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If Tia Burke has her way, Solas will become a Pastorius Park institution—just like the Allentown Band.
If you aren’t familiar with Chestnut Hill’s popular series of free summer concerts in Pastorius Park, the Allentown Band—a concert band known for Sousa marches and the like—has appeared around the July 4th holiday for 29 years running.
Solas, with two prior performances under the stars, has a way to go before it matches that record. But if the popularity of those performances is any indication, the Chestnut Hill stage will always be open to the award-winning Irish traditional band led by Hatboro-born Seamus Egan.
“Last year, we had close to 2,000 people in the park, which is astonishing,” says Tia Burke, chair of the Pastorius Park concert committee. “Our next highest concert drew right around 1,000. Until a couple of years ago, if we had 400 people, that was a packed house. Solas is just hugely popular here. Their music is fantastic.”
This year, Solas is scheduled to appear Wednesday, August 2, starting at 7:30. With the popularity of the band's new live "Reunion" CD/DVD, Solas is likely to continue to be a huge draw.
Solas first came to Pastorius after the concert committee decided it needed to appeal to more diverse audiences. That the band chosen by the committee turned out to be Solas was just a happy accident. “I just thought Irish music would go over well,” says Burke. So she started doing research, and someone she knew happened to recommend Solas. Egan’s local roots also appealed. “I really liked that there was a local connection.
Burke contacted the band’s booking agent, the band happened to be available. And so the Solas summer tradition began.
As much as Pastorius audiences love Solas, Burke believes the feeling is mutual. “I mean, it’s not as if we have green rooms or anything,” she says. “It’s an outdoor concert in a neighborhood, and they just dig it.”
Burke says she’s also been very favorably impressed by the band members’ lack of pretensions. “They’re very nice, those guys. They’re really very sweet. I think it can be hard being a musician. But they’re very lovely—just good folks.”
As useful as Solas has been in boosting the popularity of the Pastorius Park series, Burke says the band has been personally helpful in another way. Two summers ago, a man relocating from San Francisco to the Philadelphia area happened to be scooping out Chestnut Hill. He went walking through a neighborhood park on a Wednesday night and, there, on a stage wreathed by pine tree boughs and illuminated by a string of big Christmas lights, was his favorite band on the planet.
“Now he lives two doors away from me,” says Burke. “And he’s a great concert volunteer, to boot.”
Admission to the concert is free, but contributions are gratefully accepted. If you love Solas and you appreciate the fine work of the Pastorius Park concert committee, please do support the series. The band's CDs and T-shirts also will be available for sale. Bring a folding chair or a blanket, pick up some sandwiches or ribs or Chinese food—and don't forget the bug spray. Refreshments will be available. Dogs must be leashed. The rain place is the large auditorium at Springside School, 8000 Cherokee Street.
