I was almost giddy to see and hear Don McLean at the Count Basie Theater, Red Bank, NJ on Sept. 28 -- another stellar show by Sammy Boyd Productions. Pure Prairie League, the show's opener, guaranteed I was in for a good time.
PPL brought pure country sound and texture. They delivered a perfect set of just the right length; you know that show biz adage, always leave 'em wanting more? These seasoned musicians did just that! They delivered impressive pure country chops with pitch-perfect vocals like those I've loved of The Eagles.
I mention The Eagles, one of my favorite bands, because jazz singer that I am, I hadn't listened to or seen many country/country rock artists earlier in my life. I knew of the name PPL, but never consciously listened to them. It’s another reminder of what great music a lot of people miss when they limit their listening to one music genre.
I see there is a quite large country music fan base in NJ, and especially in Monmouth and Ocean Counties. PPL's fans are a well-behaved, adoring audience that know the words to their songs and sing along. That evening brought a love-fest set to the vintage theater.
Don McLean is SOME songwriter. His band was large---and loud. I was glad when he performed a couple songs with sparse instrumental accompaniment. In sweet, coded remarks, he let us know that he was going to play all the songs we wanted to hear; his big hits. For me, that meant And I Love You So, American Pie, and Vincent. He played a good variety of country blues, country rock, and what I think is his forte, beautiful ballads. I grew weepy eyed during Vincent, because I know the Van Gogh story, and McLean's lyrics so perfectly explored the sad life of the tortured artist.
As for And I Love You So, I wanted to tell him that even though my main experience is as a jazz singer, I had performed the song probably a thousand times over nearly 50 years, because it is a gorgeous song with his signature sensitive, heart-felt lyric.
As expected, McLean brought down the house with American Pie, another perfect piece of songwriting. The audience was on its feet and singing with him in what seemed to be reverence and pure joy!
He and his band with impressive musicianship, have been traveling the world in one configuration or another for 50 years, he said. I first saw McLean in the '70s at the Club Bene Dinner Theater in Parlin, NJ. Pure Prairie League has been around for as long, both acts still busy touring.
I gotta say...Sammy Boyd knows how to book a perfect artist pairing to create a knock out show. Watch for more great shows he's got coming our way, including a Christmas Show at the Basie featuring Darlene Love with Remember Jones on Dec. 20.
Rosemary Conte, Matawan, NJ, is a popular singer, recording artist, voice coach, veteran writer, hypnosis therapist and counselor. She has been a nationally syndicated columnist, and her writing has been featured in NJ newspapers; a columnist in the Monmouth Arts Council newspaper; All Music Magazine which she founded and published; and the Aquarian Weekly. Her column Inside Music has appeared in NewJerseyStage.com and it’s eMag for 3 years. Email her at [email protected]. Find her on Linkedin, Google Plus, and Facebook, www.Facebook.com/RosemaryConte and www.Facebook.com/RosemaryConteSinger
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
