New lineup announced for Friday’s Rockin’ the River concert

Weather permitting, Friday’s final 2025 Rockin’ the River performance in Wilkes-Barre will be held with a completely new roster of performers because the two scheduled acts have both withdrawn, Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo announced Thursday in a statement that said “The show must go on!”

The new line-up: Back In Black: A Tribute to AC/DC and Bat Out of Hell: A Tribute to Meatloaf.

This is the third scheduling change this week — a situation that has prompted Crocamo to pledge she will be directly involved in future selections of acts for the popular free July concert series at the River Common recreation area along the Susquehanna River.

The two original performers were Low Cut Connie and Aaron Fink & The Fury.

Disclosure that the Philadelphia-based Low Cut Connie would not be performing came Monday when frontman, pianist and songwriter Adam Weiner publicly accused the event promoters of cancelling its performance due to politics.

Low Cut Connie was replaced with Halfway to Hell: A Tribute to AC/DC. Crocamo said Thursday that Halfway to Hell withdrew through a mutual agreement.

Crocamo said she learned from a reporter that one performer in Halfway to Hell had pleaded guilty in 2007 to a felony sexual assault charge and had been sentenced to one to two years in prison. As a result, Crocamo said she made it clear she was uncomfortable with continuing that performance engagement, and the group decided to withdraw without seeking payment.

In comparison, a payment was made to Low Cut Connie due to contractual requirements, Crocamo has said, emphasizing the money was from an event sponsorship fund and not the county’s general fund operating budget. The performance agreement between Visit Luzerne County, Arrival Artists and Low Cut Connie required a $1,000 deposit to Arrival Artists — the booking agency — and a $9,000 check to Low Cut Connie.

Aaron Fink & The Fury withdrew for reasons that had nothing to do with either of these situations, officials said.

When a rain date was being discussed for September, Aaron Fink of the band Aaron Fink & The Fury said the group would not be available because he will on tour at that time with the band Earshot. It was then mutually decided that Aaron Fink & The Fury would play Rockin’ the River next year.

Rockin’ the River shows are free for all ages. Gates open at 5 p.m., and music starts at 6 p.m. There will be food trucks and beverage vendors. It will be the final show of the three-week series.

The shows are presented by Visit Luzerne County in cooperation with the Riverfront Parks Committee. Major sponsors are Geisinger, Mountain Productions, PSC, Lewith & Freeman, DiscoverNEPA and the City of Wilkes-Barre.

“We are keeping our eye on the forecast,” Crocamo said in the statement. “If things look good on Friday, we are ready to go with the final Rockin’ The River show of 2025.”

She continued: “For the past six weeks, we’ve heard from many people that were excited about the AC/DC tribute, and though we did change bands, we are happy to be bringing in another AC/DC act that is looking forward to rocking the river.”

Crocamo said attendees will have an opportunity to dunk county officials.

She and several county council members “will be taking the hot seat” to raise funds for the county sheriff department’s explosive-sniffing canine Hylee, she said.

“Gather your friends and get ready to rock the night away with us at the Rockin’ the River finale!” her statement said.

Weiner, of Low Cut Connie, had posted on social media that his show was cancelled for “political reasons.”

“The promoters in Luzerne County, PA feel that this weekend’s Low Cut Connie show in Wilkes-Barre will be too controversial and polarizing. Low Cut Connie shows are quite the opposite!!” the post stated.

In response, Crocamo released this statement Monday: “Our goal is to have a place where we can enjoy music, food, promote our community, have fun, be safe and free of politics and propaganda.”

This is the seventh annual free Rockin’ the River summer concert series at the River Common recreational facility along the Susquehanna River. Based on past attendance, the three Friday evening concerts on July 11, 18 and 25 were each projected to draw crowds exceeding 3,000.

In a video Weiner also posted Monday, Weiner said the event promoters indicated the band’s performance was cancelled for political reasons but did not elaborate.

Weiner said in the video he speaks about diversity and inclusion in his performances and recently released a song, “Livin in the USA,” that “speaks to the terror, the unease, the fear that so many people in the United States are experiencing right now because of these ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids that are absolutely inhumane and anti-American.”

“I will not stop speaking about that,” he said of the ICE raids. “For all these reasons, the organizers of this event feel that my show is too controversial. It’s going to alienate people and be too polarizing, so they cancelled the show.”

Crocamo said Thursday the decision to cancel Low Cut Connie “was entirely based on safety and security concerns.”

“Going forward, I will be intimately involved in the decision-making and vetting of future performers, along with making the selection committee more diverse and inclusive to represent the tapestry of residents of Luzerne County,” Crocamo said.

Although the performances are funded through outside sponsorships, special consideration of acts is warranted because Rockin’ the River concerts are on public land and associated with the county through its tourism office, Crocamo said.

“As we wrap up another season of fantastic music, I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the community for their patience and support throughout the summer. I remain dedicated to providing a vibrant gathering space where friends and families can come together to share good times and create lasting memories,” she said, citing Friedrich Nietzsche’s quote that “without music, life would be a mistake.”

“I understand the joy that this concert series brings to the people of Luzerne County,” she said.