Multi-platinum rockers Fuel play free Rock 107 Birthday Bash at The Woodlands in Wilkes-Barre on April 8
From a press release:
Today, Scranton classic rock radio station Rock 107 announced that Fuel, the multi-platinum rock band from Harrisburg known for hits like “Hemorrhage (In My Hands),” “Shimmer,” “Falls on Me,” “Bittersweet,” and “Bad Day,” will headline its annual Birthday Bash at The Woodlands Inn in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday, April 8.
In addition to door prizes, giveaways, drinks, and a birthday cake, opening the 40th birthday concert will be local bands Flaxy Morgan and Big King Moose. The event is 21+.
Doors at The Woodlands (1073 Hwy. 315, Wilkes-Barre) open at 7 p.m., and Fuel will hit the stage at 10 p.m. Tickets can be won by listening to Rock 107. Hundreds of free tickets will be given away through on-air contests, live appearances, and remote broadcasts that will be announced soon.
Fuel formed in 1993 while playing the club circuit in and around Harrisburg. The band signed to Sony Records and in 1998 released their critically lauded debut album “Sunburn” with the massive hit single “Shimmer.” They celebrated the 20-year anniversary of “Sunburn” on their nationwide tour with Marcy Playground and Dishwalla in 2017.
Their second album, “Something Like Human,” took the band to a new level of stardom, hitting multi-platinum status driven by the singles “Innocent” and “Hemorrhage,” which remained at No. 1 for 10 weeks. In 2003, Fuel released their third record, “Natural Selection,” and found success on the radio again with the hit song “Falls on Me.” At that point, the band had sold over 3.5 million records in the U.S. alone and had scored a trio of releases with Top 5 singles. The band has headlined their own sold-out tours and supported the likes of Aerosmith and Kid Rock.
But even what seems like the best of circumstances can prove to be difficult and, unhappy with the direction and lack of unity inside the band, singer/guitarist Brett Scallions amicably parted ways with Fuel in 2004. During his time away from Fuel, he continued to write music and toured with Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors.
“When I left Fuel, I was miserable; it did not feel like a band anymore,” Scallions said. “Unity was nonexistent. Performing those amazing Doors songs with two legends, who are two of the architects of that sound, was eye-opening, life-changing, and opened a whole new perspective on music and life. I realized much music is about freedom and not being confined to formats.”
In 2014, Fuel released “Puppet Strings” on MRI/Red. Catapulted by the first single, the driving, hypnotic “Soul to Preach To,” the album entered the Billboard rock charts at No. 1. The fans spoke loud and clear to the band, and “Cold Summer” became the second single. The Fuelies were right, as “Cold Summer” became a staple on rock radio, cracking the Top 20 throughout the summer with a video that is a classic throwback to when rock videos were fun.
“Rock ‘n’ roll is very much alive on this record,” Scallions noted. “Fuel is fully reignited, and it feels like we are just getting started.”
Fuel has been working on a sixth studio album for years, but no release date has been set yet.
