Indie duo closes Greensburg concert season expected to match previous high attendance

Sep. 3—Couples of all ages and families, too, turned out Friday evening to enjoy the guitar stylings and harmonized vocals of indie folk-pop duo The Sea, The Sea — the final act in this season's Summer­Sounds weekly concert series at Greensburg's St. Clair Park.

Regular attendee Lynne Roth of Hempfield came with her husband, son, three grandsons, pet dog and friends.

"It's something to look forward to the whole week," she said, praising the Friends of SummerSounds volunteer group that stages the shows. "I wish that more people would take advantage of it.

"When you come here every week, you get to know other people, and you run into people from your past."

Roth and her family were among the nearly 8,000 music lovers who filled the hillside above the Robertshaw Amphitheater on July 1 for this season's biggest draw: Elton Rohn, an Elton John tribute artist.

It was a thrill for the family to be invited up on stage for a photo opportunity with the performer. But Roth's favorite act this year was Remember Jones, who brought his "glam-soul" repertoire to the park Aug. 12.

"It was like a Broadway show," she said.

Remember Jones also left an impression on Joseph Chopyak of South Greensburg, who attended Friday's concert with his wife, Diane.

"It was a little bit of hip-hop, a little bit of funk and lively," he said. "Our grandchildren would have loved it. He never stood still."

This season of SummerSounds was on track to match 2019 attendance, which reached a high of about 34,900.

"We had a very clear trend of growth in attendance for about 10 years," said Gene James, chairman of the Friends of SummerSounds board. "It's sort of leveled off since then."

At least one tribute band often is included in the mix. Based on the enthusiastic response to acts devoted to the music of Elton John and Steely Dan this year, there may be greater emphasis on such bands going forward, James said.

Average attendance at a SummerSounds concert is about 2,600 people, according to James, compared to the numbers Elton Rohn commanded and the roughly 5,400 who came to see Reelin' In The Years last week.

"We're going to aim for two or three tribute bands a year," he said. "It's what the audience wants."

Henry and Mary Ann Padlo drove from Saltsburg for Friday's show, though they weren't familiar with the headline act.

"We just came to see how it is," said Henry Padlo.

Though the Padlos haven't been to as many of the Greensburg concerts since the covid-10 pandemic arrived, they still enjoy the opportunity to experience live music with no admission fee.

The variety of genres included in each season means the series offers something to satisfy both their musical tastes.

"He likes the hard rock and I like the oldies," Mary Ann Padlo said.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff by email at jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .