84 gets Park crowd jumpin’

From the vintage T-shirts in the crowd to the band on the stage, the ’80s vibes were strong in the Park Theater Saturday night as 84 brought a Van Halen tribute to the historic theater.

For a generation that grew up watching movies in the Park Theater and listening to Van Halen, the combination of the tribute band and the venue served as a time machine, transporting audience members to the glory days of their youth.

Billed as the southeast's hottest Van Halen tribute band, 84 faithfully recreated not only the sound of the original Van Halen lineup but also captured the look and energy of David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Anthony and Alex Van Halen, much to the delight of a crowd that came ready to rock on.

“We love getting to bring a variety of music here to the Park and, in addition to a lot of original acts, tribute bands are a big part of that schedule,” Park Theater Manager Joe Harvey said. “We really enjoy how much the crowd gets into shows like tonight’s and we’ll keep bringing them as long as folks keep enthusiastically showing up.

“Continuing with our nostalgic tribute acts coming to the park, we announced tonight that the amazing AC/DC tribute band Big Gun will be making their return to the Park Theater on Saturday, Oct. 24. Tickets for that show will go on sale in July at mcminnvilleparktheater.com.”

Saturday night’s show added an ‘80s flair to Main Street McMinnville’s Second Saturday as concert goers perused the shops and restaurants on Main Street on their way to the show.

“We’re excited that tonight’s concert fell on Main Street McMinnville’s Second Saturday and that folks got to enjoy the food, shopping and atmosphere our downtown has to offer before coming to the show,” Park Theater Assistant Manager Ashley Gillentine Wright said. “Thanks to the band for putting on a great show and thanks to the crowd for coming out ready for a really fun night of music. We especially enjoyed seeing folks dressed up in their ‘80s rock style for the show.”

Main Street Media’s Rob Nunley, co-host of WBMC’s Town Talk with Raven and Rob and editor-in-chief of the Main Street Journal served as the evening’s emcee.