There’s a kind of hush inside the PNC Bank Arts Center amphitheater in Holmdel, NJ this stunning September 9, 2025 afternoon as music lovers ready themselves to cherish a performance of classic ’60s and ’70s music. Presented by the Garden State Arts Foundation, today’s free show features Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone along with The Association.
Garden State Arts Foundation VP Ron Gravino welcomes the large crowd announcing, “Thank you so much for making this a record for 40 years of the Garden State Arts Foundation,” and explaining that nearly 14,000 tickets were given out for today's concert. He also thanks the sponsors of today's event including Live Nation Entertainment, PNC Bank, and the UMC Foundation, in addition to acknowledging the many volunteers who help with GSAF performances.
Gravino introduces The Association and keyboardist Jordan Cole, drummer Bruce Pictor, guitarist Jules Alexander, guitarist Jim Yester, bassist Del Ramos, and guitarist Paul Holland take the stage to avid applause and get audience member’s toes tapping to the group’s 1966 #1 hit “Windy.”
Five-part vocals are featured on this happy tune along with a recorder solo by keyboardist Jordon Cole.
Jim Yester and Del Ramos sing The Association’s Top 10 hit from 1968, “Everything That Touches You,” its message of “Love, love, love, love, everything is love” delivering good vibes to the crowd on this beautiful September day.
Following cheers, founding member Jim Yester exclaims, “Hello, Jersey strong! We are The Association, established in 1965.”
Yester announces, “In 1967, we opened the Monterey Pop Festival with this song,” before Jordan Cole — whose father, Brian Cole, was an original Association member — sings lead on “Enter the Young,” the opening track of the band’s best-selling 1966 debut album, And Then…. Along Comes the Association.
Bassist Del Ramos, brother of late long-time Association singer/guitarist Larry Ramos, dedicates the next selection to “everyone who has a special connection to this song.” Smooth vocals cry out on “Never My Love,” recognized by the music licensing organization BMI as one of the 100 most-played songs of the last 100 years.
The audience sings along with the band on the song’s “You ask me if there’ll come a time/When I grow tired of you/Never my love/Never my love” lyric prior to responding with cheers, applause, and whistles.
Yester handles the lead vocal on a cover version of one of the group’s favorite tunes from the 1960s — The Left Banke’s “Walk Away Renee” — and the audience joins in singing and clapping along on the song’s memorable “Don’t walk away, Renee” chorus.
Jordan Cole is featured on “Six-Man Band,” a pop/rock tune with lyrics written by his dad.
Then, Yester sings lead on a ballad he composed for the band, “No Fair at All,” which features six-part vocal harmonies.
Ramos introduces founding member Jules Alexander, who created the vocal arrangement for the group’s 1966 #1 smash “Cherish,” and concertgoers sing along with The Association on the song’s well-known “Cherish is the word I use to describe” lyric.
Music lovers cheer and Yester is featured on The Association’s 1966 debut single, “Along Comes Mary,” before the band concludes its set with a reprise of “Windy” which elicits a standing ovation from the crowd.
Following a short intermission, music lovers clap along with Herman’s Hermits’ guitarists Vance Brescia and Billy Sullivan, keyboardist Rich Spina, and drummer Dave Ferrara as they take the stage.
The crowd cheers when frontman Peter Noone, 77, enters, and he and the band launch into the 1964 Herman’s Hermits hit, “I’m Into Something Good.”
The crowd joyfully sings along to the song’s upbeat “Something tells me I’m into something good” chorus before Noone and the band segue into the Hermits’ 1965 remake of the 1960 Sam Cooke hit, “Wonderful World.”
Noone makes his way down into the audience for an upbeat cover version of the Clovers’ 1959 classic, “Love Potion № 9,” and returns to the stage for a jaunty interpretation of 1966’s “Dandy” and an upbeat rendition of 1966’s “A Must to Avoid.”
“What a splendid audience!” exclaims Noone, prior to performing what he calls “the first-ever song I ever sang with a group” — the Bobby Rydell ballad, “I’ll Never Dance Again.”
Following a humorous impression of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” Noone goes back down into the crowd and conducts music lovers as they sing along on The Monkees’ “Daydream Believer” and Manfred Mann’s “Do Wah Diddy Diddy.”
Returning to the stage, Noone stands between Billy Sullivan and Vance Brescia and delivers a rockin’ version of his 1965 hit, “A Little Bit Better,” where Vance Brescia high kicks as he plays guitar.
The audience sways on Peter’s cue to Herman’s Hermits’ 1965 remake of The Rays’ “Silhouettes,” before Noone talks about his debut album — The Best of Herman’s Hermits — and holds up a copy of the LP in front of his face while singing “Leaning on a Lampost.”
Strapping on a guitar, Noone performs a humorous version of “Travelin’ Light” where he rapidly croons, “I’m at the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, today!”
After a crisp interpretation of his 1967 hit, “No Milk Today,” Noone explains, “We feel lucky that we have a ballad to perform, although this one is a bit of a downer. It’s called ‘The End of the World’ — I hope you like it.” Here, he demonstrates his keen vocal abilities as he presents a heartfelt version of this 1965 ballad.
Guitarist Billy Sullivan is featured on a rockin’ rendition of “Jezebel” before Noone moves on to a poignant presentation of “Listen People” where he captivates the audience crooning the song’s “Everybody’s got to love somebody sometime” message.
After vocalizing a snippet of “Bennie and the Jets” in falsetto, Noone jokingly pays tribute to his “mom,” Elton John, and takes off his jacket to perform a homage to “dear old dad” — Mick Jagger.
Here, Noone struts back and forth across the stage to The Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up,” before launching into a spirited version of Herman’s Hermits’ 1965 hit, “Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat.”
Audience members sing along with Peter on his 1965 #1 smash, “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter.” They also join in singing on a raucous rendition of Herman’s Hermits’ 1965 hit, “I’m Henry the VIII, I Am,” where Noone energetically directs the festivities before showing the audience his socks with flags on them — one American and one British.
The crowd stands and sways as Noone and the Hermits perform their final number of the afternoon, a nostalgic rendition of the group’s classic 1967 recording, “There’s a Kind of Hush.”
After taking a well-deserved bow, Noone exclaims, “Have a great day! Come back again!” as he waves goodbye to the standing, cheering crowd.
For further info on Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone, please click on peternoone.com. For more information on The Association, click on theassociationwebsite.com. To learn more about future Garden State Arts Foundation concerts at the PNC Bank Arts Center — including Bob Miranda and The Happenings, Vito Picone and The Elegants, and John Scupelliti and The Reactions on September 29, and Cousin Brucie Presents The Rascals with Felix Cavaliere and Gene Cornish along with Gary Lewis and the Playboys on October 3 — please go to gsafoundation.org.
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