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


Katchats: 10/23/24

Many years ago, when I first got involved in the music industry I was told, you gotta check out JB Kline, in Lambertville, NJ. This was early 2000, when he was just going by the name Jeff Kline.




This Week in Music: Previews for Concerts from October 22-29, 2024




Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Woman Child" by The Cynz




Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...10/17/24






 

MORE NEWS

(NEWARK, NJ) -- Tyler, The Creator announces a 2025 world tour in support of his forthcoming album CHROMAKOPIA. Promoted by AEG Presents, CHROMAKOPIA: THE WORLD TOUR will feature special guests Lil Yachty and Paris Texas and spans North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand over the course of 2025. The tour comes to Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on July 5; Madison Square Garden in New York City on July 14; Barclays Center in Brooklyn on July 17; and Prudential Center in Newark on July 27, 2025.


Makin Waves Album of the Month: "Pine Barrens Volume Two" by Jackson Pines




Split Level Concerts presents Brian Dunne and Jake Thistle on November 16th




JAZZ HOUSE KiDS Presents Annual JAZZ HOUSE Goes To College On November 9th






 

UPCOMING SHOWS


Rod Wave - Last Lap Tour comes to Prudential Center in December

(NEWARK, NJ) -- This Fall, AG Touring and Mammoth, Inc. proudly present the Rod Wave - Last Lap Tour. This large-scale multi-city outing will feature Rod Wave headlining 36 of North America's top arenas coast-to-coast. The tour will kick off on October 19 at Desert Diamond Arena in Phoenix, AZ visiting major markets across the country, including Newark’s Prudential Center on Tuesday, December 3, 2024 with special guests Moneybagg Yo, Toosii, Lil Poppa, Dess Dior and Eelmatic.


The Newton Theatre presents Who's Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience




The Newton Theatre presents The Jayhawks




Outpost in the Burbs presents Robyn Hitchcock






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