Rob Grill, lead singer of classic rock band the Grassroots, started to tell audience members the three key requirements to being a child of the 1960s last night.

"Your mother and father named you Moonbeam. You thought the Grassroots were something you smoked," Grill said. A third reason never came up, as the singer trailed off into other subjects.

The Grassroots, celebrating their 43rd anniversary this year, played and induced laughter from everyone in Central Parklet as they performed the second concert of the Parklet's series. The audience, receptive to Grill's jokes and songs, laughed heartily in response and cheered loudly as the band launched into each song.

While "Sooner or Later," a classic Grassroots hit, played, the audience sang along and bopped to the short, punchy tune. Band members joked with one another on stage, making comical faces.

Throughout the entire show, Grill instructed the audience to sing along in case his band "forgot the words," and they complied, singing songs in unison.

"If you sing along, it'll help us a lot. And if we all get confused, we'll go to the bar," he said. When the audience didn't sing loud enough, Grill jokingly told them their lips were moving, but he couldn't hear them singing.

The band entertained the downtown audience of up to 2,000 people, said Jody Allessandrine, executive director of the Downtown State College Improvement District, which organized the show.

Besides cracking jokes at the audience all night, the Grassroots played their hits with excitement and fervor.

Grill even pointed out how some audience members didn't know the band played certain songs on its lists for the night. He described their set list as every song being "written for, written by, rejected by or stolen by the Grassroots."

The band launched into a song called "Mamacita" that Grill said never achieved Top 40 fame because the lyrics seemed too "risqué." However, Grill thought the State College crowd would be happy to hear the song because they seemed fun.

"Since you guys are such a party

crowd, we're gonna play a party song," he said.

He described the band's current tour as the "rock 'n' roll version of a senior tour," saying, "We've got the old farts on the road tonight."

Keeping with the theme of remembering the 1960's, Grill said, "I bet you the best thing about the '60s is, it's so blurry that you can make up anything about it and nobody will know."

Some audience members present to see the Grassroots were fans of the band for years.

Renita Miller, 50, of Johnstown, Pa. came just for the show in Central Parklet because she and her husband heard an advertisement on television promoting it. She said she was always a fan of the Grassroots growing up, and she forgot about all the hits they had in their heyday.

" 'Temptation Eyes' is my favorite hit," she said.

Mike Casper, 50, of State College, said he saw the Grassroots in Louisville, Ky., 20 years ago, and the band was "retro" even then. He said what makes the Grassroots unique is its great combination of melodies and lyrics, creating short songs with powerful messages.

"I gotta give credit to those bands that keep playing for years and years because a lot of bands come and go," Casper said.

He was pleased with the free concert in Central Parklet, and he said it was great for his family because he would not be able to take his three-year-old son to a concert at the Bryce Jordan Center.