The Bronx Wanderers are in the house this Sunday, September 28, 2025 at Toms River, NJ’s Grunin Center for the Arts for the first of two shows on a single day. The group — known for its high-energy renditions of classic pop songs from the ‘50s, ‘60s, and beyond — is comprised of a father, Vinny Sr., on lead vocals; his sons, Vincent John on keyboards/guitar and Nick on drums; and friends, Fernando Tort on bass and Joe Bari on saxophone/keyboards/guitar.
As a young man, Vinny Sr. had dreams of making it big in show business as a professional musician. After talking to several music industry experts in New York City, however, he decided to put his dreams on hold and create a career as a record producer, label executive, and music publisher.
After 35 successful years working with the likes of Jim Croce, Alabama, Reba McEntire, and The Spinners, Vinny Sr. put together a rock band featuring his teenage sons. Since then, the group has gone on to perform in venues across the country in addition to earning themselves a steady gig for the past nine years as full-time performers in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Following a video in which Vinny Sr. and Vincent John welcome audience members and introduce them to The Bronx Wanderers’ story, the band takes the stage along with four additional musicians on trumpet, trombone, violin, and cello.
The string section begins to play the theme from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, after which the rhythm and horn sections motor into The Ides of March’s “Vehicle” where Vincent John enters singing in his strong, resonant voice, “I’m your vehicle, baby/I’ll take you anywhere you want to go,” prior to rocking out on guitar.
Vincent John moves over to the keyboard as Vinnie Sr. takes the stage for a medley of Frankie Valli hits including “Oh What A Night,” “Grease,” and “Who Loves You,” after which Vinny Sr. exclaims, “It’s so good be home!” before joking, “We are the Italian Osmond family.”
After Vinny Sr, explains that he grew up in the Bronx with his idol, Dion, he and the band give a swinging rendition of Dion and The Belmonts’ “I Wonder Why,” and follow up with a buoyant performance of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” where music lovers join in singing with father and son on the song’s “Good times never seemed so good” refrain.
Vinny Sr. explains that when they play in Las Vegas, they perform with a six-piece horn section and a three-piece string section, so to give today’s Jersey audience a taste of “what we’re doing now in Vegas,” they’ve invited several horn and string players. These musicians help to sweeten the sound as Vinny Sr. moves over to keyboard and Vincent John expertly handles the lead on a soulful version of The Foundations’ R&B hit, “Build Me Up Buttercup.”
After bringing the audience back in time to 1984 with a video of Vinny Sr. singing Tommy James and the Shondells’ “Mony Mony,” Vinny Sr. and the band perform “Mony Mony” live.
Audience members clap along to the beat as Vinny Sr. and the ensemble deftly segue into Rick Springfield’s “Jesse’s Girl” and Brian Adams’ “Summer of ‘69.”
The crowd happily sings along with Vinny Sr. and Co. on a rollicking rendition of Tom Jones’ “Delilah,” and Vinny Sr. dances as he sings on a brassy arrangement of Tom Jones’ “It’s Not Unusual.”
Vincent John plays drums so that his brother, Nick, can move downstage to join Dad for a harmonious rendition of the Kenny Vance doo-wop number, “Looking for an Echo.”
After Vinny Sr. talks about the many artists the group has worked with — notably Bobby Rydell, The Duprees, Jay and the Americans, and The Brooklyn Bridge — Vincent John gives a passionate rendition of The Brooklyn Bridge’s “Worst That Could Happen,” capably supported by the string and horn sections.
Vinny Sr. jokes,” They only keep me in the band because I can still sing this song,” as he launches into an impressive version of Jay and the Americans’ “Cara Mia,” where he hits all the high notes with ease and inspires a standing ovation.
Announcing, “We want to take everybody to the beach right now!” the group plays a medley of surf tunes including The Ventures’ “Walk Don’t Run” and the “Theme from Hawaii Five-0,” where the musicians come downstage to sway in sync to the infectious beat.
After talking about touring with The Monkees, Vinny Sr. invites the audience to sing along as Vincent John handles the lead on the infectious Monkees’ tune, “Daydream Believer,” and the crowd joyfully joins in on the song’s “Cheer up sleepy Jean/Oh what can it mean” chorus.
