It’s been more than 20 years since Tussey Mountain regularly hosted amphitheater shows by big-name touring acts, but a new outdoor concert series, under the guidance of veteran promoter, aims to change that.
Reggae legends The Wailers, with special guest Uprooted featuring Rusted Root frontman Michael Glabicki, will kick off the Happy Valley Music Series at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 23, at the ski and recreation area in Boalsburg.
Presented by longtime Pittsburgh rock promoter Rich Engler with support from the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, the series will also include Jim Messina — best known for his work in Loggins & Messina, Poco and Buffalo Springfield — on July 28, and The Guess Who Alumni, featuring former members of the Canadian classic rock outfit, on Aug. 11. At least one more concert in September is still to be announced.
“It’s a return to big musical events at Tussey Mountain,” Fritz Smith, HVAB president and CEO, said at a press conference on Thursday morning. “It’s a great new live outdoor continuation of our mission to try to accentuate, highlight the great musical scene here in Happy Valley. We have a local and regional audience that appreciates great music and we’re giving them another option.”
The shows are strategically scheduled for Sundays, he added.
“We’ve got a very packed calendar of entertainment and events for the summer this year [in Centre County], so we thought let’s really emphasize Sunday nights so that we can get people to either extend their stays here or experience a great way to kick off a weeklong visit here,” Smith said.
Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Tussey Mountain welcomed performers including Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, The Beach Boys and Crosby Stills and Nash for shows promoted by Engler. But new management wasn’t interested in continuing to host shows, Engler said, and aside from one-off performances and events like WingFest that typically feature tribute acts and local bands, summer concerts at Tussey had largely become a thing of the past.
Engler still checked in every year, and when he learned that Josh Lincoln’s ownership group acquired the facility in August 2022, his hopes for bringing shows back to Tussey were reignited.
“I was tenacious to get back here because I loved it. Also for a selfish reason, I’m a trout fisherman, a fly fisherman, and so I love coming up here and fishing,” Engler said. “The venue is just great. It’s second to none. It’s perfect. Every band that’s played here, too… Bob Dylan didn’t say much but he goes, (affecting Dylan impression) ‘Hey man, ohhh I like.’”
Summer concerts were already on Lincoln’s mind. A 1998 Penn State graduate who instructed junior skiers at Tussey during his time in college, he attended that 1997 Dylan show and other performances at Tussey. He knew he wanted to enhance year-round activities when his group acquired it, and with no experience putting on concerts, Lincoln was happy to get the call from Engler last spring.
“I grew up in western Pennsylvania and every concert I ever saw as a kid growing up was one of his produced shows,” Lincoln said. “… So I was thrilled to hear him on the other end of the line so we could talk about doing concerts out here. As part of the new management group here, we’re really dedicated to try to bring things more in the summer, with the concert series. We want to continue to do WingFest. We’re going to continue to do things with the outdoor venue with a beer garden and restaurant.
“We really hope to get this going and we really appreciate Rich being involved with us, with his legendary status as a producer and what he does. I can’t thank him enough. We’re really excited about the Wailers and the first show. I think it’s going to be pretty fun.”
Engler has a special connection to The Wailers, the group formed by surviving members from Bob Marley’s band of the same name. Today the group is led by Aston Barrett Jr., son of the esteemed bassist “Familyman” Barrett and its current tour celebrates the 40th anniversary of Marley’s “Legend,” as well as the release of the biopic “Bob Marley: One Love.”
Marley and The Wailers performed their final concert on Sept. 23, 1980 at Pittsburgh’s Stanley Theater, a show promoted by Engler in a venue he owned. Two days earlier, Marley had collapsed in New York’s Central Park, unaware that he was suffering from cancer, and it was uncertain whether the Pittsburgh show would go on.
Though Marley did not look well, Engler said, he insisted he and his band would play for the sold-out crowd.
“It was the most heartfelt show,” Engler said. “All 3,800 people stood the entire time. They paid for the seats but never sat in them. It was epic.”
After that performance, Marley returned to Jamaica and underwent treatment, but died months later.
The Wailers will be performing Marley classics during their Tussey Mountain show, and before the concert Engler will have memorabilia on display, including many photographs from that final performance and autographed items, from his personal collection.
“The Wailers survive and carry on the tradition,” Engler said. “I’m so proud to bring them in here.”
Tickets are $40 for general admission, with 100 gold circle tickets available for $50, and will go on sale at 10 a.m. March 29 at iTickets.com or by phone at 800-965-9324.
“You go to any other concerts, [tickets are] $125, $135 plus, plus, plus — all these add-ons,” Engler said. “This is priced so everybody can enjoy it and come out and enjoy this wonderful facility.”
Engler is also hopeful the concert series will build over time.
“I did quite a few unbelievable shows here back when, under different management, but it took time to build,” he said. “… I had to build it. We started with great shows, but then I finally got to the epitome of those great shows. That’s going to happen here.”
Lincoln said he believes that the concert series can become “something pretty special for the community,” noting the demand for outdoor activities as well as a typical slow down in the summer at the area’s largest concert venue, the Bryce Jordan Center.
“I think we really want to have the concert series be a thing here in the summers,” Lincoln said. “… It is amazing when you go to WingFest. I’m always amazed how many people come out, and it’s every week. So I feel like there is a demand for it because people like to be outside and have something to do.”
