If You Can Play Scranton: Why Touring Rock and Metal Acts Should Give Us A Shot

A sign at the Ritz Theater, Scranton, Pa.

by Tara Adams 

The Creature Beat 

SCRANTON, Pa. -- There is an old piece of theater lore that floats around this valley: If you can play Scranton, you can play anywhere.

It dates back to the golden age of vaudeville, when coal and rail fueled a booming downtown theater scene, and local crowds had a reputation for being fiercely discerning. If a touring act could win over a no-nonsense working-class crowd here, they could conquer any room in the country. It was the ultimate proving ground. 

Yet, if you look at modern touring routing for small-to mid-size metal, hard rock, punk, and alternative bands today, you might think the city doesn't exist. 

Bands and booking agents have fallen into a routine. They map out runs hitting Philadelphia and New York, throw in a date in Pittsburgh or Allentown if they are feeling adventurous, and bypass the corridor between them. They either jump straight from tiny local dive bars to larger outdoor sheds, or they skip the region entirely, leaving fans with a 5-hour round-trip drive just to catch a Tuesday night club show. 

It is a massive miss for both sides. First off, the venues are here. Downtown spaces like the Ritz Theater, among several sites, have the exact kind of historic grit, character, and capacity that heavy music thrives in. These genres don't belong in sterile, corporate venues. They belong in sweaty, electric, small-to mid-size rooms where the floor shakes, the sound reverberates off old plaster, and the crowd can pack right up against the barrier. 

More importantly, the appetite for raw, heavy, and alternative music in this region runs deep. This is a place built on industrial muscle and blue-collar roots. There is a natural alignment between the working-class spirit of Scranton and the aggression of punk, the technical precision of metal, and the angst of alternative rock. When independent promoters bring underground or mid-level touring acts through the area, the crowds don't just show up, they show up loud, loyal, and ready to support live music in a real way. 

Bands constantly complain about rising tour overhead, empty rooms in oversaturated primary markets, and the squeeze of corporate ticket monopolies. Probably rightfully so. But the solution is staring them right in the face: stop treating smaller to mid-size markets like flyover country. 

Scranton has always known how to appreciate authentic talent. It is time for booking agents to trust the old adage, load up the van, and give the valley a shot. The crowd is more than ready.