Patchouli rounded out the crunchy ambiance.Ĭabinet, consisting of JP Biondo on Mandolin, Mickey Covielle on Guitar, Pappy Biondo on Banjo, Dylan Skursky on Bass, Todd Kopec on fiddle and Jami Novak on the skins, came out of the gate swinging with a ‘Poor Man’s Blues’ opener. The crowd quickly filled the rest of the place as the opening act, East Bound Jesus, played a solid set of banjo-driven jams capped with a raucous cover of ‘Eastbound & Down.’ The floor was soon packed with tie-dyed denizens and twirling ladies in peasant dresses and hemp-necklaces. What more could you want? My compadres and I found our seats in the balcony – a great option if you want a more laid-back atmosphere to watch the show. The staff is pleasant and they sell cheap Dogfish Head beer. We made our way through the light drizzle to the Opera House – one of the nicest and most intimate venues I’ve ever patronized. The historic town has quite the burgeoning art scene and my friends and I had the pleasure of listening to some Neil Young covers performed by a local singer /guitarist while pre-gaming with the hippie-heavy crowd at the Broadway pub. I’ve been a fan since catching them at the River Street Jazz café in Plains Township, just outside of Wilkes-Barre, a few years back.Įven though the weather was less than perfect, the vibes were all good in Jim Thorpe that late-afternoon. Cabinet, the headlining act at the Mauch Chunk Opera House, located just a few blocks up Broadway in downtown Jim Thorpe, are a Northeast Pennsylvania-based, bluegrass ensemble who are heavily inspired by diverse genres like the jam-centric ‘hippie’ rock of the Grateful Dead along with more traditional artists like Lester Flatts and Earl Scruggs. I got off of work on a Friday afternoon in late June and soon after headed to Jim Thorpe for some preshow festivities – namely a couple of beers and a shot of Beam at the Broadway Pub to ‘get ready’ for the show. Have you ever had one of those proverbial ‘perfect nights?’ The stars just seem to align and everything comes together to create one of those superlative kind of experiences, in this case, the best bluegrass concert I have ever attended. Cabinet Rocks the Mauch Chunk Opera House

Mauch chunk opera house shuttle