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.”

 




Promote your shows at New Jersey Stage! Click here for info



 

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*




Promote your shows at New Jersey Stage! Click here for info



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!




Promote your shows at New Jersey Stage! Click here for info



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.


Selwyn

Selwyn Birchwood

Saturday, March 28, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
category: music


 

Silkroad

Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens

Saturday, March 28, 2026 @ 7:30pm
McCarter Theatre Center (Matthews Theatre)
91 University Place, Princeton, NJ 08540
category: music


 

Dueling

Dueling Pianos

Saturday, March 28, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJ 07008
category: music


 

MAC

MAC Music Café

Sunday, March 29, 2026 @ 4:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ 07748
category: music


 

New

New Jersey Symphony: Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony

Sunday, March 29, 2026 @ 2:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music


 


 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Levoy

Levoy Theatre presents Paul Thorn on June 18th

(MILLVILLE, NJ) -- The Levoy Theatre presents Paul Thorn on Thursday, June 18, 2026 at 7:30pm. When it comes to songwriting, less is more, and simplicity is strength. Just ask Paul Thorn, who’s spent three decades turning soulful grooves and small syllables into songs that pack a big wallop.



Gregory

Gregory McLoughlin presents 300th Episode of "Thank God It's Monday" livestream

Armed with a bass, a kick drum, and a foot tambourine, Gregory McLoughlin has spent years turning parking lots, sidewalks, and small rooms into spaces for connection – offering one-on-one performances that feel more like conversations than concerts. On Monday, March 30, 2026, the New Jersey-based songwriter will mark a major milestone in that journey: the 300th episode of his weekly "TGIM" livestream (Thank God It's Monday).



Count

Count Basie Center for the Arts presents Melissa Etheridge: RISE TOUR

(RED BANK, NJ) -- Count Basie Center for the Arts presents Melissa Etheridge: RISE TOUR on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 8:00pm. Known for her confessional lyrics and raspy, smoky vocals, Etheridge has remained one of America's favorite female singers for more than two decades. A limited number of tickets remain for the show.



New

New Jersey Punk Rock Flea Market Spring Fling Returns April 11–12

(EDISON, NJ) -- The New Jersey Punk Rock Flea Market Spring Fling returns to the New Jersey Expo Center in Edison, New Jersey, on Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12, 2026, bringing with it a two-day blowout of punk rock legends, hundreds of artists and makers, food trucks, live entertainment, tattoos, oddities, and community-driven fundraising on a scale that matches the event's outsized reputation.



State

State Theatre New Jersey presents The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA on Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 7:30pm. This is the ultimate ABBA tribute, touring through North America for the past 20 years. The audience and the press all agree that "This is the closest to ABBA you'll ever get!"