Your Favorite Local Outdoor Shows?

[Jim Price]

Today, I decided to wear a T-shirt from one of my all-time favorite local outdoor concerts from years past; the 3rd annual Mountain Of Rock concert, which happened on July 4, 1992 at the Socoski farm in Osceola Mills.

The shirt quickly brought back memories from that day. I had just purchased my first camcorder, and this was the first local concert I ever videotaped. I remembered the show's start was delayed because Osceola's 4th of July parade blocked the streets and prevented anybody from getting to the concert grounds. The show featured performances from Roadkill, Thunder Alley, Fatal Maim, Endzone (from Allentown), Beyond Reason (not the current local band, but the NYC-based early 90's metal band with Todd Giornesto), and Hitchcock. I remember Greg from Roadkill flopping around on the lawn like a fish during "Enter Sandman," and then spraying Thunder Alley with silly string during their set. I remember Troy Earnest going for the Halford high notes on "Victim of Changes" during Fatal Maim's set, Endzone's singer throwing mic stands and other gear off the stage at the start of their set, and more. That year's Mountain Of Rock still remains one of my favorite local outdoor shows.

What are your favorite local outdoor show memories?

A few more of mine include the 1986 Macadam Beach concert in the Logan Valley Mall parking lot, which featured XL, Tommi Gunn, The Housepets and headliners The B.E. Taylor Group (who had to cut their set short because of rain)...Also the Don Ruzzi Benefit concert at the Gallitzin Sportsmen's Club, plus numerous Q-Fests, End Of Summer Jams and more.

[rickw]

Well JP, about 33 years ago I played an outdoor gig on the Valley View lawn. I can't remember the other bands except one. I finally got to hear Skye featuring Kenny Civils and Robi Johns. They blew me away. I just couldn't imagine a local bunch of guys pulling off Yes so well! Years later Bobby Bryant and I (Two Old Men) played a Q94 event at the PPG pavillion. We were packing up our acoustic stuff when I heard an incredible voice coming from the main stage. I rushed over and got my first listen to Liz Hale and Halestorm. Wow.

[Hawk]

Well JP, about 33 years ago I played an outdoor gig on the Valley View lawn. I can't remember the other bands except one. I finally got to hear Skye featuring Kenny Civils and Robi Johns. They blew me away. I just couldn't imagine a local bunch of guys pulling off Yes so well! Years later Bobby Bryant and I (Two Old Men) played a Q94 event at the PPG pavillion. We were packing up our acoustic stuff when I heard an incredible voice coming from the main stage. I rushed over and got my first listen to Liz Hale and Halestorm. Wow.

I remember that day well. I played for Skye. I remember two other bands that played that day. Bibs Bailey (from Tyrone), with Brian Anderson and Harry young. And Our rival from State College - Macbeth.

We played on the top of truck trailers. Beautiful sunny day.

What people don't know about Skye is - we practiced two weeknights every week - sometimes from 6:00 until 10:00 or even later, played every Friday and Saturday. And Practiced Sunday's From 1:00 until about 8:00 at night. We were crazy about what we were doing. We had a great road crew, including Dale Lawson (Chris Lawson's father) doing lights for us.

[YankeeRose]

The 9th Annual Central PA Hoedown, which was the first my 2 youngest children and I attended, will always be a special memory. We arrived on my son's 7th birthday in 2004, knew nobody (except for when Felix and The Hurricanes showed up later that day), but almost immediately met many special people/Bands/Musicians we'll always hold close in mind, Heart and Soul. I first met a woman named Beth Ann (and I learned later, fellow Caniac) when she walked up to me, asked me if I would like a drink of her tequila (my first taste of straight tequila ), and did I like to dance? The contrast of our lives at that point in time and how we felt, compared to the year before was nothing less than remarkable. We'll always be grateful to those who touched our lives in instant friendship, and Thomas and I will never forget the acoustic Music at night. While I didn't believe it possible, I had even more of a blast at the 10th Hoedown! If anyone has a CD with Sweetmeat playing "Late In The Evening" on it, I'd so appreciate a copy...their version of that Tune was/is out of this world!!! I took a bunch of, imho, amazing photos at the 10th Hoedown I have to post in an 'album' somewhere, one of these days. The best of them are of a little girl holding an acoustic Guitar, a wee mac-daddy and his 'women', a couple of slightly (?) inebriated friends who told me there weren't any photos of them together, a Pringles' can that slowly fell apart, and many instances of what are now wonderful memories of why anyone was laughing in the first place, captured. Thanks JP!


(Edit: "Running with Scissors"...one of the BEST Band names EVER, who I first heard there...aren't a few of the Musicians/the Singer with another project or two???)

[rickw]

Hawk! I've just proven to myself yet again how pitiful my memory is! So it was you who laid down the Brufordness that day! Yes indeed, flatbed trailers, a beautiful day, and a very green guitarist in an orange t-shirt (me). Skye's rehearsal schedule certainly paid off dude. I've only been involved with two other bands that had such intense schedules for rehearsals. Opus (with Robi, Harold, Big Jimi C, Christo, and Dale Lawson on amazing lighting). Oh damn, sorry JP got off on a tangent here Back to yer favourite outdoor shows!

[EyesOfAnguishbassist]

Too Loud Fest.. I gto to play it 2 years ago with Your Dying Wish and hope to play it again someday

[songsmith]

JP, the thing I remember about the Mountain of Rock show was that while we waited for others to show up, there was an Aerosmith song playing on the CD player through the PA, and it kept skipping back to the beginning of the song. After a half-hour, it really started to annoy me. On the other hand, I remember my then-girlfriend and I were really in that super-in-love stage... we eloped a month later. Still together, too, we just celebrated 16 years married.

