The Canadian band, The Guess Who, known for hits such as ‘American Woman,’ ‘These Eyes,’ and ‘No Time,’ performed in Wilkes-Barre’s Public Square on Saturday. The free concert won’t be the last, Mayor George C. Brown promised.
Hannah Simerson | Times Leader
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Wilkes-Barre’s free concert by The Guess Who drew over 5,000 people to Public Square on Saturday evening.
Hannah Simerson | Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE — Over 5,000 people gathered on Public Square for the city’s free The Guess Who concert on Saturday evening.
Featuring an opening performance from local, blues-injected, rock n’ roll trio, Dustin Douglas and the Electric Gentlemen and plenty of local food trucks, the event marked just one more opportunity for the community to gather before the summer slips away.
The Guess Who, now composed of Garry Peterson, Derek Sharp, Michael Devin, Leonard Shaw and Michael Staertow, produced chart topping hits in the late ’60s and early ’70s with an impressive catalogue of songs including “American Woman,” “These Eyes,” and “No Time.”
The Canadian band released 11 studio albums and charted 14 Top 40 hit singles — two of which went to number one in the United States.
The Guess Who proved that their fan base spans multiple generations during Saturday’s concert, as folks of all ages flocked to Public Square with their folding chairs and The Guess Who t-shirts in tow.
In an address to the audience before The Guess Who took the stage, Mayor George C. Brown revealed that the concert took inspiration from other events put on in the city in recent months.
“We were so impressed with the other things we put on in the city — Rockin’ the River, the Fine Arts Fiesta — and I said to my team, ‘we’ve got to provide a free concert, quality music, a name band that we can bring people out and have a wonderful night,’” Brown said.
“I just want you to have a good time tonight — make a memory with your family and friends,” he added.
And, from the looks of it, folks won’t soon forget the time they spent on Public Square on Saturday evening.
For Kathie Lietz, of Wilkes-Barre, and Donna Sirkin, of Kingston, the concert is yet another event in the city to cross off of their to-do lists.
The pair attended each of the concerts in the Rockin’ the River concert series put on last month, as well as the performance by the Spin Doctors during this year’s Fine Arts Fiesta on Public Square.
“Any place where there’s music and food is a good place to be,” Sirkin said.
“I think these events do everything for the community,” she added.
And Lietz was quick to agree, noting how the community is able to bond in unique ways at events like this.
“These events are like soul glue — they glue our souls together,” Lietz said.
But for some, Saturday’s concert was the first they’d attended this summer.
Such is the case for Hanover Twp. residents Rose Jones and David Phillies, who were drawn to Public Square in the hopes of catching one of the last concerts of the summer.
According to Jones, the heat kept them from attending the Rockin’ the River concerts, but Saturday’s weather proved to be just right.
“I think it’s all really nice,” Jones said.
“If it wasn’t so hot, I would have gone to the other concerts, but today is beautiful,” she added.
Folks like Jones and Phillies that might have missed any of the local concerts this summer can find relief in a promise from Mayor Brown that more are to come.
“Every summer from now on — for as long as I’m mayor — we’re going to have a free rock concert for you,” he said to an applauding crowd.