First Posted: 6/1/2015
Rain or shine, the crowd came to party– and 98.5 KRZ definitely brought the heat.
Sunday night’s Summer Smash concert, sponsored by 98.5 KRZ and Coordinated Health, featured a diverse billing of Top 40 and pop music’s latest up and comers, such as Life of Dillon, Andy Grammer, R5 and Flo Rida.
Even before the show, concertgoers were getting in the Summer Smash spirit.
“Got here at a quarter to four with our table,” said Anjelica Marsola of Avoca, with her own “Red Cup” in hand, paying homage to the Flo Rida hit.
“This is my third summer smash,” added Samantha Pollack of Clarks Summit. “It’s always a good show. I’m excited for Flo Rida.”
Though Flo Rida was the headliner, fans were out to see all of the acts.
“I’m here for Andy Grammer,” said Brandon Marsola of Pittston.
All of the KRZ personalities were on hand to emcee the event, and Jumpin’ Jeff Walker and Amanda even launched KRZ Summer Smash T-shirts into the crowd.
The show opened with London-based pop act Life of Dillon. Known for their breakthrough hit “Overload,” they warmed up the crowd with their fun, catchy blend of pop rock with reggae undertones.
“We came all the way across the pond, and this is English weather,” Life of Dillon lead singer David Keiffer joked with the crowd.
Following Life of Dillon, top 40 pop newcomer Andy Grammer took the stage. Reminiscent of a blend of Jason Mraz and John Mayer, Grammer charmed the crowd with his feel-good acoustic guitar and pop-rock sensibility.
Grammer broke out the keytar on “Kiss Your Soul,” as well as his signature loop-pedal tricks to perfect his one-man show.
Known for his two major radio hits, “Keep Your Head Up” and “Honey, I’m Good” kept the crowd on their feet.
Watching R5 take stage was reminiscent of the early days of Beatlemania- the entire Toyota Pavilion was echoing with the excited screams and shrieks of the R5 fans who came out.
“R5 is my favorite, I love Ross,” exclaimed Taylor Guarneri of Pittston. “I’ve seen them twice before this, but this is my first KRZ Summer Smash.”
The power-pop quartet from Los Angeles, California consists of four siblings Ross, Riker, Rocky and Rydel Lynch and Ellington Ratliff. Their name, R5, lends itself to the fact that all five members have names that start with the letter “R.”
The energy was palpable as they took the stage, with bassist Riker constantly spinning in motion as the band fed off the crowd’s energy.
Known for their hit “Let’s Not Be Alone Tonight,” R5 has a familiar pop-rock feel, reminiscent of the Jonas Brothers and 5 Seconds of Summer coupled with an ambitious arena rock twist.
As Flo Rida prepared to take the stage, the sky seemed to open up at Montage Mountain with heavy rain and thunder. However, to quote his hit, “Low,” Flo Rida “let it rain.”
Flo Rida covered all of his hits at Summer Smash, giving a set filled with his signature unmistakable energy.
On stage, his ensemble featured “The Wild Ones” backup singers and dancers as well as DJ Chronic, helping him out with hits such as “Good Feeling,” “Wobble,” “Club Can’t Handle Me (Right Now),” “GDFR,” “Wild Ones,” and “Whistle.”
During his medley of “Where Them Girls At” and his chart-topping smash hit “Low,” Flo Rida pulled women from the crowd to accompany him on stage as well as tossing out red roses to the crowd.
“Every time I’m in Scranton, it’s some next level type of thing,” Flo Rida shouted.
During “Red Cup,” he had special guest Gorilla Zoe come out to perform on the featured track.
“I love PA,” said Gorilla Zoe.
Flo Rida even gave some love to his fans– to end his set, he and his on stage entourage worked their way into the crowd and offered to “take selfies with anyone who wants one.”
“I don’t like coming here,” shouted Flo Rida. “I love coming here!”
