May 23, 1979
The ballroom at the Masonic Temple transformed into Studio 54 when the Super Disco Concert hit Scranton.
The first live disco concert in the city was presented by Donn-K Productions and featured the groups Bionic Boogie, Crown Heights Affair and the Bombers. Tickets for the night of dancing the Hustle and the Bump cost $8.75 to $10.75.
The Disco group, Crown Heights Affair, performed at the Masonic Temple in Scranton on May 23, 1979 as part of the Super Disco Concert. Submitted Photo.
Bionic Boogie was known for the hits “Hot Butterfly,” “Dance Little Dreamer” and “Tiger, Tiger.” Crown Heights Affair, meanwhile, found popularity with songs including “Dreaming a Dream,” “Every Beat of My Heart” and “Galaxy of Love.” Fans knew the Bombers for re-mixing songs into long-format club pieces, such as “Don’t Stop the Music,” “The Mexican” and “Dance, Dance, Dance.”
Local radio personality Thom Welby served as master of ceremonies.
The Disco group, Bionic Boogie, performed at the Masonic Temple in Scranton on May 23, 1979 as part of the Super Disco Concert. Submitted Photo.
If you needed to learn some moves before heading to the concert, several dance studios in Scranton offered classes. The Arthur Murray Dance Studio provided instruction in the Hustle and the disco styles of the samba, rumba and the cha- cha at a cost of $10 to $14 per class. Marty Lawrence of Dance Ensemble offered a six-week disco dancing course for $35 per couple or $20 for an individual.
“I think disco will take dancing right back into the mambo and the samba and right back to social dancing,” Lawrence said.
Advertisement for the Super Disco Concert at the Masonic Temple on May 23, 1979. Times-Tribune Archives
To dress the part for the concert, you could head to Free Spirit on Lackawanna Avenue or Satisfaction at the Viewmont Mall. Free Spirit offered women’s satin sets (a vest and slacks) for $52 and a pair of men’s straight-leg pants with swingers pleats for $28. Employees at Satisfactions said they could dress a man for $30 and a woman starting at $29 for a night of disco dancing.
If you wanted to wow the crowd with some designer threads, the Globe Store had the Signature Shop, where you could pick up designs from Diane Von Furstenburg, Pierre Cardin and Yves Saint Laurent.
“Hot Butterfly” by Bionic Boogie
“Dreaming a Dream” by Crown Heights Affair
“The Mexican” by The Bombers
Brian Fulton has been the librarian at The Times-Tribune for the past 15 years. On his blog, Historically Hip, he writes about the great concerts, plays/musicals and celebrity happenings that have taken place throughout NEPA. He is also the co-host of the local history podcast, Historically Hip. He competed and was crowned grand champion on an episode of NPR quiz show “Ask Me Another.” Contact: bfulton@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9140; or @TTPagesPast
