By Alexa Nogueira
Each Thursday night, the Mill Street Music Series lends its stage to a different local artist, and September 19 was Amanda Cote’s turn to share her music with Mill Street.

Cote started her set promptly at 6 p.m. She had a crowd of six people, many of whom were her friends. She kicked things off with “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day. A few people seated at the nearby Strong Style Coffee turned their heads, and the crowd grew after one woman took a seat near the stage to listen to Cote’s performance.

Cote had no setlist. Instead, she sang whatever song she was in the mood for. “I feel like doing the Beatles,” she said in a playful British accent before launching into a cover of Ian Tyson’s “Navajo Rug.”

Regardless of what song she sang every note radiated tenderness and warmth. Mill Street felt cozier and more intimate during her performance. Despite the passing cars threatening to drown her out, her audience was absorbed by the mood she had created, almost as if the rest of Fitchburg didn’t exist. Even passersby noticed Cote’s effect on Mill Street. “She’s good,” one woman said as she walked by.

After 7 p.m. the mood died down, with most of the Mill Street crowd heading out along with the sun. Cote’s covers of The Highwomen, Steely Dan, Jewel, and Oasis attracted a new audience of people, and the crowd was fully restored by the time she ended her set at 8 p.m. with Freddie James’ “Hallelujah.”