One of my favorite outdoor shows was at the now-defunct Ye Olde Barn on Piney Ridge in Hunt. Co. I remember Bashful played, I think Defiance, XL, and maybe even Slammer. It was a great day, filled with good friends, and I learned a lot about how to put on a rock show. I also remember waking up under my car the next morning (did you know there's NO tea in a Long Island Iced Tea? I did my research, and drank 7 of them... no tea at all.).

Another was a 1991 (?) show at Huntingdon County Fair, when Thin Ice opened for Hybrid Ice. We had a capacity crowd, the biggest we ever played to, and a friend brought professional video camera's and a small film crew from his art school in Pittsburgh... we had people following us around onstage like we were on MTV. It was a great day for a rockstar ego-trip, and it got better. When we finished one of the best sets we ever played, many folks actually left. They weren't there to see Hybrid Ice, they were there to see us. I had tears in my eyes. I felt like we'd arrived. Obviously, Hybrid Ice was the better band, but man that felt good. BadDazeRob was a part of that, I'm sure, and it was a banner day for a bunch of country-boys.

The Q-Fest with Felix, Half-Tempted, Scream, and Halestorm was also a hell of a day for local music, too. I wish they still did those.------>JMS

[cucuplex96]

I remember the Don Ruzzi benefit.. I was there.. i was like 13.. I also attended many snake hunts there... shorty before that day i had learned that Felix Kos was making custom guitars... and here I am.. a 13 year old kid.. asking this giant if he could make me a copy of a fender jaguar. Wow that was a long time ago..

I also attended many Q- fest events at the Cresson sportsman club in the early 90's.. and many End of summer jams.. (where i first got drunk) shhhhhh! and prolly the first time i did the nasty.. hahaha Those were the days!!! One of the Q-fests is where I first met Rick Ramsey! From the original Sticks and Stones..I think anyway.. I'm sure that someone could come outta the shadows and skool me on a few things from back then... give me a break.. I was a young musician in the making.. anyway Rick, an awesome dude, awesome musician.

"Nutapolluza" Or how ever you would spell that.. In the back woods in Tipton somewhere.. another one of my first drinkings of alcohol.. I remember Nut coming out of his house with two girls on either arm and yelling at me for drinking from the keg.. " You can't do that !!! How old are you ? " Awesome times.. like I said musician in the making. I remember 4-twenty , 7, 9, and out, my band at the time Misconceived played.. and a few other bands. My dad ran the sound for it, and almost rolled his van down over the bank full of equipment, on the way out.. he had to go down the next day and get it pulled out... haha, I will never forget some of the shit that i experienced... it made me who i am today...

Lakemont park Q-fest? Not sure if Q-94 was involved this day.. but I saw a few amazing bands this day, two included The Sundogs, from Florida, and one was called Dogma.. I put their sticker on my guitar, I thought it was a cool graphic.. and Edison... there was other bands.. but that was also very long ago... I'm thinkin 1996, might even have been 95..

I experienced alot in this area and i'm very grateful for all of it... Thanx Jim for taking me down memory lane.

[Dem Bonz]

taking your 7 yr old son to a hoedown is crazy...you are asking for it. when you find his dope, he's going to say "I learned it from watching you!"

[YankeeRose]

taking your 7 yr old son to a hoedown is crazy...you are asking for it. when you find his dope, he's going to say "I learned it from watching you!"

There were children, I'd say 5 or so, and younger, and others who were older - boys and girls - at all of the Hoedowns and End of Summer Jams I attended...I dare you to say something to their parents. As long as the only thing any of my children ever partake of is beans, when they are mature enough to, that'll be fine with me. You know 'Bonz, "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

[Banned]

taking your 7 yr old son to a hoedown is crazy...you are asking for it. when you find his dope, he's going to say "I learned it from watching you!"

Your a dick

[Banned]

Anyway, I would have to say the year we played the ABATE gig in Williamsburg. I enjoyed it because it was probably the most fun our bass-player had before he passed away in '02. Al Newberry was our drummer then. He's a biker too, really cool guy. It was just a really good time. Good people, good benefit, and good memories of a fallen comrade.

[RFBuck]

Last year my former band, Dollarz-N-Sense, played and outdoor show in Marchand (near Marion Center) called the Timberstone Music Festival.

It was the second year, and we wrapped up the night's events. The crowd was well primed, and we were on fire. Everyone was screaming, yelling, and people were jumping on stage helping us sing (maybe not in key but what the hell, right?)

Needless to say, once the music was over the party continued on in the pool nearby...and didn't stop until the wee hours of the morning - a real rock-n-roll experience if I may say so (or all I'm allowed to say).

If the event goes down next year hopefully Rapid Fire will get its chance and we can make Timberstone another fun experience in '09.

[theavantgarde]

SCOOBS

[DirtySanchez]

SCOOBS

[DickShackBass]

sorry, Im trying not to run my mouth so much on here as it seems to bother some, BUT......
yeah Scoobs which is the Barnyard Bash is a blast-music, dirtbikes, spaghetti O wrestling....and we're doing it again next year!

back to lurkdom

[Roar chick]

I remember going to the a few Q-Fests when I was a kid with my older brothers…great memories (I don’t know any of the bands).

I was also at the Q-fest at Lakemont Park. These were some of the best times I can remember.

Now I love the bands at runs like the Jeffy Showalter and others. I love the bands, the beer, and the “off-beat” dancing that goes along with…

I have been to the Brice Jordan Center a few times to see big acts but I like the small out door concerts better.

[DirtySanchez]

sorry, Im trying not to run my mouth so much on here as it seems to bother some, BUT......
yeah Scoobs which is the Barnyard Bash is a blast-music, dirtbikes, spaghetti O wrestling....and we're doing it again next year!

back to lurkdom

lol It's ok we still love ya.