This past Saturday night, Midnight North made a noteworthy stop along their 2021 tour at Ed Rocks Outdoor Listening Room, located in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. Ed Rocks provides an intimate listening experience, as it was designed with ‘true music lovers in mind,’ says owner, Ed Sinko. Ed and his wife Lois have hosted concerts in the comfort of their own backyard since the start of the pandemic, allowing music lovers exclusive access to some of the best local live talent such as, The Mighty Manatees, Joe Cirotti, Jesse Bardwell, as well as Serene Green.
Ed Rocks can easily accommodate 150 guests, which was the approximate turn out on Saturday night. As we made our way across the great rock garden, which is split by a gorgeous waterfall feature, we saw guests settling into their various perches. And though there isn’t a bad seat in the house, most folks congregate along the middle tier next to a massive rebar and stone depiction of Jerry Garcia’s right hand.
The back porch at Ed Rocks is likely the place you’ll run into the musicians during set break or before the show begins You might also try catching them as they make their way through the goodies and beverages kept in the garage just behind the stage. However, it seems as though the gang from Midnight North did much of their preshow preparation inside the house; making their first appearance for sound check around 5:30.
Word was passed around that night that Midnight North had showed up late for their performance at Ed Rocks, causing fans to speculate about a possible reason. It is no secret that Phil Lesh had made several appearances with his son’s band over the past few weeks, so one couldn’t help but wonder if the famed Grateful Dead bassist was to account for the band’s tardiness. However, it seemed to have just been a coincidence, and Midnight North performed two beautiful sets of music without a guest appearance.
The band played several songs from their new album, There’s Always a Story, which is set to release July 23, 2021. The album, which was on pre-sale inside of Ed and Lois’ garage, features a crescent moon and twinkling stars. As the sun fell over the hills and transformed Ed Rocks into an evening fairytale garden, a crescent moon appeared in the sky surrounded by sparkling stars.
Other highlights from their performance included an eerie, yet perfectly harmonized rendition of “Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and “Ripple” by the Grateful Dead. The band was apparently inspired by Ed and Lois’ cast-iron sculpture of the notes just behind them.
Overall, the event featuring Midnight North brought many new faces to the garden dedicated to music, and I believe the memories of that night will stay with us all for a lifetime. We’d also like to extend a special thank you to Ed and Lois for opening their home generously to the musical community this past year. You guys rock!
