The price of the tickets and other details are expected to be announced on a Web site to be opened soon, possibly later this week.

As the headliners for each of this summer’s shows were announced Tuesday afternoon in the cafe, the local band Jeremy Hoyle played the signature songs of each performer.

The Hard Rock said the performances would benefit a local charity called Music Is Art, a nonprofit organization founded in 2004 by Goo Goo Dolls bassist and Buffalo native Robby Takac, “that helps to explore and reshape music’s cultural, social and educational impact on the community.”

A special attraction will be an appearance by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra playing the music of Pink Floyd on July 17. BPO assistant conductor Matthew Kraemer said this will be the first time that the BPO had partnered with the Hard Rock in a summer concert series.

The complete schedule, including the opening acts, follows:

July 3 — Gord Downie, with openers Joshua James and Alison Pipitone.

July 10 — The English Beat, with openers Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and Floozie.

July 17 — The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra plays Pink Floyd, with opener Scott Celani.

July 24 — Soul Asylum with openers The Incurables, DoDriver and A Potter’s Field.

July 31 — Lou Gramm, with openers Free Henry, McCarthyism and eXit!

Aug. 7—Tonic, with openers Ryan Star, More Than Me and Ten Cent Howl.