Central Parklet rocked out with Dickey Betts and the Great Southern Tuesday night to a crowd of swaying State College locals, students and fans.

Hundreds of audience members swayed, snapped their fingers and spun around in front of the stage in Central Parklet as Dickey Betts and the Great Southern lined up before them, playing Allman Brothers and their own original hits. "Welcome to Central Parklet, it's a great night for a show," Dickey Betts drawled into the microphone when he walked on stage.

Fans before the left side of the stage were particularly enthusiastic and involved with the set, dancing in circles and spinning one another around.

Sandy Miller, 32, of State College, was among those revelers.

As she swayed to the southern sounds, Miller said Dickey Betts was "the best band State College has brought here for these concerts." Scotty Bones, 38, of State College, agreed, saying the borough needs to bring in more bands of this genre.

"I think it's awesome," he said. "They're tied with Blue Method on Allen Street," which played at the Summer's Best Music Fest last month.

Leigh Kosloskie, a one time Penn Stater who attended University Park in 2001 and girlfriend of bassist Pedro Arevalo, said the smaller venue of Central Parklet is great for the band to see all of their fans. "It's nice to be outside. Everyone in State College is very nice. We like the venue a lot," she said.

Kosloskie took the band for a tour around State College before the performance tonight, and she said all the band members remarked on how beautiful the campus was.

"I love Penn State," she said. "Everyone is happy to be here."

The concert was primarily sponsored by the Downtown State College Improvement District and Joe FM, in addition to various downtown businesses. The show was first in

three concerts to play in Central Parklet this summer.

"As always, we try to make a concious selection of various genres of music. We picked Southern rock to accommodate those nostalgic about the Allman Brothers and bands of that ilk," said Jody Alessandrine, Executive Director of the Downtown State College Improvement District. He also said that they try to pick bands that appeal to people of all ages and musical tastes and that have some sort of following.

Alessandrine said that these concerts are held in order to draw locals and out-of-towners alike to the State College area, noting that Arts Fest was more for the out-of-towners. He said the concerts are good for downtown business and shopping, and they are "something to give back to the community."

"From the turnout tonight, and the calls we receieved about the concert, it does appear that the cost of the event is well worth it," he said.

The concert even appealed to people of all ages and families.

Kim Capenos, Class of 1990, brought her three children with her to the concert, ages 13, six and five. She said the concert was "amazing" and "fabulous."

"Dickey's amazing," she said. "I thought there'd be more people here, but after Arts Fest, people are tired."

She said she was amazed that the concert was held free of charge to the public.

Capenos and her daughters attend the Central Parklet concert series every year, she said. "The concerts bring people out and reunite old friends. Everyone is here, getting reaquainted because of the love of the era. If you look around, every generation is here, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and today, because of the music," she said.

"They got a Hall of Famer here tonight," she said. "They didn't do that for Arts Fest."