The Penguin Rocks logo
The Penguin Rocks Menu


Violent Femmes to Play Shows at Webster Hall and Starland Ballroom

originally published: 06/07/2023

Violent Femmes to Play Shows at Webster Hall and Starland Ballroom

(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.”

 



 
Advertise with The Penguin Rocks for $50-$100 per month, 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*



 
Advertise with The Penguin Rocks for $50-$100 per month, 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!



 
Advertise with The Penguin Rocks for $50-$100 per month, click here for info



Oct 21              Norfolk, VA                  The NorVa

Oct 22              Richmond, VA              The National 

*Symphony performances.


 

COLUMNS


This Week in Music: Previews for Concerts Taking Place from April 23-30, 2024

Here is a look at upcoming shows taking place from April 23-30, 2024 along with our featured listings. New Jersey Stage offers previews of concerts throughout the Garden State as well as select shows in New York City and Philadelphia areas. Click on the title to go to the full preview. Jump to Featured Events, Event Previews, Event Listings.




Wicked to Cast Their Spell at Salty's Beach Bar




BlowUpRadio.com's New & Notable NJ Music 4/22/24




Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Too Many Tabs Open" by Jason Didner






 

MORE NEWS

(RAHWAY, NJ) -- As part of their new All That Jazz series at Hamilton Stage, UCPAC, WBGO, & Smooth Jazz NJ Present: Stanley Jordan: Stanley Plays The Grateful Dead on Saturday, June 1, 2024. He will perform shows at 7:00pm and 9:30pm.


The Ocean County College Concert Band presents "A Musical World Tour"




Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. LIVE! at BergenPAC




Trombonist Mariel Bildsten Leads Quartet at May Jersey Jazz LIVE! in Madison






 

UPCOMING SHOWS


Axelrod PAC presents The Joni Project and Magical Mystery Doors

(DEAL PARK, NJ) -- Axelrod Performing Arts Center has a pair of great shows coming up in April. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of Joni Mitchell's 1974 album Court and Spark, The Joni Project will perform the album in its entirety, along with a selection of other Joni favorites, on Saturday, April 20 at 8:00pm. The following week, Magical Mystery Doors will perform classics from The Beatles, The Doors and Led Zeppelin on Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 8:00pm.


WDHA's Rock the Rockfest returns to Prudential Center on April 25th




The Newton Theatre presents The Breakers - A Tribute To Tom Petty




54 Below presents Abby Mueller






Advertise with The Penguin Rocks for $50-$100 per month, click here for info


The Penguin Rocks

© 2024 by Wine Time Media, LLC
PO Box 811, Belmar, NJ 07719
info@newjerseystage.com

Presented by New Jersey Stage

Images used on this site have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and PR firms. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us and we will look into the matter.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and our NJ Stage accounts on Instagram, and Threads


News | Features | Radio Shows | Penguin's Hall of Fame | Song of the Week | BlowUpRadio column

Contact Us | About Us | Submit Music | Ad Rates