Circle Drive-In in Dickson City announces 2021 lineup for live Summer Concert Series
Last year, the Circle Drive-In Theatre in Dickson City became one of the only venues in Northeastern Pennsylvania – and the entire country – to host live concerts with nationally touring acts during the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring everyone from Aaron Lewis to Skillet to Steel Panther to Smith & Myers of Shinedown to the Allman Betts Band to Granger Smith as fans watched safely next to their socially distanced vehicles.
Representing many different musical genres (and even some stand-up comedy), the shows received national attention and media coverage from the likes of the New York Times and Rolling Stone, so it’s no surprise that the Circle (1911 Scranton/Carbondale Hwy., Dickson City) is preparing for another season that was announced last night.
The initial lineup of the Summer Concert Series includes Blue Öyster Cult on Saturday, May 29, Led Zeppelin tribute band Get the Led Out on Friday, June 11, comedian Vic DiBetetto on Friday, July 9, and Steve Earle on Sunday, July 25, with more to come.
Like last year, the acts will be performing at the venue in person as they’re projected live on the big screen and the sound comes from large speakers next to the stage as well as car radios. Fans can bring chairs and watch from the parking spaces next to their vehicles. All state and CDC health and safety guidelines will still be in place, so masks must be worn when leaving the vehicle to visit the concession stand or bathrooms.
Today, tickets for these upcoming all-ages shows, which are sold by the carload (up to four passengers per vehicle), went on sale via axs.com. Full descriptions and details are listed below.
Blue Oyster Cult
Saturday, May 29
Gates at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $179 per vehicle at axs.com.
For over four decades, Blue Öyster Cult has been thrilling fans of intelligent hard rock worldwide with powerful albums loaded with classic songs. Indeed, the Long Island, New York‐based band is revered within the hard rock and heavy metal scene for its pioneering work and has earned both genuine mainstream critical acclaim as well as commercial success.
Upon the release of their self-titled debut album in 1972, BÖC was praised for their catchy yet heavy music and lyrics that could be provocative, terrifying, funny, or ambiguous, often all in the same song. Their canon includes three stone-cold classic songs that will waft through the cosmos long after the sun has burned out – the truly haunting “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” from 1976’s “Agents of Fortune,” the pummeling “Godzilla” from 1977’s “Spectres,” and the hypnotically melodic “Burnin’ for You” from 1981’s “Fire of Unknown Origin.” Other notable songs include “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll,” “Then Came the Last Days of May,” “I Love the Night,” “In Thee,” “Veteran of the Psychic Wars,” “Dominance and Submission,” “Astronomy,” “Black Blade,” and “Shooting Shark.”
Get the Led Out
Friday, June 11
Gates at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $149-$189 per vehicle at axs.com.
Get the Led Out is a group of professional musicians who are passionate about their love of the music of Led Zeppelin. It’s been their mission to bring the studio recordings of “the mighty Zep” to life on the big concert stage. This is not an impersonator act, but rather a group of musicians who were fans first, striving to do justice to one of the greatest bands in rock history.
Vic DiBetetto
Friday, July 9
Gates at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $159-$259 per vehicle at axs.com.
Vic DiBitetto is a New York stand-up comedian, Internet personality, and actor. Often referring to himself as the “Donkey of Comedy” or the “Working Class Zero,” his pace is frenetic. He holds no hostages. He says what you are thinking but are afraid to say out loud. He is blue collar comedy in a red sauce.
DiBitetto has 1.2 million followers on social media and over 500 million video views worldwide. He is featured regularly on the nationally syndicated daytime TV show “Right This Minute” and is currently the host of digital TV show “Vic’s Picks” for Hearst Digital/Entertainment. He has created many viral video characters like Tony Gaga, That Guy, Frankie Pentangelli, Fool by the Pool, and Ticked Off Vic. His Yankee and Giant locker room satires are now legendary, and his hilarious bread and milk video is like a Christmas carol that comes back on the Internet, TV, radio, and news outlets every time it snows almost anywhere in the world.
Steve Earle
Sunday, July 25
Gates at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $179-$279 per vehicle at axs.com.
Steve Earle is one of the most acclaimed singer/songwriters of his generation, a worthy heir to Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, his two supreme musical mentors. Over the course of 20 studio albums, Earle has distinguished himself as a master storyteller, and his songs have been recorded by a vast array of artists, including Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, The Pretenders, and more.
The Circle Drive-In opened its 2021 season on March 13 with coronavirus safety protocols still in place, and its popular Flea Fair returned on March 14.
The Circle has a 1,000 car capacity and typically shows movies on its main 5,000 square foot screen and adjacent smaller screen on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights from April through September, including double features. During the pandemic last year, it extended its hours and began hosting live drive-in concerts on Aug. 30.
The venue first opened as a drive-in theater on Sept. 10, 1949, making it one of the longest-running drive-ins in the United States. Today, it uses digital projection and audio but maintains a classic feel with its old signage and fully stocked refreshment stand.
The Circle also holds special events like the seasonal Circle of Screams haunted attraction, the NEPA Horror Film Festival, Cult Movie Club screenings, and themed movie nights in addition to parties, weddings, fundraisers, and music.
Photo by Rich Howells/NEPA Scene