Vinny Sr. speaks about Paul McCartney before singing lead on a dynamic rendition of “Live and Let Die,” and puts on a pair of sunglasses for an upbeat mashup of Billy Joel’s “Tell Her About It” and The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love.”
The group gives one of its most impressive performances of the afternoon — a stunning live version of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” — which features Vincent John on lead vocals that brings dazzled audience members to their feet.
Vinny Sr. follows up with his tribute to Elvis Presley. As images of Elvis appear on the screen, Vinny Sr. sings a duet with Elvis’ pre-recorded voice on “If I Can Dream.”
After thanking the staff at the Grunin Center, Vincent John and Co. are featured on Take That’s appealing pop confection, “Shine,” before segueing into a raucous version of the Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars hit, “Uptown Funk” where the group’s energetic performance thoroughly entertains the packed house.
For a grand finale, The Bronx Wanderers perform their own unique version of “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” which segues into electrifying performances of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” and Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.” As scenes from the film, Back to the Future, play behind them on screen, the Wanderers rock out to Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” and the group concludes this afternoon’s show with a high-energy rendition of The Beatles’ “The End.”
Concertgoers stand and cheer and Vinny Sr. asks, “One more?” When the crowd responds in the affirmative, he exclaims, “Let’s have a rock and roll party!” and the audience sings, claps, and dances along to the sounds of Dion and the Belmonts’ “Runaround Sue.” At the conclusion, Vinny Sr. exclaims, “God bless you, and thank for always supporting us!” as the group takes a bow and exits the stage.
As music fans make their way out of the auditorium, several comment on today’s performance by The Bronx Wanderers. Declares John from Southhampton, “They’re a fabulous group! They always put on a good show which is not only fun, but is a great family story.” His wife, Joy, agrees, noting, “I love The Bronx Wanderers — this is my seventh time seeing them, and they’re always fantastic!”
Cindy from Toms River insists, “The Bronx Wanderers were really great! I love that they came back home to play on the East Coast. Their show today was filled with great songs and stories! ” Harriet from Lakewood calls this afternoon’s performance, “Absolutely fabulous,” explaining, “They went from Dion all the way to Queen with lots of energy — and the connection between Vinnie Sr. and his kids is special.”
Marilyn from Toms River reveals, “I’ve been following The Bronx Wanderers for a long time, and on the last day before they left for Las Vegas they did a beach performance in Seaside Heights and I was there to see them off,” before insisting, “They’re even better today than they were then! The boys are fantastic musicians — Nick is terrific on the drums and Vincent John is great on keyboards and guitar — and their rendition of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was absolutely spectacular!”
John from Manchester explains, “I’m a Bronx Wanderers’ groupie! I’ve been following the band for 15 years now and I would say that today was one of the best shows ever; I loved the way they mixed their new material with the oldies.” John’s wife, Toni, concurs, adding, “I’ve seen them at least 20 times, and this was the best Bronx Wanderers show ever! The songs were great, there was a lot of energy, and the audience was fantastic, too — it was a lot of fun!” John and Toni’s granddaughter, Victoria, notes, “My grandparents take me every year to see The Bronx Wanderers — I grew up listening to these songs so I know all the words — and the band sounded great today!”
Jennifer from Manahawkin recalls, “I’ve seen The Bronx Wanderers many times and, each time, I always make them brownies — they’re always amazing, and today’s show was as wonderful as ever! ” Lastly, Joanne from Montvale exclaims, “I thought the show was fantastic! I’ve seen The Bronx Wanderers many times before and every time I see them, they raise the bar,” prior to concluding, “Now I can’t wait to see them again!”
To learn more about The Bronx Wanderers, please go to thebronxwanderers.com. For information on upcoming programs at Toms River’s Grunin Center for the Arts — including Chris Ruggiero and Clint Holmes on October 26, So Good: The Neil Diamond Experience on November 8, The Glenn Miller Orchestra on November 22, and Chris Botti on December 3 — please click on grunincenter.org.
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