Community Corner

Fabulous Thunderbirds Launch Free Concert Series

The first full season of the Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks Summer Concert Series begins Saturday with blues rockers. 53 free shows planned through September 1.

 

Blues rockers The Fabulous Thunderbirds featuring Kim Wilson and the 20-plus piece orchestra Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica kick off the first full season of free summer concerts at the Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks in Bethlehem this weekend.

The Fabulous Thunderbirds will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, while Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica will take the stage at, 7 p.m. Sunday, as the headliner of the ‘Luau at Levitt’ celebration at SteelStacks.

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Patrons are invited to bring their lawn chairs and blankets, relax under the stars and enjoy free music on both evenings.

From May 26-Sept. 1, the Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks Summer Concert Series presented by Highmark Blue Shield will welcome 53 artists to the SteelStacks campus.

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This will be the first full season of free summer concerts at the Levitt. The permanent outdoor concert stage did not open until July 2 last summer – just months after the SteelStacks arts campus first opened to the public.

The pavilion is named for Mortimer Levitt, a world famous haberdasher and philanthropist who established a charity to build free concert stages in cities across the country. Bethlehem is the sixth such venue. Last year, the Mortimer Levitt Foundation to build the stage and finance five summers worth of performances.

The opening night act, The Fabulous Thunderbirds have been the quintessential American band for more than 30 years. The thread throughout the group’s career has been the respect it commands for its peerless musicianship and devotion to the sounds of blues, R&B and rock ’n’ roll.

In 1979, it released its self-titled debut album, and in 1986 it reached widespread commercial success with the release of the album Tuff Enuff, which featured the singles “Tuff Enuff,” “Wrap It Up” and “Look At That,” all of which went Top 40.

On May 27 from 4 p.m.-midnight, SteelStacks will celebrate the start of summer with the Luau at Levitt featuring free live music, hula hoop contests for kids, a Hawaiian shirt contest, pig roast, food and drink from the South Pacific and more.

Highlighting the evening will be the 7 p.m. performance by Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica, which showcases the supersonic, space-age bachelor-pad sounds of Juan Garcia Esquivel. A studio orchestra arranger in the ’50s and ’60s, Esquivel was known for his use of blistering brass, boisterous Latin percussion, wordless vocals and mid-century Hollywood sound. One of the original exploiters of the stereo (two-channel) sound format, Esquivel released many albums intended only for hi-fi listening at home that were never performed live until now thanks to Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica.

The 2012 Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks Summer Concert Series presented by Highmark Blue Shield will also feature performances by The Soul Rebels, Orleans, Firefall, Duke Ellington Legacy Band and more.

In addition, Saturday mornings in June and July, families are invited to enjoy some of the finest children’s performers in the nation during the Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks Family Series presented by Good Shepherd Pediatrics.

The series will run until July 29, then take a two week hiatus for Musikfest, when the Levitt is used as the free Americaplatz stage. The series picks up again on August 16 and concludes on September 1 with an end-of-summer bash featuring Joe Grushecky and the House Rockers.

The complete list of 2012 performers is as follows:

MAY

  • May 26, 7 p.m.- The Fabulous Thunderbirds featuring Kim Wilson (Blues/Rock)
  • May 27, 7 p.m.- Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica (Orchestra, Polynesian)

