Music fans who know they ought to be havin’ fun are at Carteret PAC in Carteret, NJ this Saturday, September 6, 2025 evening for a 57 Years of Soul and Funk 2025 performance by the Oakland, CA band, Tower of Power.
Inside the sleek and modern Carteret PAC auditorium, the lights dim and music lovers cheer as Adolfo Acosta on trumpet, Dave Richards on trumpet/trombone, Tom E. Politzer on sax, Jerry Cortez on guitar, Mike Jerel on keyboards, Marc Van Wageningen on bass, Pete Antunes on drums, and Jordan John on vocals/guitar — along with founding members Stephen “Doc” Kupka on bari sax, and Emilio Castillo on tenor sax — take the stage.
“Come on, New Jersey, let me hear you make some noise!” exclaims John, as he and the band open tonight’s show with the apropos “We Came to Play.”
Horns blare and the rhythm section percolates as John and the band cry, “We came to play/We came to play!” on this funky R&B tune.
The crowd cheers and John asks, “New Jersey, how do you like your soul?” as the group launches into the fast and funky “Soul with a Capital ‘S’” where concertgoers move to the groove at their seats and John and the band sing the song’s “Sweet soul music, that’s the best/Soul with a capital ‘S’” refrain.
Music lovers hoot and holler and John responds, “Now we’re gonna take you all the way from the East Coast to the West Coast,” as the TOP musicians navigate into their pop-infused R&B tune, “You Ought to Be Havin’ Fun,” and audience members dance in their seats to the infectious rhythm.
John announces, “We’re gonna take you back to an early album,” as he and the band travel back in time to 1975 and the group performs the percussive “Only So Much Oil in the Ground” which features a wailing Tom E. Politzer tenor sax solo and a swirling Mike Jerel organ solo.
Legato horn lines are featured as part of the R&B big band sound of “I Like Your Style” where Jerry Cortez contributes a melodic guitar solo. Then, on “Soul Vaccination,” Marc Van Wageningen plays a funky bass solo backed by Pete Antunes’ driving drums after founding member Stephen “Doc” Kupka bends notes on his bari sax.
Founding member Emilio Castillo reminds the audience, “We go all the way back to 1968!” as he introduces the first song he and “Doc” ever wrote for Tower of Power, the R&B/soul ballad, “You’re Still a Young Man.” Starting off with a powerful horn line, rich six-part vocals harmonize on the “You’re still a young man, baby/Don’t waste your time” refrain before John impresses with his full falsetto sound.
John straps on an electric guitar for “Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream),” a funky TOP tune that has the horn section stepping to the beat while playing. John doubles his guitar solo with his voice before he impresses the crowd with vocal ad libs and improvised guitar riffs on the tune’s extended coda.
Castillo instructs listeners to “Get on your feet!” as the ensemble segues into the swinging “This Time it’s Real” where John sings with ease and style to the song’s happy-go-lucky groove.
A highlight of Tower of Power’s set is a live version of the group’s funky instrumental, “Squib Cakes.” After Jerry Cortez picks out a rhythmic guitar solo, Acosta is featured on trumpet, and Politzer contributes a jazzy tenor solo, the band leaves the stage to Mike Jerel who impresses with a soulful and funky organ solo accompanied by Antunes on drums. The crowd cheers before the rest of the band returns for the tune’s rollicking conclusion which elicits an enthusiastic standing ovation.
Castillo introduces his fellow band members before he and the TOP musicians slide into a smoldering rendition of “Diggin’ on James Brown,” where Castillo sings with gusto, “Ya know the more things change/The more they stay the same,” on this fast and funky number.
John jumps down off the stage into the audience as he and the band segue into a medley of James Brown tunes including “It’s a New Day,” “Mother Popcorn,” “There It Is,” and “I Got the Feelin’.” During the medley, John surprises a concertgoer seated in the front row by taking his cellphone on stage and using it to make a personal music video before returning it. After Politzer is featured on an upbeat tenor solo, Castillo and Co. jump back into “Diggin’ on James Brown” where the audience sings along prior to rewarding the band with mighty cheers and applause.
Slowing things down, John is backed by precision rhythm section playing and the rich TOP horn sound as he impresses with his lead vocal on “So Very Hard to Go,” a soulful R&B ballad which also features a smooth Adolfo Acosta flugelhorn solo.
The crowd reacts with cheers and applause and John asks, “Do you want to hear another?” When music lovers respond in the affirmative, John warns, “Get ready to knock yourself out!” before six-part harmonies are featured on “Knock Yourself Out,” a rhythmic funk tune which also features a swelling Mike Jerel organ solo punctuated by the top-notch TOP horn section.
After John and the band exit the stage, concertgoers continue to cheer and the musicians return and John asks, “Do you want to hear some more?” The crowd yells for more and the band sails into an encore of “Soul Power” where John has music lovers double-clapping along to the funky beat. Politzer is featured on a funky tenor solo as the music builds to a frenzy before John exclaims, “Ladies and gentlemen, we can’t leave without asking the eternal question — ‘What is Hip?’”
John comes back down into the audience as concertgoers sing along to the song’s “What is hip?/Tell me, tell me if you think you know” refrain while dancing to the tune’s infectious rhythm. Music lovers echo John’s “Soul power!” chant, and cheers emanate from the crowd when John exclaims, “We are Tower of Power, goodnight!” and the audience rises for a final standing ovation.
As concertgoers exit the auditorium, several share their thoughts on tonight’s performance by Tower of Power. Comments Maria from Carteret,“I’ve been a big Tower of Power fan since 1988. I was introduced to them by my high school band director who brought the group to our school, and they’re still amazing! They put on a fun show with lots of energy and they played a great mix of songs. Also, their rhythm section is so tight and their horn section is perfection!”
Remarks Joe from Staten Island, NY, “This was the best show I’ve been to all year, and at an absolutely great venue, too — I’ve never been here before, but I’ll be here again,” before recalling, “I first saw Tower of Power back in 1977, but I haven’t seen them again until tonight and they are so polished, it’s ridiculous!” Carol from Staten Island agrees, adding, “They’re so great! Their show is filled with energy and lots of great songs — everything about them is great!”
Bob from Branchburg asserts, “I thought Tower of Power was terrific! The sound was great and there’s nobody else like them around right now — their musicians are all so good!”
Mark from Branchburg concurs, explaining, “They’re a really good band with a solid horn section. The organ was wonderful, too — I especially enjoyed it when they featured the organist and drummer — and the lead singer was so solid on guitar and vocals; his range was crazy!”
Lastly, Bruce from Parsippany exclaims, “This show was unbelievable! 57 years ago, Tower of Power was known for being a groundbreaking band and 57 years later — and with multiple personnel changes — they’re still breaking ground. Their performance tonight was energetic and enjoyable and made you feel good head to toe,” prior concluding, “ It was just an incredible evening!”
To learn more about Tower of Power, please go to towerofpower.com. For information about great upcoming performances at Carteret PAC — including Cinderella’s Tom Keifer Band with L.A. Guns on October 3, Annie Lennox in Conversation on October 11, An Intimate Evening with Priscilla Presley on October 24, John Waite on November 12, and Don McLean on November 14 — please go to carteretpac.com.
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