Thousands of music lovers make their way inside Holmdel, NJ’s PNC Bank Arts Center amphitheater this summery Tuesday, September 1, 2026 afternoon for a concert starring The Bronx Wanderers. The family band known for its high-energy renditions of classic pop songs from the ‘50s, ‘60s, and beyond is led by New Jersey dad, Vinny Adinolfi, Sr., along with his sons, Vinny, Jr. and Nick Adinolfi.
Today’s musical event is the first in a series of free Fall, 2026 performances presented by the Garden State Arts Foundation under the direction of VP Ron Gravino and assisted by Cookie Santiago, Karin Souren, and Andy DiPalma.
Gravino welcomes the audience and thanks the various sponsors of today’s concert including LiveNation Entertainment and PNC Bank prior to introducing singer Jackie DiMaggio who performs “The Star-Spangled Banner.” DiMaggio asks the audience to sing along with her on her rendition of Connie Francis’ “Where the Boys Are,” and follows up by singing Connie Francis’ “Al Di La” in Italian which elicits cheers from the crowd.
Emcee Dennis Dion Nardone takes the stage to introduce singer Anthony Duke Claus. Opening with “Sway,” Claus dances as he sings, “When marimba rhythms start to play/Dance with me, make me sway,” on this Latin-inspired Dean Martin tune.
The crowd hoots and hollers and Claus exclaims, “Welcome to the PNC!” before lighting into “16 Candles” where he directs audience members to sing along with him on this classic by Johnny Maestro and the Crests.
Explaining that his next song was written by his cousin, Eddie Brigati, Claus sings with emotion on The Rascals’ blue-eyed soul tune, “How Can I Be Sure.” He follows up by dedicating the Frankie Laine ballad, “I Believe,” to all of the veterans in the audience.
Concluding with one of his favorite Barry Manilow numbers, Claus impresses by holding out a long note on the coda of “Even Now” to cheers and a standing ovation.
Nardone acknowledges concert producer Al Simone sitting in the front row with Duprees singer Tommy Petillo before he introduces The Bronx Wanderers. Musicians Fernando Tort on bass, Keith Brenamann on saxophone, Rafailia Kapsokavadi on violin, Katie Chambers on cello, Pasha Karchevsky on trumpet, and Ben Barnett on trombone take the stage along with drummer Nick Adinolfi.
The strings begin to play the theme from Beethoven’s Symphony №5, after which the rhythm section and horns motor into The Ides of March’s “Vehicle” where Vinny Adinolfi, Jr. enters singing in his strong, resonant voice, “I’m your vehicle, baby/I’ll take you anywhere you want to go,” before rocking out on guitar.
Vinny, Jr. moves over to the keyboard as his dad, Vinny Adinolfi, Sr., takes the stage for a dynamic medley of Frankie Valli hits including “December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night),” “Grease,” and “Who Loves You,” after which Vinny, Sr. exclaims, “It’s great to be home!” and jokes, “For those of you who haven’t seen us before, we are the Italian Osmond family!”
Drummer Nick’s falsetto voice is featured on The Beach Boys’ “Don’t Worry Baby” before Vinny, Sr. explains that he grew up in the Bronx where he was discovered by his idol, Dion. Here, he and the band present 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 the song’s “Good times never seemed so good (so good, so good)” refrain.
Vinny, Sr. takes a moment to thank The Duprees’ Tommy Petillo for giving the group its start years ago as an opening act before Vinny, Jr. stands center stage and gives his interpretation of Mel Carter’s “Hold Me, Thrill Me.”
Vinny, Sr. delivers an energetic version of Tommy James and the Shondells’ “Mony Mony.” Then, 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. on a rollicking rendition of Tom Jones’ “Delilah” before he entrances the crowd on a smooth arrangement of Tom Jones’ “It’s Not Unusual.”
Vinny, Sr. moves over to the keyboard, leaving Vinny, Jr. to handle the lead on a soulful version of The Foundations’ R&B hit, “Build Me Up Buttercup.”
Vinny, Sr. recognizes the horn players prior to featuring the strings on The Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” where Rafailia Kapsokavadi impresses with a fiery fiddle solo.
After Vinny, Sr.’s rendition of Jay and the Americans’ “Cara Mia” inspires a standing ovation, The Wanderers wrap up Act I by playing a medley of surf tunes including The Ventures’ “Walk Don’t Run,” The Surfaris’ “Wipe Out,” and The Ventures’ “Theme from Hawaii Five-0,” where the musicians rock out to the infectious beat.
Following a short intermission, Vinny Jr. is backed by the horn section as he leads the audience in singing an upbeat rendition of The Turtles’ “Happy Together.”
Vinny, Sr. starts off crooning Billy Joel’s “Tell Her About It,” before the arrangement transforms into a mash-up with The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love” which son, Vinny, Jr., and father, Vinny, Sr., sing together.
The group gives one of its most impressive performances of the afternoon — a stunning live version of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” — where Vinny, Jr.’s instrumental and vocal talent brings audience members to their feet.
Vinnie, Jr. and the band follow up with a raucous version of the Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars hit “Uptown Funk” which spotlights Fernando Tort’s funky bass playing.
For a grand finale, The Wanderers perform a unique version of The Beatles’ “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” which segues into electrifying performances of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” and Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” After Queen’s “We Are the Champions” and Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” the group concludes this afternoon’s show with a high-energy rendition of The Beatles’ “The End.”
As concertgoers stand and cheer, Vinny Sr. exclaims, “Let’s have a rock and roll party!” and the audience sings, claps, and dances along to Dion and the Belmonts’ “Runaround Sue,” after which he exclaims, “God bless you, all!” and he and the group take a final bow prior to exiting the stage.
For more information on The Bronx Wanderers, please go to thebronxwanderers.com. To learn more about Anthony Duke Claus, please navigate to anthonydukeclaus.com. For info on Jackie DiMaggio, please click on jackie-dimaggio.com. To find out about free upcoming GSAF performances at PNC Bank Arts Center — including Malt Shop Memories starring The Duprees, Clyde McPhatters’ Drifters featuring Ronn David McPhatter, Ron Dante, Eddie Holman, Brian Hyland, The Dixie Cups, Bobby Wilson, Vito Picone and The Elegants, The Chiclettes, Vinnie Medugno, Rainere Martin, Sounds of the Street, and Jackie DiMaggio along with The Coda Band on September 16 — please click on gsafoundation.org.
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