(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents '60s Rock N' Roll Revival featuring four great acts, one amazing night of music on Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 7:00pm. The lineup includes Gary Puckett and The Union Gap, The Grass Roots, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, and The Brooklyn Bridge. Tickets range from $39-$89.
Gary Puckett and the Union Gap - The legendary Grammy® nominated Gary Puckett and the Union Gap have had six top 10 hits, including two #1s in the late 1960s. Puckett’s band, the Union Gap (he grew up near Union Gap, Idaho), still wears the Union Army outfits from the Civil War era. The group signed with Columbia Records and, in 1968, they had six consecutive gold records and sold more records than any other group, including the Beatles. Hits include “Woman, Woman” (#3 on the Cashbox charts), “Young Girl” (#1 on Cashbox and #1 in the UK), “Lady Willpower” (#1), “Over You” (#5), and “This Girl is a Woman Now” (#9).
The Grass Roots - In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, The Grass Roots sold more than 20 million records worldwide and had three top 10 singles, six top 20 singles, and 14 top 40 singles. The group’s hits include “Let’s Live for Today,” “Midnight Confession,” “I’d Walk a Million Miles,” “Temptation Eyes,” “Sooner or Later,” “Heaven Knows,” and “Two Divided by Love.” In 1982, their July 4th performance at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. set an all-time attendance record of over half a million people.
Gary Lewis & The Playboys - This band had the unique accomplishment of having their first seven singles all reach the top 10 on the charts. Despite 1965-66 charts being dominated by British bands, the hits were: “This Diamond Ring” (#1 on Billboard chart), “Count me In” (#2), “Save Your Heart for Me” (#2), “Everybody Loves a Clown” (#4), “She’s Just My Style” (#3), “Sure Gonna Miss Her” (#9), and “Green Grass (#8). Lewis and his band appeared on many popular music shows on television, including Ed Sullivan (five times), Shindig, Hullabaloo, and Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, as well as several of his father’s Muscular Dystrophy telethons (comedian Jerry Lewis).
The Brooklyn Bridge - Opening the ‘60s Rock N' Roll Revival is The Brooklyn Bridge. Formed by combining Johhny Maestro’s Crests with Dion’s backup singers, the Del-Satins, the hits include “16 Candles,” “The Angels Listened In,” “Step by Step,” “The Worst that Could Happen,” “Blessed is the Rain,” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Lead Signer Joe Esposito performed “Lady, Lady, Lady” in the 1983 hit movie Flashdance, “You’re the Best” in 1984’s Karate Kid and collaborated with Donna Summer on “Heaven Knows” and “Bad Girls.”
Tickets range from $39-$89 and are available for purchase online or by calling State Theatre Guest Services at 732-246-SHOW (7469). State Theatre Guest Services, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open by phone and email only, Tuesday through Friday from 11:00am to 5:00pm. For in-person purchases, Guest Services is open Tuesday through Friday from 12:00pm to 4:30pm. Additional ticket and transaction fees may apply.
After major renovations, State Theatre New Jersey celebrated its 100th Anniversary in December 2021 in a fully renovated theater including newly renovated lobbies, all new restrooms, upgraded HVAC systems, a new elevator for access to all levels, and brand-new theater seats. Originally built as a silent film and vaudeville palace, State Theatre’s historic significance was honored by PBS by featuring it in its documentary series, Treasures of New Jersey, in the fall of 2018. “Treasures of New Jersey: State Theatre New Jersey” can be streamed online.
Today, State Theatre is the largest performing arts center in Central New Jersey and has welcomed more than six million people through its doors since reopening as a nonprofit performing arts center in 1988. State Theatre New Jersey is a cornerstone of the cultural vitality of Middlesex County and averages a total economic impact on New Brunswick and the surrounding area of more than $18 million a year. The mainstage programs have featured high-caliber artists such as Diana Ross, Tom Jones, Kevin Hart, Ringo Starr, Melissa Etheridge, John Leguizamo, Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Program offerings include Broadway, orchestra, family, dance, comedy, rock/pop, jazz, Performances for Schools, and Sensory-Friendly Performances.
State Theatre New Jersey’s programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.
