NEPA Scene Staff

’90s rock bands 3 Doors Down, Wallflowers, Eve 6, Lit, Tonic and more play at Hershey Vineyard this summer

’90s rock bands 3 Doors Down, Wallflowers, Eve 6, Lit, Tonic and more play at Hershey Vineyard this summer
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From a press release:

The Vineyard and Brewery at Hershey has announced two summer music festivals celebrating the release of its wines and beers with a live rock soundtrack straight out of the 1990s.

The first is the Straws & Stripes Music Festival on Saturday, July 20 from noon-9 p.m., featuring 3 Doors Down (famous for hits like “Kryptonite,” “When I’m Gone,” and “Here Without You”) with special guests Tonic (“If You Could Only See”) and Pennsylvania natives Ben Gallaher and Gentleman East, the latter led by Pittston singer, songwriter, and producer Bret Alexander, formerly of The Badlees.

Central Pennsylvania’s favorite food trucks will be serving up a storm with new releases of wines, beers, and ciders focusing on one of the Vineyard’s (598 Schoolhouse Rd., Middletown) favorite fruits: strawberries.

Tickets, which are $49 for general admission and $109 for VIP admission, plus fees, are on sale now via Eventbrite. VIP tickets includes access to the VIP tent and lounge, a reserved standing room section in front of the stage, a private cash bar and restroom access, and a certificate for a VIP wine or beer tour and tasting experience good through the fall season of 2019.

A portion of all tickets sold will be donated to the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association to benefit its fight against PTSD and other challenges affecting local veterans.

The second event is the Merlot & Flash Gourd’n Music Festival on Saturday, Aug. 24 from noon-9 p.m., featuring The Wallflowers (“One Headlight” and “6th Avenue Heartache”) with special guests Eve 6 (“Inside Out” and “Here’s to the Night”), Lit (“My Own Worst Enemy”), and Blessid Union of Souls (“I Believe” and “Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me”).

The release of Winemaker L. Paul Vezzetti’s famous Merlot and Brewmaster Ryan DeLutis’s super Flash Gourd’n Pumpkin Beer will take center stage as part of the sixth annual release day. The festival will also feature a food truck mashup, beverage stations throughout the property, and more.

Tickets, which are $49 for general admission and $109 for VIP admission, plus fees, are on sale now via Eventbrite.

Lawn chairs and blankets are permitted at both of these 21+ events. While outside food can be brought in, outside beverages are not permitted, including water and soda.

In order to know where you’re headed, you have to recognize where you’re from. So when it came time to begin working on their latest full-length album, “Us and the Night” (Republic Records), Grammy Award-nominated multi-platinum Mississippi rock band 3 Doors Down channeled a familiar feeling.

“We all missed the excitement of making our first album,” says singer Brad Arnold. “As you continue creating records, it can become sort of mechanical, and you start taking everything too seriously. However, for ‘Us and the Night,’ we were all on the same page about just wanting to have a good time in the studio. That created a great vibe. I don’t think we’ve ever felt this unified as a band in our entire career. That’s why the album sounds like it does.”

In late 2014, 3 Doors Down – Brad Arnold (lead vocals), Chris Henderson (lead and rhythm guitar), Greg Upchurch (drums), Chet Roberts (lead and rhythm guitar), and Justin Biltonen (bass) – wrapped up a marathon of touring that included the cycles for 2011’s “Time of My Life,” which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200, and “The Greatest Hits,” a year later. Along the way, they welcomed Roberts and Biltonen into the fold in 2012 and 2013, respectively. “Us and the Night” would make for their first studio experience together and formally open up a new chapter for the group.

“The creativity between the five of us hadn’t been tapped yet,” explains Henderson. “That made the whole process really interesting because everybody was bringing different ideas to the table. The boundaries totally opened up. Chet and Justin kept pushing and pushing, and none of us wanted to stop.”

“This couldn’t be just another 3 Doors Down record,” adds Arnold. “It needed to be an album that made people take a second look and listen.”

3 Doors Down first found their own voice in 1995. It’s only gotten louder over the past two decades. Everything kicked off with their 2000 debut, “The Better Life.” The album went six-times platinum and introduced the world to their now-classic “Kryptonite.” Their fan base continued to grow with 2002’s triple-platinum “Away from the Sun,” which yielded the smashes “When I’m Gone” and “Here Without You.” Both 2005’s platinum-certified “Seventeen Days” and 2008’s “3 Doors Down” bowed at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200, followed by “Time of My Life’s” No. 3 debut in 2011. In between countless sold-out shows, the guys notched three Grammy nods, scored two American Music Awards, and received a total of five BMI Pop Awards, including an award for Arnold for BMI Songwriter of the Year.

2003 saw the group begin a tradition of giving back in a big way with the launch of The Better Life Foundation [TBLF]. Their organization has lived up to its name by giving as many children as possible a better life and supporting the Center of the Prevention of Child Abuse, Habitat for Humanity, and various other charities. Its annual concert has hosted everyone from Lynyrd Skynyrd and Sara Evans to Staind, Shinedown, and Alter Bridge.

“’Us And the Night’ means, ‘Let’s just keep going until it’s just us left,’” Arnold leaves off. “It’s an ‘us against them’ song. The world’s problems don’t have to stop us. Let’s forget about them, stop worrying, and enjoy the ride together. It’s an invitation to fans everywhere to do the same.”

Formed in Los Angeles, The Wallflowers rose to fame in 1996 with their four-times platinum album “Bringing Down the Horse,” which featured four top charting singles, including “6th Avenue Heartache,” “One Headlight,” “The Difference,” and “Three Marlenas.” The two-time Grammy Award winners went on to sell over seven million records worldwide with a series of critically acclaimed albums before going on hiatus in 2007.

During the group’s break from recording, lead singer Jakob Dylan released two solo albums, which also garnered significant praise, 2008’s “Seeing Things” and 2010’s “Women and Country.” In 2012, The Wallflowers reunited to release their sixth studio album, “Glad All Over,” on Columbia Records. The album found Dylan joining original band members Greg Richling (bass) and Rami Jaffee (keyboards), with The Wallflowers’ longtime guitarist Stuart Mathis and drummer Jack Irons (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam) rounding out the lineup.

The Wallflowers won two Grammy Awards in 1998 for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Rock Song for “One Headlight.” “One Headlight” is also listed at No. 58 in Rolling Stone’s list of the “100 Greatest Pop Songs.”