Music Notes: Upcoming Concerts
by Benjy Eisen
On August 17, country legend George Jones comes to the
American Music Theater in Lancaster. Enjoying more top 10 hits than any
other country singer – with the exception of Eddy Arnold – since the
1950s, George Jones has overcome numerous personal and professional
disasters to emerge as the defining grandfather of modern country…Little
Feat, the Southern-rock band that got away, returns to the area on
August 18 at the Keystone State Rally in Gettysburg. With their tendency
towards rockabilly and boogie-woogie, along with jazz sensibilities,
Little Feat have been able to attract a varied audience that goes beyond
the classic rock and blues they often get lumped with. …Also coming on
August 18 is Trout Fishing In America, at the Whitaker
Center. An acoustic folk duo, they spent part of the early ’90s trying to
steer their music towards adults, however kids were the ones who found
their music most appealing and by 1997 Trout Fishing In America returned
to their calling and started making children’s albums again…Not to be
confused with Jon Anderson from prog-rockers Yes, country
singer John Anderson will make a stop at the Free Spirit Rec Center in
Landisburg (Perry County) on August 19…August 19 also brings two separate
shows to Hersheypark. Inside the park itself, Asia (which
actually does include a member of prog-rockers Yes, along with members of
Emerson, Lake and Palmer and — originally — King Crimson) will play two
shows, at 5:30 and 8:00, which are free with park admission. At the Star
Pavilion, Aaron Carter, younger brother of Backstreet Boy
Nick Carter, will headline a teeny-bop show along with his sister,
Leslie Carter and the A*Teens…Harrisburg will get a
chance to see bluegrass’s crown jewels when Alison Krauss and Union
Station pull into the Whitaker Center on August 21. Featuring
Jerry Douglas (dobro) and Dan Tyminski (who did George Clooney’s singing
voice in “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”), Alison Krauss has established a
who’s-who of bluegrass as her band….Robert Cray, who comes
to the Whitaker on August 22, helped kick-start a resurgence in
contemporary blues around the time of the late ’80s and early ’90s when
the genre was on the endangered list. Having earned two Grammy awards in
the 1980s, Cray has continued to mature as a soulful blues artist past his
point of critical acclaim…The Whitaker Center will host a third
consecutive night of music on August 23 with a concert by War.
A large funk-rock-jazz battalion, War was originally formed as Eric
Burdon’s back-up band on the ex-Animal’s first solo outing, Eric Burdon
Declares War. Going on the success of the hit “Spill The Wine,” War
declared independence and marched through the ’70s with moderate success,
including household hits “Low-Rider” and “Slipping Into Darkness” among
others. The band trudged through the ’80s and even enjoyed a small
resurgence in the ’90s, the waves of which they are still riding, despite
label and line-up changes. Boston favorites, and frequent Harrisburg
visitors, Entrain will be special guest openers…Harrisburg
Area Community College offers new pedal-steel sensation Robert
Randolph on August 24. The show is free; jam band Brother’s
Past (“Bring Your Helmet”) open at 11 a.m…More country:
Patty Loveless, the lovely honky-tonk queen of Kentucky, is coming
to the Pat Garrett Amphitheater in Strausstown on August 25. Loveless
burst into music consciousness in the late ’80s, early ’90s with a string
of country chart-toppers, including 1993’s number one “Blame It On Your
Heart”…For one of their first shows ever, Crosby Stills and Nash
(along with sometime-partner Neil Young), played in-front of half a
million people at Woodstock. Now, over thirty years later, they’re still
touring, although their recording career hit a wall when they got dropped
from their label several years ago. Already successful musicians with
various other bands when the trio (or quartet) formed in the late ’60s,
Crosby Stills Nash (and Young) had a socially-conscious impact on American
folk-rock that remains unrivaled. Plagued by numerous personal problems
and repeated break-ups and reunions, Crosby Stills and Nash, without
Young, continued to sell-out large venues throughout the ’70s and ’80s.
Young returned for several albums since, in the midst of his own highly
successful solo career, but Crosby Stills and Nash toured primarily as a
trio throughout the ’90s. Despite commercial failures with new studio
product, the band has been able to remain a viable live act due to a vast
catalog of mega-hits including “Ohio,” “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” “Teach
Your Children,” and “Our House.” The band will return to the Hersheypark
Star Pavilion on August 26…“Uncle Harry’s Homegrown Camporee”
will take over the Cotton Club Post Pavilion in Dover during the weekend
of August 24-26. The festival will draw heavily on local jambands, and
offer overnight camping and on-site vending. Headlining the event on
Sunday afternoon will be Ulu, the underground funk-groove
outfit from NYC.
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