In the good ole days, when you went to a country music concert, the star was personable, the band was nattily dressed, and there was always time after the show when the performer signed autographs and mingled with the audience members.

That was what occurred Friday night at Penn's Peak when the personable and talented Mel Tillis put on a show that consisted of one hit after another, interjecting some well-placed comedy and story-telling.Tillis, 77, looking very fit, still has a great voice and displayed an incredible amount of energy in his two-plus hour performance, during which he sang a total of 28 songs. Most of the selections were his own major hits, which was easy for him since he has charted some 60 singles. Covers he did included "Itty Bitty Tear" by the late Burl Ives, who was a close friend of his; "Snowflake," a Jim Reeves classic which Tillis included on a Christmas CD; "Diggin' Up Bones" by Randy Travis, and "Detroit City," which was number one for Bobby Bare.He opened the show with "Love Revival," which hit the top 20 chart in 1976, following it with "Southern Rain," which he recorded in 1980.Then he got serious with the traditional tear-jerking type of country music, singing the ballad "Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me" which was a hit for many country singers including Ronnie Milsap, George Jones, and Ray Price.Some of his own hits that he sang included "Who's Julie?" "Coca-Cola Cowboy" from the movie "Every Which Way But Loose," "Life Turned Her That Way," and "Send Me Down To Tucson."Once during the concert someone in the crowd yelled, "Sing 'Mental Revenge,'" which made it to the top 20 in 1976."Let's do it," responded a band member, and his Statesiders band went into playing the song.The Statesiders are a nine-member band, with each member wearing classic, western-style suits. Tillis wore a light sport coat over a a brown shirt that was opened at the collar and pressed dress pants."You come to our show you see a class act," Tillis said after the show.One of the fun parts was hearing Tillis, who is known for his stuttering, tell an assortment of stories.For example, he joked about his age. "Last August, when I turned 77, it was the same. My wife always gets me things for my birthday I can't use. Last year she got me a cruise on the Love Boat."When the show ended, Tillis signed autographs for possibly 200 fans. One fan brought a dozen 33 rpm record albums. He signed them all.Lydia Fecteau came from Egg Harbor, N.J. to see Tillis. Confined to a wheelchair, she came with an assistant and her helper dog Phoenix. Tillis and Phoenix showed great camaraderie. Tillis bent down and petted him, Phoenix responded with kisses to the cheek of Tillis, and then rolled over while Tillis petted his stomach.Lydia's aide, Kathy Wooton of Egg Harbor, said, "My husband and I have been fans of Mel Tillis all our lives.""The show was outstanding," she said. "He's a great performer.""The show was excellent," said Melva McArdle of Nesquehoning. "I've always been a Mel Tillis fan."Lonnie Gillespie of Catasauqua commented, "He was excellent. He's 77 and I hope he goes on for another 20 years." Lonnie,'s wife, Diane, interjected, "He was fantastic."