John Valby has been making Western New York audiences laugh, wince, and demand encores since 1975 — and on February 13, the night before Valentine’s Day, he returns to the Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda as Dr. Dirty. Given the subject matter of his catalog, the timing fits.
About the Show
Valby grew up in Rochester and lives in Western New York, and his career is, by this point, a regional institution. The Dr. Dirty origin story is genuinely strange, which is part of the appeal. He learned classical piano from Catholic nuns at McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester. His father was an accomplished violinist. He studied Philosophy at Middlebury College in Vermont, where he began writing compositions for his fraternity. Then he hit the Buffalo bar circuit in 1975, performed three adult-oriented songs one night, and audience demand pulled everything else out of his repertoire. As he once explained: “I became a mirror for the audience and the Audience turned out to be 20 times DIRTIER than me.” His manager gave him the Dr. Dirty name, and the uniform (white tuxedo, derby hat, black bow tie) has stayed constant ever since.
Valby has produced more than 30 albums and LPs including Compact Dirt, Sit on a Happy Face, and Give Me Dirt or Give Me Death, alongside cleaner projects including a Christmas album and a children’s record. His official bio notes that his records have outsold many national recording acts. He was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame in the Class of 1987. His live show blends classical arrangements, original compositions, limericks, and political satire alongside more explicit material, with audience participation built into the format. McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre has described his act as “Perverted Talented Sick Fun Disgusting Charming Tasteless Hilarious,” a rundown that functions as either a warning or a sell, depending on the reader.
No supporting act is listed for this date.
Venue & Logistics
The Riviera Theatre at 67 Webster St. in North Tonawanda is one of Valby’s most reliable rooms. Setlist.fm documents at least eight performances there, and he played the venue in both 2025 and 2026. It is a landmark theater with a crystal chandelier and an original Wurlitzer organ, and it draws from across the western New York region that Valby has been performing in for half a century. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets are $20. Buy tickets