New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Violent Femmes to Play Shows at Webster Hall and Starland Ballroom

originally published: 06/07/2023

(SAYREVILLE, NJ) -- After enjoying an entirely sold out Spring 2023 Tour, Iconic Alt Rockers Violent Femmes have announced that that they are adding more dates in the Fall to continue the 40th anniversary celebration of their ground-breaking self-titled, debut album. The Platinum-selling group will, once again, perform the record from cover to cover, during the month-long tour that comes to Webster Hall in New York City on October 17th and the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ on October 18.

Select dates will feature symphony accompaniments, including the esteemed Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra at the Bradley Center at the start of the tour on October 3 and two nights with the iconic, 90-year-old Grand Rapids Symphony at the DeVos Performance Hall on October 6 and 7.

Tickets go on sale Friday, June 9 at 10:00am local time at https://vfemmes.com/tour.

Once hailed as the “soundtrack to male puberty,” Violent Femmes’ first record amplified teenage angst and alienation in the 1980s with such songs as “Kiss Off,” “Add It Up,” and “Gone Daddy Gone,” written by Lead Vocalist and Guitarist Gordon Gano before he’d even gotten his driver’s license. The album, which was mostly autobiographical, would later prove to embody some of the most powerful anthems of a disenchanted youth that the world has ever known. And while it took 10 years to go Platinum and hit the Billboard Top 200, it has now sold three million copies worldwide and is still in rotation on today’s top rock stations, substantiating it as more than a simple battle cry for a misunderstood youth. Today, it stands as a pillar of an American underground movement, and one of the best early examples of alternative rock.

For the remainder of the ’90s, Violent Femmes continued to record new material, while their earliest songs remained in the zeitgeist, thanks to popular shows and films like “My So-Called Life,” Reality Bites, and Grosse Pointe Blank. Since that time, the band has released 10 studio albums including their most recent Hotel Last Resort (2019). Today, Violent Femmes continues to resonate with audiences of all ages. Upon the band’s 40th anniversary, Pitchfork wrote that “The Femmes don’t signify an era so much as a time of life,” adding that “for young people growing up in the internet age” their music “is part of a shared language.”

 




Reach New Jersey's largest arts & entertainment audience, click here for info on how to advertise at NJ Stage



 

The official tour dates are as follows: 

Dates subject to change. 

Oct 3                Milwaukee, WI             Bradley Symphony Center*

Oct 4                Madison, WI                 The Sylvee

Oct 5                Chicago, IL                  Riviera Theatre 

Oct 6                Grand Rapids, MI         DeVos Performance Hall*




Reach New Jersey's largest arts & entertainment audience, click here for info on how to advertise at NJ Stage



Oct 7                Grand Rapids, MI         DeVos Performance Hall*

Oct 9                Cleveland, OH             TempleLive at Cleveland Masonic 

Oct 11              Toronto, ON                 Queen Elizabeth Theatre 

Oct 12              Montreal QC                 MTELUS

Oct 13              Boston, MA                  MGM Music Hall

Oct 14              Kingston, NY               Ulster Performing Arts Center

Oct 15              New Haven, CT            College St Music Hall

Oct 17              New York, NY               Webster Hall

Oct 18              Sayreville, NJ              Starland Ballroom 

Oct 20              Baltimore, MD              Rams Head Live!




Reach New Jersey's largest arts & entertainment audience, click here for info on how to advertise at NJ Stage



Oct 21              Norfolk, VA                  The NorVa

Oct 22              Richmond, VA              The National 

*Symphony performances.

FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Umphrey’s

Umphrey’s McGee

Wednesday, February 04, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music


 

The

The Commodores

Friday, February 06, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: music


 

512:

512: The Selena Experience

Friday, February 06, 2026 @ 8:00pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: music


 

Emanuel

Emanuel Ax, piano

Friday, February 06, 2026 @ 7:30pm
McCarter Theatre Center (Matthews Theatre)
91 University Place, Princeton, NJ 08540
category: music


 

An

An Intimate Evening With David Foster & Katharine McPhee

Friday, February 06, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music


 


 

EVENT PREVIEWS

State

State Theatre New Jersey presents Who's Bad - The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience on Saturday

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents Who's Bad - The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience on Saturday, February 7, 2026 at 8:00pm. This power-packed tribute to Michael Jackson has ignited crowds around the world and can only be described as a jaw-dropping, musical must-see. Limited tickets remain.



MPAC

MPAC presents Alan Cumming: Uncut

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Multi-hyphenate, multi-award winning, multimedia mogul Alan Cumming returns to Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on Thursday, February 5, 2026 with a new cabaret show, this time even more revealing, hilarious and authentic than ever before. It is, in fact, Alan Cumming Uncut. With musical direction by Henry Koperski. Showtime is 7:30pm. Limited tickets remain.



Lizzie

Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Tim Hause on Friday

(TUCKERTON, NJ) -- The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Philadelphia singer-songwriter Tim Hause on Friday, February 6, 2026 at 7:30pm. Mindful Melodies will open the night.



Split

Split Level Concerts presents Shannon McNally with her band; Arlan Feiles to Open

(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Grammy nominated songstress Shannon McNally will perform with her band at the Jersey Shore Arts Center in Ocean Grove on Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 8:00pm. Arlan Feiles, whose 2025 release Diaspora was recently named Album of the Year by Makin Waves, will open the show.



The

The Princeton Folk Music Society presents Anne Hills on February 20th

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Princeton Folk Music Society presents Anne Hills, one of contemporary folk music's premier vocalists, on Friday, February 20, 2026 at Christ Congregation Church in Princeton. In addition to her marvelous voice and inspired song writing, Hills accompanies herself with skill on guitar and banjo. An Anne Hills concert always includes unforgettable material and original, heartfelt songs. Showtime is 8:00pm.