JUNE

  • June 1, 7 p.m.- Boris Garcia (Jam)
  • June 2, 11 a.m.- African Benga Stars (Children’s) - presented by Good Shepherd Pediatrics
  • June 2, 7 p.m.- Flowdown (Funk/R&B)
  • June 8, 7 p.m.- Feufollet (World/Cajun)
  • June 9, 11 a.m.- Bash The Trash (Children’s) - presented by Good Shepherd Pediatrics
  • June 9, 7 p.m.- The Bobby Kyle Band with the Hot Horns (R&B)
  • June 15, 7 p.m.- Miracles of Modern Science (Indie Rock)
  • June 16, 11 a.m.- The Deedle Deedle Dees (Children’s) - presented by Good Shepherd Pediatrics
  • June 16, 7 p.m.- Frank Viele & The Manhattan Project (R&B)
  • June 17, 7 p.m.- Tartanic (Celtic Rock)
  • June 22, 8:30 p.m.- Luisito Rosario & Orchestra (Latin)
  • June 23, 11 a.m.- Hector Rosado Latin and Caribbean Drum Workshop (Children’s) - presented by Good Shepherd Pediatrics
  • June 23, 8:30 p.m.- Santa Mamba (Latin)
  • June 24, 7 p.m.- BELEZA! (Latin/Brazilian)
  • June 29, 7 p.m.- Avi Wisnia (Contemporary Jazz)
  • June 30, 11 a.m.- Stacey Peasley Band (Children’s) - presented by Good Shepherd Pediatrics
  • June 30, 7 p.m.- Craig Thatcher Band (Blues/Rock)

JULY

  • July 1, 7 p.m.- Comas (Irish)
  • July 5, 7 p.m.- Hollywood Nights (Classic Rock)
  • July 6, 7 p.m.- Masters of Motown (Revue)
  • July 7, 11 a.m.- Seona McDowell (Children’s) - presented by Good Shepherd Pediatrics
  • July 7, 7 p.m.- Orquesta Rumba Con Son (Latin)
  • July 8, 7 p.m.- Soul Rebels (Blues/R&B)
  • July 11, 11 a.m.- Big Bang Room (Children’s) - presented by Good Shepherd Pediatrics
  • July 12, 7 p.m.- Tom Chapin Band (Light Adult Contemporary)
  • July 13, 7 p.m.- Keys N Krates (Indie Rock)
  • July 14, 11 a.m.- Miss Amy & her Big Kids Band (Children’s) - presented by Good Shepherd Pediatrics
  • July 14, 7 p.m.- Duke Ellington Legacy Band (Big Band)
  • July 15, 7 p.m.- Steel Wheels (Americana)
  • July 18, 11 a.m.- Moona Luna (Children’s) - presented by Good Shepherd Pediatrics
  • July 19, 7 p.m.- Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem (Bluegrass/Roots)
  • July 20, 7 p.m.- Sprag Session (World/Celtic)
  • July 21, 11 a.m.- Princess Katie and Racer Steve (Children’s) - presented by Good Shepherd Pediatrics
  • July 21, 7 p.m.- Holy Ghost Tent Revival (Rockabilly)
  • July 22, 7 p.m.- Please Please Me (Indie Rock)
  • July 26, 7 p.m.- Incendio (Rock)
  • July 27, 7 p.m.- Karen Lovely (Blues)
  • July 28, 11 a.m.- The Anna Banana Band (Children’s) - presented by Good Shepherd Pediatrics
  • July 28, 7 p.m.- Orleans Trio (Adult Contemporary)
  • July 29, 7 p.m.- Shonen Knife (Pop/Punk/Rock)

AUGUST

  • Aug. 16, 7 p.m.- The Doo Wop Project featuring members of “The Jersey Boys” (Doo Wop/A cappella)
  • Aug. 17, 7 p.m.- Dirty Dozen Brass Band (New Orleans/R&B)
  • Aug. 18, 7 p.m.- Firefall Trio (Adult Contemporary)
  • Aug. 19, 7 p.m.- HuDost (World)
  • Aug. 23, 7 p.m.- Tartan Terrors (Celtic/Scottish/Bag Pipes)
  • Aug. 24, 7 p.m.- The Prodigals (Celtic)
  • Aug. 25, 7 p.m.- Junior Toots (Reggae)
  • Aug. 26, 7 p.m.- Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys (Zydeco/Cajun)
  • Aug. 30, 7 p.m.- Classical Jam (Contemporary Strings)
  • Aug. 31, 7 p.m.- Jazz City Jump Orchestra (Swing, R&B, Dance)

SEPTEMBER


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