Sunday June 5, 2022 was a red-letter day for fans of the band as they took the stage for the triumphant return of Summerfest 2022, hosted by the Village of Croton-on-Hudson.
Summerfest is one of Croton's great outdoor experiences and a slice of small-town America. It begins with a parade which forms by the 5-corners and just down the road from the Public Library. Leading the procession is the Mayor and Village Trustees followed by the Police, Fire Department, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and just about any other group that wants to join in. The parade comes down the hill past the high school, crosses 129 (blocked off by the Croton PD) and spills into the Upper Village and turns into a street fair with games, food, drink and live music.
As supporter of Without a Net (who has advocated with the Village of COH more than once on their behalf), this was my dream gig for the band. The audience consisted of young groups of teens, young families with kids, older people with no kids, police fire, veterans of foreign wars, and everyone in between. There were people from in town, out of town all walking around and mixing freely. It was as though Covid had finally been shaken off, and everyone was more than ready to let it go.
As for the band, special guest Chuck Hinton stood in for Bass player Dan Howald who was out of town. Chuck did a fantastic job played a bass guitar with a transparent body and had a great rock and roll vibe and good energy.
Set one kicked off at about 1:15 PM with "Cold Rain and Snow" a Grateful Dead classic and a sweet irony given the awesome weather conditions. People watching was in its prime and there was good traffic flow in front of the band and plenty of opportunity for new fans to appreciate the music. Lead/Rhythm guitarist Jeff Thornton was in fine form with a particularly soft delivery on the rhythm guitar on "Mama Tried" bring a Yacht-Rock type vibe to the delivery. Set one was capture on its entirety on Facebook video here.
And speaking of Jeff Thornton, he is an accomplished artist and previously profiled on this blog here. Jeff and some fellow artists recently opened Croton River Artisan Gallery located just down the street and around the corner from where the band was playing. Check it out if you have not already.
Another part of the fun was the young kids. On several occasions toddlers (less than 5 years old) swooped in front of the band and moved around to the music often leading their mothers in chase. It's funny how they didn't have any rhythm, their ears told them they had to move and move they did - future deadheads of America.
Set three kicked off just after 4PM with "Bertha", a Grateful Dead staple. Next up was Clearwater, a band original and great example of band lead Frank Primeggia's song writing prowess and the band's ability to deliver on his vision. Later in the set was "Not Fade Away" which transitioned into "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad". I've seen the band make this transition before and it can't be written or scripted and just improvised like much of what the band does. Following that was "Truckin", then a soulful "Morning Dew". Set three wrapped up with "US Blues" a fun yet patriotic spoof on live in America, "Summertime done, come and gone, my oh my....".
Overall, it was a fantastic day and we owe a huge thanks to Valerie Nolan and Mark Duncan from the Village of Croton Recreation Department for booking the band and giving them such a public space to find new fans.
Without a Net is Frank Primeggia (aka the "Disco Cowboy" on keyboard and vocals), Jeff Thornton on Rhythm/Lead Guitar, Dan Howald on Bass Guitar and Chris Oliver on drums. The band is available for bookings, please contact Frank Primeggia for more information.
