Snow is just starting to fall outside the Carteret PAC in Carteret, NJ this Saturday, December 13, 2025 evening as music lovers ready themselves for a special holiday-themed concert entitled An Olde English Christmas with Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone.
Recalls longtime fan, Gill from England, “I’ve been a fan since I was a teenager — Peter Noone was my teen idol — he was so cheeky! In the ‘90s, I saw him perform in England and I went to his website and became friends with many of his fans there. In 2000, when Peter played at EPCOT in Florida, I came over and six of us went to all three shows he did every day for a week. Since then, I’ve been coming to the U.S. about three times a year and meeting up with all the friends I’ve made. Tonight will be my 513th Peter Noone concert!”
Gill’s friend, Dorothy from Levittown, NY, reveals, “I’ve seen Peter too many times to count — at least 500 times. His was the first concert I ever went to — I saw him at the Westbury Music Fair in 1966 — and tonight I’m happy to be seeing him at Carteret PAC, which is a very nice venue. I’m a lifetime member of Peter’s fan club, and it’s been a lot of fun going to shows with all the friends I’ve met, including Gill.”
Inside the Carteret PAC auditorium, the lights dim and guitarist Vance Brescia and keyboardist Rich Spina take the stage dressed as elves and render a soft instrumental version of “Greensleeves” as, off stage, Peter Noone dramatically recites the poem, “The Night Before Christmas.” At the conclusion, guitarist Billy Sullivan, dressed as Santa Claus, makes his way down into the audience where he dances and prances to a recording of “Sleigh Ride.”
Returning to the stage, Sullivan — along with Brescia, Spina, and drummer Dave Ferrara — launch into the 1964 Herman’s Hermits’ hit, “I’m Into Something Good,” as Peter Noone, wearing a top hat, makes his entrance exclaiming, “Merry Christmas!” Concertgoers joyfully sing 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.”
“Good evening, boys and girls!” announces Noone, 78, as he and the band scamper into an upbeat rock version of “Winter Wonderland.”
“What a thrill to be back in Carteret, NJ!” declares Noone, before humorously singing “Carteret/Car-car-teret” to the tune of “Barbara Ann.” Following a hilarious impression of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” Noone performs an upbeat cover version of the Clovers’ 1959 classic, “Love Potion № 9,” and gets the crowd clapping along to a bouncy rendition of 1966’s “Dandy.”
Fans sway with glow sticks to The Monkees’ “Daydream Believer” before Noone presents a rollicking interpretation of Frankie Ford’s “Sea Cruise” accompanied by Rich Spina on keyboard.
Four-part harmonies ring out on a lovely version of “O Holy Night” before Noone talks about his 1965 album — The Best of Herman’s Hermits — and a fan lends him a copy of the LP which he holds in front of his face while singing “Leaning on a Lampost.”
Following the poignant “East West,” Noone and the Hermits present a driving punk rock arrangement of “Jingle Bells” which has music lovers happily singing along under flashing lights.
Noone stands between Sullivan and Brescia and delivers a rockin’ rendition of his 1965 hit, “A Little Bit Better,” before Vance Brescia high kicks as he plays guitar.
A fast-picking guitar intro leads into Herman’s Hermits’ 1965 remake of The Rays’ “Silhouettes” where fans sway along with Peter to the music.
Vance Brescia accompanies Peter on guitar on the lovely ballad, “When a Child is Born.” The crowd cheers and Noone performs “Listen People” where he captivates the audience crooning the song’s “Everybody’s got to love somebody sometime” message.
Noone’s strong vocal is spotlighted on a rockin’ version of “Jezebel.” Billy Sullivan renders an electric guitar solo before the song builds in intensity and Noone holds out a long note on the coda to enthusiastic cheers and applause.
Joking, “This one’s a downer — I hope you like it!” Peter demonstrates his keen vocal abilities on a heartfelt version of his 1965 ballad, “The End of the World.” Then, the crowd sings along with Noone and the band on “White Christmas” before he announces, “Second verse, same as the first,” and the audience serenades him as he listens from the stage.
Joking again, “Let’s do one of my dad’s tunes!” Noone struts back and forth impersonating Mick Jagger 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.”
Billy Sullivan’s and Vance Brescia’s staccato strumming guitars accompany “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
Concertgoers sing along with Peter on his 1965 #1 smash, “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter.” They also join in vocalizing on a raucous rendition of Herman’s Hermits’ 1965 hit, “I’m Henry the VIII, I Am,” where Noone concludes the performance by showing the audience his socks with flags on them — one American and one British.
The crowd sings and swings as Noone performs his final number of the evening, a nostalgic rendition of Herman’s Hermits’ classic 1967 recording, “There’s a Kind of Hush.”
Segueing into an a cappella rendition of “Silent Night” before streaming back into “There’s a Kind of Hush,” Noone exclaims, “Good night and God bless! Merry Christmas!” to the standing, cheering crowd.
As music lovers make their way out of the auditorium, several comment on tonight’s performance by Peter Noone and Herman’s Hermits. Exclaims Stacie from Ocean Gate, “It was an amazing show! When I was eight years old I had eight siblings who were older than me and I remember listening to a lot of Herman’s Hermits’ songs. To this day, I can still remember many of the lyrics, so tonight’s show brought back a lot of memories for me. I really enjoyed it!”
Terry from Toms River reveals, “I thought it was a good show — Peter’s always good! Although I wish he would have played longer, he sounded amazing. He’s such a showman, he really got me into the holiday spirit!”
Declares Anita from Roselle Park, “I loved Peter Noone tonight; I’ve always loved him! It was a fun show and I loved seeing it here at this venue where there’s not a bad seat in the house and the acoustics are really good.”
Lastly, Chris from Union Beach insists, “It was a fantastic show, and I especially loved it when they did ‘O Holy Night.’ My brother, Joe, brought me here as a birthday present. We’ve seen Peter Noone before and he always has such unbelievable energy. He still sounds as great as he did when he first started performing and you know what? He really loves his audiences — I’d see him again in a second!”
For further information on Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone, please click on peternoone.com. For info about great upcoming performances at Carteret PAC — including FJ: A Tribute to Foreigner and Journey featuring Constantine Maroulis on February 21, Julio Iglesias Jr. on March 28, Oh What a Night of Doo Wop and Rock and Roll on April 11, Clint Black on April 25, and Lonestar on October 1 — please go to carteretpac.com.
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