Here's a look at the top 15 most read articles published at New Jersey Stage from December 29 to January 4, 2025. Each week we publish about 70 articles, including several original columns and features, along with news releases for events happening throughout the state and nearby areas like Philadelphia and New York City. This week's top 15 includes articles from 6 counties in New Jersey (Bergen, Essex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, and Sussex).
Make sure your events are part of our weekly columns by sending press releases to us at [email protected]. Event previews are always one of the most popular areas of the website. Event previews get noticed when we first publish them and then get noticed again when they are brought back to the main area of the site the week the event takes place - sometimes even several months later. We also run weekly columns promoting events, music, and theatre shows taking place for the week. These columns include our featured event previews and event listings along with all of our event previews of the week. Your events can stand out for as low as $10! Many times, they are among the most read stories of the week. There is no cost for us to run your press releases!
1) A Tribute to Southside Johnny - On December 20, 2024, Southside Johnny announced he was retiring from touring effective immediately. His annual show for New Year's Eve was cancelled and fans around the world starting paying tribute to him and wondering what the future would hold for him and the Asbury Jukes. New Jersey Stage wanted to pay tribute to him as well, so we reached out to fans in the "Jukebox: Southside Johnny fanzine" Facebook group, some musicians, and industry professionals for their thoughts.
2) 2024 was a good year for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band - Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band brought "one of the most successful tours of all time" (Pollstar) to a new level this year, delivering blistering three-hour sets and surpassing 4 million tickets sold for their run of 2023-2024 shows. Simultaneously, the film release for "Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band" (available now on Hulu and Disney+) offered fans the most in-depth look ever at the creation of those legendary live performances. "Springsteen is the world's greatest living entertainer, full stop,” declared The New York Times in a Critic's Pick. "'Road Diary'...offers dynamic proof for this."
3) Micky Dolenz LIVE! at BergenPAC - Daydream believers inside Englewood, NJ's BergenPAC auditorium this Sunday, December 15, 2024 evening ready themselves for a concert of Songs and Stories by the sole surviving member of The Monkees, Micky Dolenz.
4) bergenPAC presents Brett Goldstein: Second Best Night of Your Life – Live Special Taping - (ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- Attention Ted Lasso fans! Brett Goldstein - the actor who played Roy Kent - will be performing two shows at Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC) on Saturday, February 1, 2025. Brett Goldstein: Second Best Night of Your Life – Live Special Taping will have sets at 7:00pm & 9:30pm.
5) Events This Week in New Jersey from December 31, 2024 to January 7, 2025 - Here is a look at upcoming events taking place from December 31 to January 7, 2025 along with our featured listings. New Jersey Stage offers previews of events throughout the Garden State as well as select shows in New York City and Philadelphia areas.
6) Grammy Nominee Donald Vega 'Honored' That His All-Original, As I Travel, Is Up for Best Latin Jazz Album - Donald Vega is one of the most gifted pianists and composers on the jazz scene today, with a personality as effervescent as his playing. From his early roots in Nicaragua to mentorship by some of jazz's greatest stars, Vega continues to uphold the jazz tradition through his performances, recordings, and teaching. I caught up with him during a recent Zoom conversation. He was introspective, attentive, and entertaining. Vega is currently promoting two new recordings: All Is Merry and Bright (Imagery Records), a Christmas album, and the Grammy-nominated As I Travel (Imagery Records), which features his original compositions.
7) NJPAC presents The Temptations and The Four Tops - (NEWARK, NJ) -- Experience the nostalgia of Motown at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) with the legendary singing groups The Temptations and The Four Tops on Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 8:00pm. This concert celebrates The Temptations and The Four Tops’ 40th Anniversary Tour performing together.
8) The Newton Theatre presents Welcome Back My Friends – An Evening with Emerson Lake & Palmer - (NEWTON, NJ) -- Carl Palmer brings Welcome Back My Friends – An Evening with Emerson Lake & Palmer to The Newton Theatre on Sunday, March 16, 2025 at 7:00pm. This is not a tribute act – this is the real thing.
9) Events This Week in New Jersey from December 24-31, 2024 - Here is a look at upcoming events taking place from December 24-31, 2024 along with our featured listings. New Jersey Stage offers previews of events throughout the Garden State as well as select shows in New York City and Philadelphia areas.
10) SoundSurge: An Epic Mutual Aid Concert to Hit LBI in February - (LONG BEACH ISLAND, NJ) -- Get ready for a musical revolution this winter! On Sunday, February 16, 2025, Joe Pop's Shore Bar in Ship Bottom will host SoundSurge, a dynamic and unforgettable mutual aid concert event featuring the release of Chris Rockwell's album Rockwell Rebel Radio II, a new single from singer/songwriter Izzy Miz, and the official launch of Soundsmith Records, an Ocean County based black-owned record label created by educator and recording artist Chill Smith. This amped-up celebration will also serve as a goods & supply drive, supporting the community by collecting food and items benefiting local non-profit Bright Harbor Healthcare's Street Outreach Services (SOS) program in Ocean County.
11) Albert Music Hall presents Winter Hootenanny in the Pines - (WARETOWN, NJ) -- On Sunday, January 5, 2025, Albert Music Hall will kick off the new year with its Winter Hootenanny in the Pines. This event will mark the Hall's return from its winter break, offering an afternoon of live music and community spirit. Doors are at 1:00pm, showtime is 2:00pm.
12) Valerie Simpson LIVE! at SOPAC - Inside South Orange, NJ's SOPAC auditorium this Saturday, December 14, 2024 evening music lovers who know there ain't nothing like the real thing ready themselves for a live Valerie Simpson and Friends Sing Ashford and Simpson performance by singer/songwriter Valerie Simpson.
13) North Star Theater Company presents "Little Women" at Dover Little Theatre in January - (DOVER, NJ) -- North Star Theater Company invites audiences to experience the enduring charm of Little Women by Kate Hamill, adapted from Louisa May Alcott's beloved novel. This heartfelt and dynamic production will run for two weekends, January 17-19, 2025 and January 24–26, 2025, at Dover Little Theatre.
14) "A Johnny Mathis Christmas" LIVE! at MPAC - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at MPAC in Morristown, NJ this Saturday December 7, 2024 evening as music lovers excitedly await a sold-out A Johnny Mathis Christmas concert by the legendary pop vocalist Johnny Mathis.
15) Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...1/2/25 - "This is my first time at The Lizzie Rose, I like places like that. I'll be doing one continuous 90 minute set and I'll be there afterward selling tee shirts and CDs that are out right now. There is no opening act and I prefer it that way," laughed James "Biscuit" Rouse as he discussed his new album, "Biscuit and Buddy" and his upcoming January 10 show at The Lizzie Rose Music Room in Tuckerton, NJ. My guitarist said to me, "Why don't you have an opening act?" To me, it doesn't really matter, I'm just ready to start playing this music whether I'm the opening act or the headliner, it doesn't matter."
Want your events to stand out? Check out our ad rates which start at just $50 for an entire month of targeted advertising and includes events listed in our online calendar. Or you can have your events listed in the calendar for $10 per event (shows with multiple performances get every show listed for just $10). Either way your events will be featured in the weekly columns. NJ Stage keeps our rates low so they are affordable to arts organizations of all sizes. We are proud to be an independent media company. Nobody covers the Arts throughout the Garden State like New Jersey Stage!
