Every Thursday night, the Celtic Cottage in Long Branch is packed with people ranging from college students to those in their 60s. They come to see Bob Burger play and they're never disappointed.
Burger may be one of the best kept secrets in New Jersey, but musicians have known about him for years. He's been a member of the Bobby Bandiera Band since the 80s and is a frequent songwriting partner of such artists as Glen Burtnick and Joe Vadala. He's shared the stage with Jersey legends like Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi and earned a Gold Record for his work with Styx's Edge of the Century record. With the release of last year's Cymbals at Dawn CD, Burger is finally ready to take center stage on his own.
One listen to Burger's first solo CD and you'll wonder what took him so long. The songs are exceptionally well crafted with good lyrics and great hooks. Fans will certainly recognize some of his influences (The Beatles to Tom Petty) but Burger molds them into a style clearly of his own. Highlights on the record include "Madalynn," "Vintage Tweed," and "My Crowning Achievement."
Even though he's been playing out more in recent years, Burger generally stays within the Monmouth County area. He regularly plays the Salt Creek Grille in Rumson, the Waterfront Cafe in Sea Bright, and, of course, his weekly gig at the Celtic Cottage in Long Branch every Thursday. Starting May 30th, he'll be playing with Bobby Bandiera at The Columns in Avon By The Sea every Sunday.
"One of the reasons I'm staying in the local area is that I'm trying to build up a local fanbase," explained Burger. "If you spread it out too thin then you can't build it up so much. There's too much time in between gigs that they can forget about you."
His efforts to build a local fanbase are very evident each Thursday. He's been playing every Thursday at the Celtic Cottage - both with Bobby Bandiera and solo - for years and years. It's become something of a Jersey Shore institution and there's nothing better on a Thursday night than heading over to the Celtic to see Burger play. With no cover charge, it might be the best deal around.
"The Celtic is really special, there's no doubt about it," continued Burger. "I think a lot of the people who go there had their roots in Cheers (a former bar in Long Branch). But even beyond that there is the proximity to Monmouth University so they get a lot of younger kids in there. I think it's maybe the fact that we've built a crowd up over a number of years and they know what to expect when they go in. ?There's definitely a vibe and it works really well for me."
His show consists of a mix of original tunes and covers. In addition to the classic rock and popular songs of today, Burger mixes in obscure gems and regularly changes his setlist. The effect is similar to having a really knowledgeable DJ create a mix tape for you. No matter how many times you see him play, it's always different and always special.
"At the Celtic, you feel that the audience is there to listen and I think that's what makes it work," said Burger. "One of the things I've done to create or keep that audience is play with a lot of different players."
On any given Thursday, you might find guys like Jimmy Leahey, Jim Celestino, PK Lavengood, or Rob Tanico playing with him.
"If I don't constantly rotate material or constantly do something different, they won't be coming back. So everytime they come in they know they're not going to get the same thing they got last time."
Burger's in the unique position of not only having to reach out to audiences that have never heard his music, but he has to almost reintroduce himself to people that have known him for years through different assocation. Some people know him as a guitarist in the Bobby Bandiera Band, others only know his name from the songwriting credits on a Glen Burtnick CD. He says people constantly come up to him and tell him that they didn't know he wrote his own songs or even played music. But once they hear him on stage, they're hooked.
He's been pursuing many different avenues to expand his audience - Internet radio being one of them. The CD was recently added to several online stations to go along with the local FM radio stations like 90.5 The Night, which play the record.
Another angle he recently tried was doing a set at the initial open mic at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park. Ironically, even though he had performed on that stage well over a hundred times, this was the first night that Bob performed on stage with just him and a guitar. It was also the first time he's ever played an open mic.
Recent sets in Asbury Park at the Writers In The Raw show and the Magazine Benefit earned rave reviews and gained new fans. ?It's clear that all he needs to do is get in front of people and play. His music does the rest. Thankfully, he won't keep his fans waiting too long before the next record.
"I'm always writing," he said. "But my timetable was to write this year and then pick what I think are the best group of songs and start recording next year. So, I'm expecting to have another CD out mid to fall of 2005. That puts them two years apart, which I think is pretty good spacing."
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].
