PHOTOS: Mountainfest with Gin Blossoms and Tom Petty Appreciation Band at Montage Mountain in Scranton, 03/07/20
It took a little while for the multi-platinum alternative rock band from Tempe, Arizona to adjust to the cold of Montage Mountain in Scranton, but Gin Blossoms still happily headlined the fifth annual Mountainfest in winter coats on Saturday, March 7.
It helped that they received a warm welcome from the bundled up crowd who were there for skiing, snowtubing, pond skimming, indoor and outdoor bars, and to sing along to Billboard Top 25 hits like “Hey Jealousy,” “Follow You Down,” “Til I Hear It from You,” and “Found Out About You.” Guitarist Scotty Johnson was a cruise he booked last year, so their friend and Vertical Horizon guitarist Donovan White filled in as they played songs from their first three albums as well as their latest, 2018’s “Mixed Reality,” including “Break,” “Face the Dark,” “Wonder,” “Here Again,” and “Still Some Room in Heaven.”
The Tom Petty Appreciation Band, a Scranton supergroup of well-known local musicians – Pat Finnerty, Justin Mazer, Mark Kiesinger, AJ Jump, and Nick Driscoll – opened the show by keeping the iconic music of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers alive.
By the end of their set, Gin Blossoms singer Robin Wilson mentioned that they plan to tour with fellow ’90s hitmakers Barenaked Ladies and Toad the Wet Sprocket. For now, they’re continuing to perform “New Miserable Experience” live in its entirety after celebrating the 25th anniversary of their breakout record back in 2018.
“We’re entertaining and we have chops, but it really comes down to the songs,” Wilson said in a press release. “The reason we’re still here is that we have good songs. When young musicians ask me for advice, what’s the best thing to do to further my career, I always say, ‘Write good songs.’ It always comes down to that.”
Read NEPA Scene’s review of Gin Blossom’s 2016 concert at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono here.
