Allentown, PA Concert?

[brandonc]

Hey, I found out where I can get 2 tickets for $140 in donation for the Allentown concert in PA. Does anyone know how good the seats would be? Because I really dont want to pay $140 for 2 tickets any further back then the middle, even then for me thats stretching it. So if anyone could please help me out, & help me find out where these seats are located. Thanks

[Joe]

Hey Brandon...
I pledged $280 for four tickets in early January. I've no idea where my four seats are; but I was assured that they will together. Plus WLVT are mailing the tickets to me in late March. Symphony Hall had NO info. about Hayley. My suggestion to you is to email WLVT-PBS 39 here... www.wlvt.org/CONTACT_US.cfm and click 'member services' at the top and ask any questions there. Also try calling the phone # but I never got anyone to answer. Good luck and hope to see you there!!

[brandonc]

Well if the seats are any good, you'll see me there. Because its closer to where I live (western pa) then the RhodeIsland concert, & like I said, I would leave my state to go see Hayley, but the concert is on the same day as my baby brothers padgent, but if I dont go to the PA concert, I will be going to the one in RhodeIsland. I'll be going to 1 of the 2, & at the moment, the only thing thats making me choose between the to, is which one I can get better seats at! Because both concerts are staring Hayley & with that in mind, the only thing that could make it any better is getting a close seat to the stage.

[I-H-F]

...Ok, I'm going a bit off topic here, but out of curiousity more than anything....is this the same Allentown that Billy Joel sang about on his album, 'The Nylon Curtain'?

[martindn]

I vaguely remember a song called "Allentown Jail" from the 1950s (I was quite young then). Looking it up on Wikipedia, this song was recorded by various artists, the eearliest being Jo Stafford in 1951,

And it is indeed the same Allentown that Billy Joel sang about. Some extracts


Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 106,632.[6] It is the county seat of Lehigh County.[7]

Located on the Lehigh River, Allentown is the largest of three adjacent cities that make up a region of eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey known as the Lehigh Valley, with the cities of Bethlehem and Easton nearby. Allentown is 60 miles (97 km) north of Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the United States, and 90 miles (140 km) west of New York City, the largest city.


The city is the subject of the popular Billy Joel song, "Allentown," originally released on his The Nylon Curtain album in 1982. Joel's song uses Allentown as a metaphor for the resilience of working class Americans in distressed industrial cities during the recession of the early 1980s. After "Allentown" became a hit, the famed singer-songwriter returned to the Lehigh Valley for a special concert stop at Lehigh University's Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, where he was awarded the key to the city by Allentown's mayor, who praised the song as "a gritty song about a gritty city."

* Allentown is referenced as the secret location of a bomb planted by The Joker in Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986).

* Allentown is mentioned in the opening lyric of the Frank Zappa song "200 Years Old," which appears on his 1975 album Bongo Fury.

* Allentown was the subject of the Irving Gordon song "Allentown Jail," which has been recorded by several artists, including The Kingston Trio, The Lettermen, The Seekers and Jo Stafford.

* Allentown was home to the character Duane Doberman in The Phil Silvers Show, a CBS comedy series that ran from 1955 to 1959.

Martin

[I-H-F]

Thanks Martin. That was interesting.

Sometimes you hear places mentioned in songs and wonder if they are indeed, real places. Other times, there may be lots of towns with the same name, and the song is about none of them in particular. Great song though, by a great performer.

[Joe]

Hi all!

This was a nice revival of an old thread. Hayley was due to perform in Allentown as part of a USA tour in April 2004. However, more time was needed to record Odyssey, and much of the tour was pushed back to the autumn. Hayley ended up performing in Easton, PA, in October 2004. This was my first and only Hayley concert. Considering this forum was only a little over a year old at that time, there were 5 HWI members there.

You can read my review here...
hwi.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Concert&action=display&thread=885

I live about a hour and a half from Allentown...I've only been there a few times to visit Dorney Park (an amusement and water park). Allentown has seen the best and worst of times. Much like my town of Forest City and nearby cities like Scranton, whenever a major industry like coal mining, iron and steel plants cease to operate, the local economy suffers. Luckily this is only for a short time as new industry moves in.

Best wishes all,
Joe

[Mark]

Hi Joe

I know that the concert was 3 years ago, but that was a great report I really enjoyed reading it and it made me realise that nothing has really changed that much, Hayley is still as charming now as she was back then and although this was your one and only Hayley concert - so far your experience was so very similar to my own. It was a real shame that you were not able to wait just a little bit longer. I am sure that your time will come again Joe, if there is one person who really deserves to meet Hayley - its you. I hope and pray that this will become reality for you soon.

Thanks for sharing your report with us once more.

Best regards

Mark

[Joe]

How very kind, Mark...thanks very much!


Joe

[Richard]

Hello Joe!

I'm sure your day will come. Hayley really deserves to meet you too!

Best Wishes,

Richard