Fans of hard rock and jam band music ramble on over to Kennedy Plaza on the Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk this Wednesday, August 26, 2026 evening for a free Mardi Gras AC performance by Dead Zep, the Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin mashup band, along with special guest artist singer Haley Jane.
Mardi Gras AC concert producer Carmen Marotta welcomes the crowd and introduces Dead Zep featuring vocalist Lynley Evans, guitarist Eric Cohen, bassist Rich Kurtz, drummer Alan Lerner, guitarist Steve Bernstein, and bandleader/keyboardist Waynard Scheller.
Alan Lerner’s rolling drums kick off the Grateful Dead jam, “The Other One,” which features Steve Bernstein’s and Eric Cohen’s mystical guitar playing, rhythmic bass runs from Rich Kurtz, and Waynard Scheller’s swirling keyboard.
The repeated bluesy main riff of Led Zeppelin’s “How Many More Times” enters and undergirds the musicians as they play off one another while listeners nod their heads, tap their toes, and dance on the Boardwalk.
Lynley Evans sings, “Catch the wind, we’re gonna see it spin,” on the Led Zeppelin hard-rocker, “What Is and What Should Never Be.”
Hayley Jane enters and she and Scheller sing in harmony, “I wanna tell you how it’s gonna be/You’re gonna give your love to me,” with the Grateful Dead country-rock take on Buddy Holly's “Not Fade Away.”
The band segues into Led Zep’s “Ramble On” where Evans’ strong vocal cries out, “The time is now/To sing my song,” before Jane joins her in crooning, “All my love might fade away.”
The crowd hoots and hollers and Evans exclaims, “We’re happy to be here with you on this gorgeous summer evening!” After Scheller and Jane trade off singing lead on “Shakedown Street,” Evans joins them as Bernstein, Lerner, and Kurtz percolate on this funky Grateful Dead tune.
Jane ad libs on the Sesame Street theme song and music lovers clap as Jane and Evans chant, “Tell me how to get to Shakedown Street,” before the women freely dance on stage together while Cohen strums his guitar.
Segueing into Led Zeppelin’s reggae-influenced “D’yer Mak’er,” Jane sings with feeling, “I can’t let you go/I love you.”
The tune continues with Scheller rendering a cascading piano solo before the number ends in whistles, cheers, and applause.
“Let’s hear it for the fellas!” exclaims Jane as she leaves the stage to Evans who sings, “Well there’s a light in your eye that keeps shining/Like a star that can’t wait for night” on the Zeppelin samba-influenced shuffle, “Fool in the Rain.” After the arrangement shifts into an upbeat Latin-feel, Evans effortlessly holds out notes and Bernstein solos on guitar.
Jane returns to the stage to join Evans in singing backup to Scheller’s lead on the Dead’s arrangement of “Good Lovin’.” Audience members happily sing along with the band on the song’s “Good lovin’” refrain before the Young Rascals’ cover concludes with whistles, hoots, and hollers.
Evans introduces her bandmates as the musicians set a vibe on the Grateful Dead’s rendition of “Iko, Iko” where Jane cries, “My grandma and your grandma were sittin’ by the fire/My grandma told your grandma/‘I’m gonna set your flag on fire.’”
Scheller and Evans also take turns handling the lead on this traditional tune with a reggae feel and concertgoers happily join in singing the song’s “Talkin’ ‘bout hey now! (Hey now!) Hey now! (Hey now!)/Iko Iko un-day” chorus as the full moon rises above the ocean.
Scheller and Jane exit the stage leaving Evans to perform a dynamic rendition of “Black Dog” where she cries out with power and emotion, “Hey-hey, mama, said the way you move/Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove,” as guitars, bass, and drums rock out on this Led Zeppelin classic.
Scheller and Jane return and the musicians wrap up their set with “Turn On Your Lovelight” where Jane dances with abandon as she cries, “Turn on your love light, let it shine on me!”
Kurtz and Bernstein are featured dueling on bass and guitar on this psychedelic Grateful Dead rocker.
Jane crouches down on the stage as she chants, “Baby, please come on baby/‘Cause I’m on my knees!” to audience whistles, cheers, and applause prior to declaring, “I love that song!”
Scheller announces, “Thank you all for coming out tonight!” as Dead Zep takes a short intermission before returning with a second set of tunes including the Grateful Dead’s “Help on the Way” and “Ramble on Rose” and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and “Whole Lotta Love.”
To learn more about Dead Zep, please go to waynardmusic.com. For more info on Haley Jane, please navigate to hayleyjane.com. For information on future free Mardi Gras AC concerts on the Atlantic City Boardwalk at Kennedy Plaza please click on tonymart.com.
Spotlight Central NJ entertainment news,
concert recaps, and interviews
Love Imagery Fine art stage photography
@allyouneedisloveimagery
A writer and an AI software designer battle to create the next great play in this cautionary tale about the impending intersection of technology and creativity.
The 45th Bi-Annual New Jersey Film Festival will be taking place between September 4-October 4, 2026. The Festival will be a hybrid as we will be presenting it online as well as doing select in-person screenings at Rutgers University. Almost all the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. VOD start times are at 12 Midnight Eastern USA. Each General Admission Ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person shows when both are offered. This program is available Online for 24 Hours and In-Person at 5PM. This in-person screenings will be held in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ.
Known for her confessional lyrics and raspy, smoky vocals, Melissa Etheridge (“I’m the Only One” “Come to My Window,” “I Want to Come Over.”) has remained one of America’s favorite female singers since bursting onto the scene in 1988. Etheridge performs songs from her new album, Rise, and her hits.
Dion and his music have long represented a special time and place, reflective of a moment when a song could mean so much. When a singer could sum up what it means to be young, in love and on top of the world. Dion is more than a cherished memory as critic Dave Marsh noted, “Dion is the only artist from the 1950’s who has remained creative and relevant into the 2000s.” In 1958 he had three top-forty hits. In 2008 he was nominated for a Grammy. In 2020, is releasing new studio album Blues with Friends, joined by Joe Bonamassa, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Jeff Beck, Billy Gibbons and many other rock luminaries. In the ’50s he was one of a handful of innovators who defined rock ‘n’ roll and that’s still very much the case.
Julio Torres is an Emmy-nominated, Peabody-winning and WGA-winning writer, director, and comedian from El Salvador.
