The 2023 edition of The Peach Music Festival got going on Thursday at Scranton, PA’s Montage Mountain with performances by Goose, Twiddle, Thumpasaurus, and Friends of the Brothers. While the rest of the weekend will expand to three stages with concurrent performances, Thursday’s schedule was confined to the main Peach Stage, placing the collective attention and energy of the arriving crowds on the slimmed-down, four-band bill.

Started by The Allman Brothers Band in 2012, The Peach has evolved into one of the extended jam-band scene’s premier summer festivals. Even as the Allman Brothers Band took its final bows and its members began to pass on, The Peach has managed to keep the spirit of the group alive in various ways. On Thursday, that mission continued from the very first notes of the four-day event as Friends of the Brothers opened the festivities. Comprised of ABB associates like guitarist Junior Mack (Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band), guitarist Andy Aledort (Dickey Betts), singer/guitarist Alan Paul (author of ABB biography One Way Out), and more, the ensemble made sure to satisfy the diehards in the crowd with familiar tunes and familial connection before the programming delved into more contemporary sounds.

Friends of the Brothers – The Peach Music Festival – Set Preview [Pro-Shot] – 6/29/23

Flashy, feisty, funky party outfit Thumpasaurus spent the spring Struttin’ Across America on its first full headlining tour in five years. Thumpasaurus has enjoyed a recent boost in popularity thanks to the success of 2021’s “Struttin’”, which first garnered viral attention on the band’s TikTok before reaching an even wider audience when it was synced in a popular Samsung commercial featuring a selfie-taking cat. The group’s outlandish aesthetic, appropriately thumping live energy, and projectile pancakes (see below) helped escort Thursday’s crowd from welcoming nostalgia to rowdy dance party as the sun began to set on the mountain.

With veteran Peach act Twiddle due to go on an indefinite hiatus at the end of this year, the Vermont quartet was greeted with love and appreciation at what may be its last trip to Montage Mountain. Mihali (guitar, vocals), Zdenek Gubb (bass), Ryan Dempsey (keys), and Adrian Tramontano hit the gas during their set-opening “Jamflowman” and neglected the brakes throughout their set as they worked through a selection of some of their most sought-after songs with creative intensity. “Thanks so much for making that the most special [Peach] yet,” the band noted in a post about the performance on Instagram.

 

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Goose is yet another band that can chart its evolution using ever-bigger performances at The Peach as data points. If you’re getting the lowdown on Goose from one of the Connecticut-native outfit’s many ravenous fans, you’ll likely hear mention of a 2019 Peach set in the sweltering afternoon sun at the Grove Stage, a video of which remains among the band’s most-viewed on YouTube. The band underwent a meteoric rise in the wake of the 2019 festival, leveling-up from small clubs to large theaters and amphitheaters faster than they could play the shows they had already booked. Goose returned to The Peach for a headlining slot in 2022 and has only continued growing from there, notching arena shows with Trey Anastasio, major festival plays, and sold-out tours around the country (and, later this year, around the world).

Related: How To Stream The Peach Music Festival 2023

The CT-native quintet returned to Montage Mountain on Thursday to anchor the opening-day schedule with a two-set headlining show. With deep-running memories of “I-was-there-when” connective experiences amplifying the excitement of the Peach crowd, the thundering “GOOOSE” chants emanating from thousands of fans in Goose gear seemed to grow more than a few decibels louder than usual in Scranton.

Setlist [via elgoose.net]: Goose | The Peach Music Festival | Montage Mountain | Scranton, PA | 6/29/23

Set One: Feel It Now, Mr. Action, Rockdale, Lead Up, Turbulence & The Night Rays, Butter Rum

Set 2: Fish In The Sea[1], Red Bird, Silver Rising, Drive -> Hollywood Nights[2], 726 > Thatch

Coach’s Notes:
[1] Fat Freddy’s Drop cover
[2] Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band cover

Below, check out photo galleries from the opening day of the 11th annual The Peach Music Festival via David Gray and A.J. Kinney. The Peach expands to three stages on Friday for a full day of music by Ween, Umphrey’s McGee, Ripe, Trouble No More, TAUK ft. Kanika Moore, Dogs In A Pile, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Peach, LP Giobbi’s Dead House, and more.

Tickets remain for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at The Peach Music Festival 2023 here. For information on how to livestream select performances from home, click here.