A scheduling conflict led Bleachers and Scranton radio station Alt 92.1 to cancel the inaugural summer ALTitude Music Festival, but they made up for it on Thursday, Nov. 2 with a special concert at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre featuring fellow indie and alternative rock acts Bishop Briggs, Welshly Arms, and The Struts.
Other than intimate performances in the Alt 92.1 Radio Theater in the Scranton Times building, this was the first major show hosted by the station since Fuzz 92.1 rebranded as Alt earlier this year, following four years of the popular Fuzz Fest at The Pavilion at Montage Mountain, which culminated in a co-headlining performance by Weezer and Panic! at the Disco in 2016. Bringing back fan favorites Bleachers and The Struts, this untitled show pleased the station’s listeners while introducing them to new acts, which included MisterWives until they canceled due to illness, bumping The Struts up from an acoustic set to a full electric set.
After a meet and greet with fans, Bleachers frontman Jack Antonoff, who also plays guitar for Grammy Award-winning indie rock band fun., took the stage with a sleeveless shirt with “PROTECT LGBTQ HOOSIERS” written on it and a big smile, delivering the lively show that locals had been waiting for, even referencing Wilkes-Barre’s long-defunct Cafe Metro from the stage. Based in New York City, Bleachers is currently on tour supporting their new pop rock album “Gone Now,” which features the chart-topping single “Don’t Take the Money.”
Alt 92.1 wasted no time announcing its next concert the following morning, the inaugural Snow Show at the Kirby Center on Jan. 28. Featuring Dashboard Confessional, Scranton’s Tigers Jaw, AJR, and SYML, the Snow Show will replace Fuzz’s annual Nutcracker Ball.
See NEPA Scene’s photos of Bleachers and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness playing the 2015 Fuzz Fest here and read our review of The Struts’ first Wilkes-Barre performance here.
