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| Photo provided Stage Fright is a four-member band formed as a tribute to "The Band" of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Shown are (from left to right): Mike Nickerson (foreground on left), Mike Watkins, Sean Monroe and Joe Callahan (foreground on right). |
On Friday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m., Stage Fright will perform a special tribute concert to The Band, a Canadian-American roots rock group formed in Toronto, Canada in 1967. The concert will be in the Coolidge Theatre at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro.
The Wellsboro House Restaurant and Brewery is co-sponsoring this concert with the Deane Center and will be selling beverages during the event.
Stage Fright will recreate The Last Waltz, The Band's farewell concert given on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 1976 at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California. Joining the group for this performance will be special guest musicians who will represent famous artists that performed during the Last Waltz concert, which was featured in the Martin Scorsese documentary film of the same name.
Among those musical legends were Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Neil Diamond and Paul Butterfield.
Members of Stage Fright are: Joe Callahan of Wellsboro on guitar; Sean Monroe of Horseheads, N.Y. on bass guitar; Mike Watkins of Addison, N.Y. on piano, organ, accordion, mandolin and fiddle; and Mike Nickerson of Corning, N.Y. on percussion.
The four share vocals and do a lot of harmonies. Watkins, Nickerson and Callahan grew up in Tioga County, Pa.
"For five years we have been playing songs from the Band’s entire catalog, including all the usual hits, along with some deep-cuts as well - under-appreciated gems we love," said Callahan. "Our first tribute concert to The Band was in August of 2015. Sean had wanted to start a tribute group for The Band for a long time and recruited us. We rehearse at Mike Watkins' house, which is on a lake in the woods in Addison N.Y. The Band actually rehearsed at a home in the woods in Woodstock, N.Y.," Callahan noted.
Stage Fright's name came from the title of The Band's third studio album, which included "Stage Fright" as its title track.
The Band, originally the backing band for Bob Dylan, released their debut album, "Music from Big Pink" in 1968 to critical acclaim.
The group also released "The Band," "Stage Fright", "Cahoots", "Rock of Ages", "Moondog Matinee", "Planet Waves" with Dylan, ""Before the Flood", "Northern Lights -- Southern Cross", "The Best of The Band" in 1976, "Islands", and their last album, "The Last Waltz."
"From 1968 to 1975, The Band was one of the most popular and influential rock groups in the world," according to Bruce Eder who wrote about them in an article published in the "All-Music Guide."
"Their music was embraced by critics as seriously as the music of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones," Eder stated. "Their albums were analyzed and reviewed as intensely as any records by their one-time employer and sometime mentor Bob Dylan. And, for a long time, their personalities were as recognizable individually to the casual music public as the members of the Beatles."
The five members of "The Band" in 1968 included Rick Danko on bass, Levon Helm on drums and guitar, Richard Manuel on piano, Garth Hudson on organ and Robbie Robertson on rhythm guitar. In 1973, the group played "one major show at the race track in Watkins Glen, N.Y. before the largest audience ever assembled for a concert -- it was a demonstration of their place in the rock pantheon that the Band was booked alongside the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers Band," Eder wrote.
"Seating is limited to provide space for social distancing," said Kevin Connelly, Deane Center executive director. "We are asking concertgoers to wear a mask when entering the building and when they are not at their tables or in their seats. The Deane Center's COVID-19 safety protocols have been reviewed by the Tioga County Coronavirus Task Force and found to be adequate. The task force has no objections to our staging of this concert," Connelly said. "It is NOT BYOB (bring your own food and beverages)," he added.
To attend, reservations must be made in advance. There are two options. Reserve a table that seats one to four people for $40 or Individual tiered riser seats for $10 each by calling the Deane Center at 570-724-6220 or stopping in at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro between 10am and 2pm weekdays. There are no additional fees.
For more information about this concert and others, call the Deane Center at 570-724-6220, email office@deanecenter.com or visit deanecenter.com.
