by Michael LelloWeekender Editor
On Saturday, the drunken rodent will come out of his hole, see his shadow and fall on his fat face. I think that means 17 more hours of drinking — Garth, Pennsylvania’s 374th most famous groundhog, is reliable enough but difficult to understand.
It’s time for the beer-soaked debauchery we know and love as Parade Day. And like thousands of others, I’ll be there, unless Bishop Martino looks into our voting records and issues a proclamation that First Amendment-supporting, bleeding-heart hippies will instead have to line up at St. Peter’s Cathedral for a haircut and a nun’s thwacking across the knuckles.
Scranton will roll out the green carpet as we put our best foot forward — easier said than done as the day turns to night. Parade-goers from out of town that pay attention to national media reports will be disappointed that we’re not all wearing mining helmets (let’s ease up on the worn-out, lazy-journalism “hard-coal region” and “hardscrabble” descriptions, OK?) and Gerry McNamara jerseys. There’s no Dunder Mifflin building either. Sorry.
What they’ll see, though, will surpass those Scranton stereotypes. They’ll get to be part of a bunch of carefree revelers crammed into tight quarters, bars filled to capacity, bouncing from Irish pub to dance club to hotel bar. For such a large, sprawling crowd, it’s not daunting. It’s a relatively welcoming crew, which speaks volumes about our friendly nature.
We’ve been lucky to have a few new places to open in time for Parade Day the past few years. Last year’s Parade Day marked the opening of the Colosseum dance club downtown, and the reopening of Tink’s before it closed for renovations (Tink’s reopened again last November, and will be open Saturday, naturally). Also in 2008, the Hardware Bar opened for Wilkes-Barre’s St. Patrick’s Parade, which is traditionally held on Sunday, the day after the Scranton parade, and that’s the case again this year.
This year, Kildare’s will make the move from the more suburban Shoppes at Montage to downtown Scranton, right off the Central Scranton Expressway, across from the Radisson. The thinking is that this location, which is set to include a rooftop deck, will come closer to replicating the college-age/recent graduate vibe of the Kildare’s in Philadelphia’s Manayunk section. If it works, this will be a good thing for the area, even if you’re too cool for the mainstream. I lived within walking distance of the Manayunk Kildare’s in the mid-’00s, and it was, and still is, a very good time.
If you are thinking of skipping the festivities this year altogether due to economic troubles, that’s understandable, but beer’s cheap. You can check out our Parade Day map in this week’s issue for advertised drink specials and entertainment in both cities.
Viva La Montage
The summer concert season at Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain is slowly revealing itself, with a press release from a band here, a confirmed show from promoter Live Nation there and the odd Web site update. So far, we know the amphitheater will host: Dave Matthews Band (not a sellout last year, but the last act to move every ticket for a show there); Poison/Def Leppard/Cheap Trick; REO Speedwagon/Styx/.38 Special; Nickelback; the Vans Warped Tour; the Mayhem Tour (Slayer and Marilyn Manson will headline); and Motley Crue’s Crue Fest.
It seems rare that a venue of this size in a market like ours hosts a major artist at its creative, commercial and critical peaks (you can make an argument for Kanye West, who kicked off the Toyota Pavilion season last year). Most of the bands mentioned above are firmly entrenched in the greatest-hits phases of their careers. Yes, a handful are making new, quasi-relevant music. And other acts on tours like Warped are on their way up and will be household names soon enough, like Katy Perry, who played on last year’s Montage Warped stop.
It’s great that these shows, whether they are packaged classic-rock rehash tours or not, are coming here. Many are making return trips to the mountain, thanks to healthy ticket sales in the past. But let’s not kid ourselves: There’s not an artist with the current stature of a Radiohead, Kings of Leon or Springsteen among them.
On Monday, March 16, expect an announcement that will change that. On May 29, an act we can’t mention just yet will open the summer concert season at Montage. It’s a band that is at its creative, commercial and critical peaks. It will be a coup for the venue, and it will surprise and please many. It marks a bit of a departure from Montage’s standard summer schedule, so if it’s the type of show you’ve been complaining about not coming here, buy a ticket. Show the promoters you want these types of shows here and are willing to pay to see them.
That this show is coming here means the door is ajar for concerts of this caliber and importance to come here more frequently. Don’t let it slam shut.
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