Last night, younger people in the audience at Penn's Peak received a lesson in traditional country music. They saw the way country shows used to be staged.

Performing at the Jim Thorpe venue was Merle Haggard, who at 69 doesn't seem to be slowing down.Haggard's veteran band, The Strangers, was nattily dressed, with most of the members wearing ties. The music was old-style country. Haggard's older songs sounded just like they did when he recorded them decades ago.