It’s a gorgeous August 2, 2021 evening on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, NJ. The sun is warm yet the ocean breeze cools visitors, young and old, who stroll the public walk. The flashing lights of Lucky Leo’s Arcade conjure memories of carefree days gone by and patrons line up at Kohl’s Frozen Custard to enjoy the delicious taste of summer.
To add to this delightful concoction, mix in a free live concert on the boardwalk’s Franklin Avenue stage by the New Jersey musical duo of Doreen and Joey Arminio, aka Stiletto and the Saxman. Flanked by a large American flag, the backdrop for tonight’s show is a beautiful blue sky above the dune grass with a glimpse of the blue Atlantic on the horizon.
Before the performance, we take a moment to chat with Doreen Arminio, an East Coast Music Hall of Fame-nominated singer, who tells us, “Joey’s been in the music business for 40 years, I’ve been doing this for 21 years, and we’ve been married for 13 years. Altogether, we’ll perform here in Seaside Heights three times this summer — we did our All-American Variety Show on July 5th, we’ll do our Stiletto and the Saxman show tonight, and on Aug. 30th we’ll be here with Joey Arminio and the Family, a five-piece band with two dancers, where we’ll do an American Bandstand-type review.”
Next, we chat with Joey Arminio, an East Coast Music Hall of Fame-winning instrumentalist, who says, “I started playing trumpet in third grade, but I later switched to sax and have been playing it since 1984.” Recalling, “I played in a lot of different bands including The Wanderers, The Crosstones, and The Eddie Testa Band, in addition to The Regents, a group which had a Top 20 hit in 1961 with ‘Barbara Ann,’” Joe additionally informs us that he and Doreen are also a part of The Cameos, a New Jersey group which was featured on the PBS television special, Doo Wop Generations.
As Doreen and Joey get ready to begin tonight’s show for the large crowd which has already gathered around the Franklin Avenue stage, we take a moment to converse with Tony Vaz, the mayor of Seaside Heights. Says Vaz, “Our summer, so far, has been great — just look at this crowd! We have people here of all ages here tonight in Seaside Heights. We want this to be a family destination, and we want people to know they can come and enjoy all the activities we have to offer here in Seaside Heights.”
Continuing, “We follow the Governor’s guidelines, which are data-based, and we also watch the data to make sure people are safe as we continue to provide quality shows here in Seaside Heights,” Vaz notes, “We have some fantastic free events coming up including Broadway Meets the Beach which features stars of hit Broadway shows” — including Rock of Ages’ Constantine Maroulis on Friday, August 13 and Friday, August 27 — “along with free Beach Concert Series tribute bands, Wednesday Night Fireworks, and Movies on the Beach events, in addition to some special ticketed events.”
Emcee Tony Dean, host of doowopradio.com’s Tony Dean’s Doo Wop Cruise, takes to the stage to welcome the crowd. After singing his own rendition of Bobby Darin’s “Beyond the Sea,” Dean introduces Doreen and Joey — Stiletto and the Saxman. The couple makes its entrance and Darleen, stunning in her sea green off-the-shoulder dress, exclaims, “Welcome to the boardwalk — the best boardwalk in New Jersey!” as the couple performs their summery version of The Drifters’ “Under the Boardwalk” live to a pre-recorded music track.
The crowd cheers and the duo launches into a set filled with classic ’50s and ’60s tunes including The Echoes’ “Baby Blue,” which Joey sings for his young granddaughter in the audience, and The Shirelles’ “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” featuring Doreen’s dynamic lead vocal accompanied by a sparkling tenor solo performed by Saxman Joey.
On The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby,” members of the audience sing along, some in chairs who came to stay and others simply walking by holding ice cream and boardwalk prizes in hand. As Joey performs Johnny Burnett’s “Dreamin’” Doreen dances in her white stiletto heels.
An audience favorite from tonight’s production is Stiletto and the Saxman’s rendition of Frankie Lymon’s “Goody Goody.” This feel-good number has folks dancing in place, swaying to the catchy beat, and some even twirling and adding steps right on the boardwalk. While others sing and clap to the music, still others take videos of Doreen and Joey with their cell phones.
Following avid applause, the duo’s set continues with selections including Tony Orlando’s “Bless You,” Connie Francis’s “Stupid Cupid,” and Neil Sedaka’s “Oh Carol.” Audience members smile as Joey plays sax and Doreen joins him on trumpet for a lively interpretation of The Champs’ “Tequila,” many happily joining in on the famous “Tequila!” refrain while others sway and dance to the music.
While the sun begins to set over the ocean, the duo’s talents shine as they trade vocals on a selection of Motown hits with ‘60s-style choreography enhanced by the group’s pre-recorded vocal and instrumental backing tracks. The crowd responds by moving and singing along to the upbeat music.
The evening concludes with a tribute to members of the armed forces consisting of “The Caisson Song,” “Anchors Away,” “Off We Go into the Wild Blue Yonder,” and “The Marine’s Hymn,” which includes patriotic flag-waving by members of the crowd, and Doreen thanking the audience for coming before exclaiming, “God bless America!”
As we take leave of the boardwalk, we chat with several members in the crowd who share their reactions to tonight’s entertainment event. Declares Cathy from Tempe, Arizona, “This was awesome! Doreen’s voice is amazing. I’m actually here in New Jersey visiting my brother who lives in Toms River, and I would have kept walking, but I stopped when I heard the music and ended up spending the evening here dancing!”
Likewise, Ed and Maureen from Seaside Park tell us they enjoyed having an opportunity to dance to live music right here on the Seaside Heights boardwalk. Explains Ed, “We like the music, and we like to dance. There just aren’t enough places where we can dance to ‘our music’ these days, but we even got to slow-dance here!” before Maureen adds, “We just love the oldies, and we love coming to these concerts!”
Lastly, we chat with Teri from Lakewood who acknowledges, “I came to Seaside Heights tonight specifically for this show. As a singer, Doreen really captures my attention.” After revealing, “I met a group of people who were dancing on the boardwalk and now we’re friends — we had a great time singing and dancing to the music,” Teri concludes by exclaiming, “It was great! I came with a chair and a sweatshirt, and now I’m leaving with a smile!”
To learn more about Stiletto and the Saxman’s Doreen and Joey Arminio, please click on joeyarminio.com. For further information on summer events at the Seaside Heights Boardwalk — including and Joey Arminio and the Family on August 30 and Broadway Meets the Beach with Constanine Maroulis on August 13 and August 27 — please click on exit82.com.
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