Low Cut Connie was replaced by an AC/DC cover band after Luzerne County wanted to be ‘free of politics and propaganda.’ That didn’t go as planned.
The Philly band was removed from a Wilkes-Barre concert series. Luzerne County stepped into a bigger controversy while finding its replacement.
The Low Cut Connie in Luzerne County saga continues.
It all started on Monday when Adam Weiner, the piano-pounding frontman of the Philly band, posted a video on social media stating that his scheduled show at the Rockin’ the River series in Wilkes-Barre had been canceled “for political reasons.”
He suggested that reasons were related to his support of “diversity” and “inclusion” in the face of the Trump administration’s anti-DEI stance, and also because of the pro-immigrant message of the band’s recent single “Living in the U.S.A.”.
Weiner’s suspicion seemed to be confirmed when Luzerne County manager Romilda Crocamo issued a statement saying the concert was canceled — and Low Cut Connie was being replaced by the AC/DC tribute band Halfway to Hell — because “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.”
Last fall, Crocamo was sued over her decision not to provide any drop boxes for mail-in voters during the general election — a fact Low Cut Connie fans were quick to point out online.
On Tuesday, Crocamo, who is a Democrat, spoke to the Wilkes-Barre radio station WILK-FM (103.1). She said she had canceled the Low Cut Connie show out of fear there would be violence at the show because of the charged and contentious political climate in Luzerne County, where Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris with 59% of the vote in November.
“It’s getting very hot up here,” she told the hosts of The Nancy and Jason Show, without citing any specific threats. “I cannot guarantee the safety and security of my staff, and not only the musicians, but the residents, if the music becomes political. We’re tired of this yelling and screaming at each other. No one’s listening to each other.”
Then the story took a nastier turn.
Scranton TV station Newswatch 16 reported that Halfway to Hell singer Forrest Kline had pleaded guilty to a second-degree felony sex crime in Luzerne County in the 2000s and served a year in incarceration.
“The original band seemed to be canceled for petty political reasons, and then they put this band in without doing any research,” Rich Howells, editor of music and entertainment site NEPA Scene, told Newswatch 16.
When the TV station contacted Kline, he said: “I am not scheduled to perform, and I am not performing at that event. No further comment.”
Crocamo was informed of Kline’s court record by Newswatch 16, and admitted that she hadn’t been involved in the selection of Low Cut Connie’s replacement.
“I was not the person who decided to have this particular band play, but now that I have this information, I’m going to review it and we’ll have a decision,” she said.
» READ MORE: Wanting to be ‘free of politics and propaganda,’ Luzerne County cancels Low Cut Connie’s Wilkes-Barre show
That decision was made public in a news release on Thursday, which began by proclaiming “The Show Must Go On!”
Friday’s Rockin’ the River concert — the last of the season presented by Visit Luzerne County — will still be headlined by an AC/DC cover band, just a different one.
Halfway to Hell are out, and Back in Black: A Tribute to AC/DC are in.
Additionally, Aaron Fink & the Fury, who were originally scheduled to be Low Cut Connie’s opening act, is no longer on the bill. They have been replaced by another cover band called Bat Out of Hell: A Tribute to Meatloaf.
The free show with the two tribute bands is at 5 p.m. Friday at Circle in downtown Wilkes-Barre.
Despite the brouhaha, Low Cut Connie might soon be playing a free concert series in northeast Pennsylvania after all. Allentown Mayor Matthew Tuerk is hoping to book the band at his city’s ArtsQuest’s Friday Concerts at Union Terrace Amphitheater.
“I’m offering an open invitation for Low Cut Connie,” he told the Morning Call. “I’m rolling out the red carpet. We don’t discriminate against bands for whatever political views they might have.”
Back home in the Philadelphia region, Low Cut Connie will play King of Prussia’s Concerts Under the Stars series on Aug. 1, with the highly entertaining opening act, Fantastic Cat.
More information at concertsunderthestarskop.com.