PHOTOS: Peach Music Festival at The Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Scranton, 07/19-22/18
The spirit of The Allman Brothers Band was alive and well at the seventh annual Peach Music Festival, featuring former members of the festival-founding group as well as their children. Many skilled jam bands returned to the three stages at The Pavilion at Montage Mountain and the adjacent Montage Mountain Waterpark, and local fans were treated to several performances from some of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s most beloved folk, Americana, and jamgrass musicians.
Held on Thursday, July 19 through Sunday, July 22, about a month earlier than in previous years, the impressive, crowd-pleasing lineup of the 2018 Peach Fest included Dickey Betts in his first performance of 2018 since coming out of retirement (and one of only a few shows planned this year); legendary Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh; Gov’t Mule with two sets, including a special “Dark Side of the Mule” performance; moe. and Little Feat performing “Waiting for Columbus” featuring Turkuaz Horns; Oteil & Friends (Oteil Burbridge, Melvin Seals, John Kadlecik, Jay Lane, Weedie Braimah, Alfreda Gerald, and Scott Metzger); The Devon Allman Project featuring Duane Betts; The Revivalists; Joe Russo’s Almost Dead; Chris Robinson Brotherhood; Twiddle; Blackberry Smoke; Pigeons Playing Ping Pong; Turkuaz; Spafford; Warren Haynes; and many more, along with roaming “artists at large” like the Funky Dawgz Brass Band, Turkuaz Horns, and Brandon “Taz” Niederaurer.
Popular Scranton/Wilkes-Barre jamgrass band Cabinet even returned from “indefinite hiatus” to play their only scheduled concert of 2018 on Thursday, once again taking the main stage they headlined at the Susquehanna Breakdown in years prior. Cabinet members played in different configurations throughout the weekend as well – JP Biondo played a solo set (with Christopher Kearney and Ellen Siberian Tiger) as well as with Pappy Biondo, and Pappy joined Dylan Skursky on their latest project, Gatos Blancos, with Shavertown guitarist Justin Mazer.
The photos below are organized by band and include an extra gallery by fellow NEPA Scene photographer Jason Riedmiller. See NEPA Scene’s full review of Cabinet’s set with video here. See photos from last year’s Peach Fest here and see Beautiful People of NEPA portraits of Peach attendees here.
Blackberry Smoke
Cabinet
Chris Robinson Brotherhood
The Commonheart
The Devon Allman Project featuring Duane Betts
Funky Dawgz Brass Band
Gatos Blancos
Ghost Light
JP and Pappy
Juice
moe. and Little Feat
Photos by Jason Riedmiller of Dickey Betts, Oteil & Friends, Soule Monde, Cabinet, and more
Miscellaneous festival fun
