PLAINS TWP. — In just another sign of pre-pandemic life starting to creep back into the Wyoming Valley, the River Street Jazz Cafe will have its first concert in over a year this Saturday.
Featuring a performance from Scranton blues performer Clarence Spady and the Electric City Band, the performance feels like a return to normalcy, according to Jazz Cafe owner Rob Friedman.
According to Friedman, Spady was one of the first performers to take the stage at the venue when it opened back in 1993 and has been a frequent presence ever since.
So it only made sense to kick things off with him once again for the first performance at the Jazz Cafe since March 2020, especially since Spady is coming off the release of “Surrender,” an emotional record which, according to Spady’s website, is inspired by some of the darker moments of Spady’s life and his drive to move through them. “Surrender” is currently in the top 10 of the Billboard Blues Albums chart.
“I’m excited that this will be my first show,” Friedman said of the Jazz Cafe’s return and Spady’s central part in it. “I thought it would be appropriate.”
Friedman said that the Jazz Cafe hasn’t spent the past year resting on its laurels; he said the venue has been fitted with a new sound system, which he thinks might be one of the better ones available at comparably-sized venues in our area.
Friedman, who is known in our area for his multiple restaurant ventures, said that the Jazz Cafe had to be the last one to return.
“We could not open the jazz club until 100% capacity was possible,” Friedman said. “The energy and excitement comes from when the place is fully packed.”
And now that COVID-19 restrictions have eased enough for that to be possible, Friedman said it’s time for it to be open again.
Friedman said that people who have been vaccinated fully can be in the bar maskless, but he is asking anyone else to continue wearing a mask. However, he said this is operating purely on the honor system.
For those interested in attending Saturday’s show, doors open at 7 p.m., with the show starting at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $8, and are available either at the door or on the River Street Jazz Cafe’s website.
Spady’s performance isn’t the only one coming up at the bar, though; June 18 sees a performance from Wilkes-Barre alt rockers Lifer with support from University Drive.
The next night, Smith/Mazer/Luquet/Driscoll will bring, as they put it, “two sets of thoughtful instrumental music.”
Then, June 25 brings the return of Screaming Infidelities Emo Night, a celebration of emo and pop punk music that dominated the airwaves in the later part of the 1990s and the early 2000s.
More information on all of these shows is available on the Jazz Cafe’s site.
