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WILKES-BARRE — From as far away as Public Square, you could hear the party going on at the river. And if you missed it, you’ve still got two chances to go.
The first-ever Rockin’ on the River was held at Millennium Circle, the amphitheater located alongside the Susquehanna River in downtown Wilkes-Barre.
Kicking off at 5 p.m., the first in the concert series saw food trucks, the Susquehanna Brewing Co. and, of course, music alongside the river.
The music didn’t start until 6 p.m., but people started showing up almost as soon as the party got started — there were at least 200 people in the park by the time the opening band, a selection of performers from Joe Nardone’s Rockology music school, got things started.
Luzerne County Manager C. David Pedri was excited by how well the event was going.
“The best part is the people; they’re enjoying a beverage, there’s kids playing in the grass,” Pedri told a reporter. “It’s great.”
Fred Maiar, co-owner of the Susquehanna Brewing Co., said how exciting it was to be involved in the concert series.
“When the county asked us, it was, like, ‘Absolutely!’” he said.
Maiar’s company was benefiting from Wilkes-Barre temporarily lifting the open container ban in the immediate area around the concert, allowing concert-goers to enjoy a cold one on the river. He said he expects to do very well for the remainder of the concert series.
Students from Rockology got things off to a raucous start at 6 p.m., first performing a rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner” that recalled Jimi Hendrix’s classic Woodstock performance of the piece, before blasting into a mix of classic rock by bands like The Doors and Black Sabbath.
What some concert-goers were most excited for, though, was the main act: Yellow Brick Road, an Elton John tribute band hailing all the way from Augusta, Maine, which promised to put on a show befitting the Rocketman himself.
Karen Jones, of Duryea, and Mary Ankenbrand, of Pittston, drove down to Wilkes-Barre to get a taste of the show.
“We wanted to see what was going on,” Jones said, adding that the “beautiful weather” was a major draw for them to come visit.
Jones and Ankenbrand said they both greatly enjoy the music of Elton John — adding that they had seen the recently released “Rocketman” biopic about him and had greatly enjoyed it — so they were excited to see Yellow Brick Road’s take on the music.
And according to them, they’ll probably be back next week.
If you missed Rockin’ the River on Friday, there are still two more dates. Next Friday, The National Reverse will be playing funk and soul music and will be joined by MiZ, a fusion act of folk, rock, bluegrass and blues.
Then, on July 26, A Proud Monkey, a tribute act to the Dave Matthews Band, will bring jam music to the river, joined by Country Lines, a country pop act.
Both concerts open up at 5 p.m., with music to begin at 6 p.m.
In addition to Susquehanna Brewing, the event sponsors are: Berkshire Hathaway GUARD, Coal Creative, the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, King’s College, Times Leader, Wilkes University and Wilkes-Barre city.
