HOW TO GO
What: Summer Bash with The Zapp Band and Funtime Freddy
Where: Governor’s Square Park, there will be a rented stage set up in the Broad Street parking lot.
When: Saturday, Aug. 22, 5 p.m. Funtime Freddy will start at 5:30 p.m., and Zapp will headline at 7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free. Food and drink will be available for purchase. No carry-in alcohol will be permitted. Admission to the after party at Skateway is $6 (ages 25 and up.)
More info: www.LongLiveTheBash.com. Also, there's an event page on Facebook. Lawn chairs are permitted. There will be free parking at all city parking lots on Broad Street, Main Street and in the city building parking lot. Note to concertgoers: due to the size of this show and the stage requirements for Zapp, the Summer Bash will not be using the regular stage at Governor's Square. The event will still be at Governor's Square, but a rented stage will be set up in the Broad Street parking lot. The stage will face the vacant lot where Swallen's used to be
MIDDLETOWN – Broad Street Bash will host an end of the Summer Bash with The Zapp Band and Funtime Freddy Saturday, Aug. 22. The festivities will begin at 5 p.m.
Middletown’s own Funtime Freddy will kick off the show. Then, Dayton, Ohio-based Zapp, an internationally known, legendary funk band, will headline the concert. This is the first time for both band’s to take the “Bash” stage.
We caught up with Zapp’s leader, Lester Troutman, by phone to talk about the concert and what fans can expect from the evening. Troutman was out of town recently for a string of sold-out Zapp shows in Japan, so we started by talking about the crowds in Japan and moved on to what we can expect in Middletown.
“They know the songs, and they know the music. It is incredible to travel 7,000 to 8,000 miles on a plane, and when you get there, people know your music and they know about you. That’s a great feeling,” Troutman said.
In addition to touring abroad, Zapp has played several shows, locally this summer, including concerts in Cincinnati and Hamilton.
“In a word, it has been dynamic. Let me expound a bit on that,” Troutman said. “We played Cincinnati in July at Washington Park, and it was amazing. When we hit the stage, the crowd was packed, and it was unbelievable. A couple weeks later, we played in Hamilton. That is my hometown, where I was born and raised. That’s where we formed the band. In Hamilton, there were a lot of old friends, people I went to school with, and those I haven’t seen in years, so it was very nice. It was a beautiful night.”
After returning to America on Wednesday, he said, Zapp will jump on the bus and head to Middletown on Saturday.
“I am expecting a nice crowd. I think it’s going to be great. I haven’t played Middletown in probably 40 years. So, this is the first time I’ve been there in many years. I am super excited. I am almost ready to swim the Atlantic Ocean to get back,” Troutman said.
Formed in 1970’s by the Troutman Brothers, Zapp has traveled the world and has worked closely industry heavyweights, including George Clinton and Bootsy Collins, among others.
“The beauty of music is you play music for people who want to hear your music. It’s an honor to play around Ohio, and for the people who really want to hear our music. It’s a blessing. Right now, I’m sitting in Japan, and we play Middletown after that, and then on to Virginia Beach and Cleveland,” he said.
Troutman said fans can expect a high energy, fun show that’s family friendly.
“We’re going to do ‘More Bounce To The Ounce,’ ‘Computer Love,’ ‘I Wanna Be Your Man,’ and we’re going to do ‘So Ruff So Tuff,’ and everything in our repertoire that we’ve had hit records with, including ‘California Love,’ ” he said.
Chairperson Adriane Scherrer of Middletown’s Broad Street Blast said other than the Broad Street Blast, this will be the biggest show of the year.
“We’ve rented a stage that’s been used by Three Dog Night and Earth, Wind & Fire, and the speakers are going to hang in towers. The speakers alone are 10-feet long. This band is used to having lots of room. They have their keyboards on wheels, and they move around on the stage. We certainly can’t do that on Governor’s Square, so we have different set up for this concert, which will be awesome,” she said.
Going along with themed concert nights this year – from Southern Rock to British Invasion – Scherrer said that Zapp will add to that diversity by bringing a night of R&B and funk.
“I personally love funk. There aren’t many bands that do funk well. So, we are going to have a funk night. I am really looking forward to it,” she said.
“Zapp has re-surged, not only locally, but internationally. It’s exciting for us to have them come to Middletown. I think the only concert we’ve done that would be as big as this one, or bigger, would have been when we did the Broad Street Blast this year at Smith Park. There were 10,000 people in the park,” Scherrer said.
During the intermission period before Zapp takes the stage, Rosa Park’s Fly High Girls and The RSHCC Drill & Percussion Team will perform. There also will be an after party at Skateway in Middletown from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. hosted by Faith Daniels, Scherrer said.
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