Music fans are gettin’ together this Thursday, August 14, 2025 evening at Morristown, NJ’s MPAC for a concert of hits by the iconic singer, songwriter, and producer, Tommy James.
With 23 gold singles, nine platinum albums, and over 100 million records sold, Tommy James’ music has been covered by a who’s who of music industry greats including Billy Idol, Joan Jett, Prince, Cher, Tom Jones, Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Dolly Parton, and Kelly Clarkson.
Backstage, Tommy’s longtime manager and recent bride, Carol Ross, talks about the enduring appeal of Tommy’s music, noting that it’s currently featured in “106 films, 122 TV shows, and dozens of commercials,” with “placement in three movies and two TV series just this week.”
Thanks to so many current opportunities for the public to experience his music, Ross reveals, ‘Tommy is so excited that young people are not only listening to him, but that many talented young artists are recording his songs on YouTube where he gets such a kick out of hearing his work reinvented in new and exciting ways.”
Ross concludes by noting that in addition to enjoying his current gig hosting one of the top shows on SiriusXM radio, Gettin’ Together with Tommy James, Tommy is especially grateful to know that he’ll soon be honored with a “Tommy James Day” in New Jersey — recognition which he, as a longtime Garden State resident, “truly appreciates.”
Inside the MPAC auditorium, the lights dim and the crowd cheers as Tommy James takes the stage along with his band, The Shondells, featuring John Golden on guitar, Mike DiMeo on synthesizers, Glenn Wyka on drums, Jonathn Ashe on bass, and John Korba on organ.
Opening with his 1971 solo hit, “Draggin’ the Line,” James’ voice sounds as strong and clear as ever as he sings, “Makin’ a livin’ the old, hard way/Takin’ and givin’ by day by day/I dig snow and rain and the bright sunshine/Draggin’ the line.” Lights flash, four-part vocal harmonies ring out, and music lovers clap along to the tune’s driving rhythm before they explode with applause.
“How are you doing?” inquires James, prior to exclaiming, “We hope you have fun tonight! Let’s put your energy together with ours and let’s make something happen!”
Colored lights flash to the beat as a tremelo electric guitar plays and James croons the lyrics to his 1968 hit, “Crystal Blue Persuasion.”
Audience members happily sing along on the tune’s “Crystal blue persuasion/It’s a new vibration” lyric before clapping and cheering for this enduring fan favorite.
John Golden’s wailing guitar stands out on Tommy’s next selection — the rocking, “Say I Am.” Then, Tommy and the band follow up with a bright and bubbly version of James’ 1967 pop hit, “Gettin’ Together,” where James sings, “Gettin’ together never felt like this before,” while John Korba accompanies on organ and Jonathn Ashe rocks out on bass.
The musicians exit the stage leaving James alone to joke, “Now for a medley of my country hits,” as he strums an acoustic guitar and performs a humorous snippet of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line.”
James tells the audience that his memoir, Me, the Mob, and the Music, is slated to become a motion picture and describes the final musical number in the film as a slowed-down version of his classic tune, “I Think We’re Alone Now,” which he and the band perform with acoustic guitars, keyboard, and organ.
Following avid cheers, Tommy and the band move on to a powerful and driving rendition of “Ball of Fire” — a power ballad which features stunning live vocal harmonies — before continuing with the 1970 hit James co-wrote and produced for the group, Alive N Kickin’. Filled with mighty harmonies and power chords, lights flash as James puts a fresh spin on the million-selling pop tune, “Tighter, Tighter.”
The crowd roars as Tommy and Co. ramp things up with a performance of James’ psychedelic 1968 #1 smash, “Crimson and Clover,” where Tommy sings, “Ah, now I don’t hardly know her/But I think I could love her,” and concertgoers dance in their seats before reacting with a standing ovation.
James and the Shondells respond with 1966’s “Hanky Panky” where concertgoers sing and clap along while John Golden, Tommy, and Jonathn Ashe rock out center stage on the rhythmic interlude.
Music lovers stand and cheer and Tommy and the Shondells follow up with a second version of “I Think We’re Alone Now” — this time, an up-tempo rendition, à la the one heard on the original 1967 recording. Then, lights flash and audience members dance and cheer to 1968’s catchy “Do Something to Me” where Glenn Wyka delivers a flashy drum solo.
The James’ gang follows up with an electric version of one of the greatest party songs in the history of pop music, Tommy’s 1968 smash, “Mony Mony.” As the band vamps, Tommy announces, “We’re gonna do something we do all over the planet when we play this song,” and gets audience members clapping in time as he ventures offstage and out into the audience.
After shaking hands and taking selfies with fans in the crowd, Tommy makes his way back onto the stage where he introduces his talented bandmates — including keyboardist Mike DiMeo who makes his synthesizer “scream” — before listening to the audience echo-sing the song’s “Oo, I love you Mony, Mo-Mo, Mony” refrain.
“God bless you, thank you everybody!” cries James as he and the band waltz into an encore of Tommy’s 1969 3/4-time hit, “Sweet Cherry Wine,” and follow up with a rollicking rendition of 1967’s “Mirage” before concluding tonight’s festivities with a rockin’ reprise of “Mony Mony.”
Audience members stand, cheer, and applaud as the musicians take a bow and James exclaims, “We love you, Morristown! We’ll be back!”
As music lovers make their way out of the MPAC auditorium, several comment on tonight’s performance by Tommy James. Remarks Ronnie from Stanhope, “Tommy James was great tonight! After all these years, he still sounds great, and I enjoyed the show; it was a lot of fun and his songs brought back so many memories for me.”
Lorraine from Newton agrees, adding, “I thought Tommy was fantastic, especially considering the fact that I know he’s around my age!”
Vince from West Orange, recalls, “When I was two years old I had a toy guitar and every time Tommy James’ ‘Mony Mony’ would come on, I’d stand on a suitcase in the living room and rock out — but I would only do it for ‘Mony Mony.’ A few weeks ago, I was in a diner and I saw a guy there who looked familiar — it was Tommy James — and I told him the story and he invited me to the show tonight where he was amazing; his voice is just as great as it was when I used to rock out to it!”
Eileen from West Orange declares, “Tommy was absolutely incredible — he sounds as good as ever!” and Linda from Wanaque concurs, adding, “I thought Tommy was great. I love his music and he’s so much fun, especially when he went into the crowd — I’m so glad I came!”
Whereas Penny from Sterling insists, “Tommy was fantastic tonight; he put on a fun concert with so many big hits!” Mike from Sterling reveals, “I followed Tommy James back when I was in high school and college. I’d go see him in concert back in the day and he still has that great voice and a great band, too. I had such a great time tonight!”
Lastly, Bruce from Parsippany acknowledges, “Today is my 69th birthday and I’m blessed to have been able to experience Tommy James’ music when I was growing up. It’s iconic, it’s legendary, and it’s the soundtrack of our lives — which made for a really special evening tonight!”
For more on Tommy James and The Shondells, please see tommyjames.com. For info on upcoming concerts at MPAC — including Yes: The Fragile Tour 2025 on October 2, An Evening With Amy Grant: Songs/Stories/Memories on October 8, and the Randy Travis: More Life Tour on October 18 — please click on mayoarts.org.
Spotlight Central NJ entertainment news,
concert recaps, and interviews
Love Imagery Fine art stage photography
@allyouneedisloveimagery
