Green Jellÿ is bringing their 45 Year Anniversary World Tour to Montage Music Hall in Rochester on Friday, September 11, and if you have never seen this band live, that is the first thing you need to fix. Doors open at 6 PM and the show kicks off at 7:30. This is a 16+ show — bring proper ID.
About Green Jelly
Here is the short version of why this band matters: they formed in 1981 in Kenmore, New York — a Buffalo suburb — making this essentially a homecoming show for the band’s corner of the state. Frontman Bill Manspeaker is the only consistent member across more than four decades of rotating lineups. Among the musicians who cycled through: Maynard James Keenan and Danny Carey, who met inside Green Jellÿ before going on to form Tool.
The band built their reputation on intentionally crude musicianship, theatrical chaos, and a commitment to the bit. After a trademark dispute with General Foods — owner of the Jell-O brand — they swapped the letter for a ÿ and kept going. Their hit “Three Little Pigs” became an MTV staple in the early nineties, and the Cereal Killer album went gold in the US. They have also claimed the title of “world’s first video-only rock band” and once appeared on The Gong Show presenting themselves as the world’s worst band.
The live show is built around the “Punk Rock Puppet Show” — elaborate homemade costumes and props the band developed after watching Gwar. It is a comedy concert, a theatrical production, and a mosh pit all running at the same time. Opening the night are When Skies Decide, Promachina, Comfort In Violence Hardon, and Liquid Damage.
The Venue
Montage Music Hall is a 400-capacity club at 50 Chestnut St in downtown Rochester, operated by Rochester Entertainment. For a Rochester room this size, they pull acts with serious touring history — Green Jellÿ’s 2026 run spans nine-plus US states and three countries, with 13 confirmed dates total. This is the only New York stop on that national leg.
Tickets
Tickets are available through Etix. Four openers on a Friday night in a 400-person room — do not sit on this one.