Comedy, tributes lead area events
BY JIM RADENHAUSEN
TNEDITOR@TNONLINE.COM
Andrew Dice Clay and his brash brand of comedy lead the entertainment events set for local and regional venues over the next couple of weeks.
Clay, who MTV banned for life at one point following his appearance at the 1989 Video Music Awards, will perform at Penn’s Peak. The latter will also host shows by a Journey tribute group and jam band moe.
Over at Mauch Chunk Opera House, the Billy Bauer Band will pay tribute to Dave Matthews. The Deb Callahan Band, a blues/soul act, will also perform at the opera house.
The Mahoning Drive-In Theater, meanwhile, will host events for retro-film fans. The schedule includes the latest VHS Fest and Troma-thon, the latter with director/writer Lloyd Kaufman in attendance.
PENN’S PEAK
325 Maury Road, Jim Thorpe
866-605-7325, pennspeak.com
• Separate Ways, 8 p.m. July 7. The group. performing the music of Journey, recreates the band’s mid-1980s lineup, which featured Steve Perry and Neal Schon, among others.
• Summer Deck Parties, 6:30 p.m. July 13 and 20. Mystery City, which plays classic rock covers, will perform June 13, while Shellshocked Churchills, a rock cover band playing songs from the 1970s to the present, will perform July 20.
• moe., 7:30 p.m. July 14. The jam band, formed in Buffalo, New York, features Chuck Garvey, Rob Derhak and Al Schnier, among others. With 12 studio albums to its credit, moe. released its first, “Fatboy,” in 1992, and most recent, “This is Not, We Are,” in 2020.
• Andrew Dice Clay, 8 p.m. July 15. Born in Brooklyn, New York, “The Diceman” started his stand-up career in the late 1970s. Clay, who released his debut comedy album “Dice” in 1988, appeared in films such as 1990s “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane,” 2013’s “Blue Jasmine” and 2018’s “A Star is Born.” His TV credits include HBO’s “Entourage” and various comedies. In 2015, Clay released an autobiography, “The Filthy Truth.”
MAUCH CHUNK OPERA HOUSE
14 W. Broadway, Jim Thorpe
570-325-0249, mcohjt.com
• Billy Bauer Band, 8 p.m. July 15. Based in Bethlehem, the group - featuring singer-songwriter Bauer, among others - will perform a tribute to Dave Matthews. The alternative/acoustic-rock band, formed in 20006, has released albums such as “Another Day is Coming” and “Live at Sherman Theater.” The Billy Bauer Band has opened for acts such as Third Eye Blind, Tim Reynolds and Gin Blossoms.
• Deb Callahan Band, 8 p.m. July 21. Callahan, a blues singer-songwriter and longtime Philadelphia resident, released her first studio album in 2002, with her latest “Backbone,” out earlier this year. Callahan’s band consists of Allen James, Garry Lee and Tom Walling.
THE STITCH AT TAMAQUA
COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER
125 Pine St., Tamaqua
570-668-1192, tamaquaarts.org
• We May Be Right, 7 p.m. July 15. A New York City skyline sets the backdrop as the band plays “Piano Man” Billy Joel‘s biggest hits and some deep cuts.
THE MAHONING DRIVE-IN
635 Seneca Road, Lehighton
610-683-7243, mahoningdit.com
• VHS Fest 7, 3 p.m. July 7 and 8, however July 8 is sold out. The event will include a marketplace and film screenings straight from VHS. Guests include Patty Mullen, star of “Doom Asylum” and 1990s “Frankenhooker.” Aside from “Doom Asylum,“ the theater will screen 1992’s “Winterbeast” and 1991’s “Killer Nerd.” Showtime at sundown.
• Reel Rumble IV, 3 p.m. July 9. The Lehigh Valley Athletics Council and the theater will present the event, featuring live wrestling, a vendor market and wrestling cinema. At sundown, the theater will screen 1973’s “Santo and the Blue Demon vs. Dracula and the Wolf Man,” presented digitally in an English-dubbed version.
• Troma-thon, 6 p.m. July 14 and 15. The event will include an appearance by Lloyd Kaufman, director/screenwriter/actor and face of B-movie film studio Troma Entertainment. The event will include six films, live bands and a preview of Retroware’s new “Toxic Crusaders” video game. Showtime at sundown.
• Times News Night: “Superman: The Movie,” 6 p.m. July 20. The theater will screen Richard Donner’s “Superman,” celebrating its 45th anniversary, on 35mm. The film, part of a series commemorating newspapers on film, stars Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder. The Times News booth will offer free copies of the newspaper. Showtime at sundown.
COUNTRY JUNCTION
6565 Interchange Road, Lehighton
610-377-5050, countryjunction.com
• Grandparents Weekend, July 8 and 9. The event will include free entry on carnival rides, bumper cars, and laser tag with grandparent sticker, plus a grandparent family photo spot.
• Blueberry Weekend, July 15 and 16. The event will include kids activities, along with fresh blueberries, homemade baked goods, blueberry parfait and more.
WIND CREEK EVENT CENTER
77 Wind Creek Blvd., Bethlehem
610-297-7414, windcreekeventcenter.com
• Vegas McGraw, 8 p.m. July 8. Adam D. Tucker, performing the music of Tim McGraw for a decade-plus, has opened for acts such as Taylor Swift and Reba McEntire. In 2021, Tucker won episode three of the E! TV series “Clash Of The Cover Bands.”
• Peter Frampton, 8 p.m. July 15. His biggest hits include “Show Me the Way,” “Baby I Love Your Way” and “Do You Feel Like We Do,” from 1976’s “Frampton Comes Alive,” and the 1977 single “I’m in You.”
• Dirty Heads, 7 p.m. July 16. Formed in 1996 in Huntington Beach, California, the reggae rock band features Jared “Dirty J” Watson and Dustin “Duddy B” Bushnell, among others. The act’s hit singles include “Lay Me Down,” “My Sweet Summer,” “Vacation” and “Life’s Been Good.”
SHERMAN THEATER
524 Main St., Stroudsburg
570-420-2808, shermantheater.com
• Kottenmouth Kings, 8 p.m. July 8. Formed in 1996 in Placentia, California, the rap-rock group released its debut studio album, “Royal Highness,” in 1998. Kottenmouth Kings features, among others, original member D-Loc, who has released several solo albums. The act released its 14th studio set, “25 to Life,” in 2021.
• Summer Stage Concerts, Blue Ridge Saylorsburg Flea Market, 648 Route 115, Saylorsburg. The schedule is: Satisfaction/The International Rolling Stones Show, 7 p.m. July 12; Steel Panther, 8 p.m. July 15; and Fleetwood Macked, 7 p.m. July 19.
MOUNT AIRY CASINO RESORT
312 Woodland Road, Mount Pocono
877-682-4791, mountairycasino.com
• Vic DiBitetto, 8 p.m. July 8, Event Center. Born in Brooklyn, New York, the comedian began his stand-up career in 1981. In February 2013, DiBitetto’s “Bread and Milk” YouTube video - a response to the nor’easter from that month - went viral and boosted his career. In 2014, Kevin James invited him to play a minor role in “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2.”