Plan to arrive early on this one. The lobby at Shea’s opens one hour before showtime, and the room — a 3,019-seat movie palace on Main Street in Buffalo that has been standing since 1926 — earns the extra ten minutes it takes to look around. On Wednesday, July 8 at 7:30 PM, Shea’s Performing Arts Center hosts the Mighty Wurlitzer 100th Anniversary Concert, one of the signature events in the theatre’s yearlong centennial celebration, with internationally acclaimed organist Richard Hills FRCO at the console.
About the Concert
The Shea’s Mighty Wurlitzer is not just an old organ. It is a four-manual, 28-rank pipe organ installed in December 1925 at a cost of $72,000, manufactured by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company of North Tonawanda, NY. Shea’s is the only surviving Louis Tiffany–designed theatre that still houses its original Wurlitzer, saved and restored by the Friends of the Buffalo Theatre. The instrument spans six large chambers flanking the stage, with a full percussion suite — xylophone, marimba, harp, chimes, and drums — plus theatrical effects from an auto horn to a Chinese gong. When it plays, you feel it.
At the console is Richard Hills FRCO, named Organist of the Year by the American Theatre Organ Society in 2010. Hills is one of the very few musicians to have fully mastered both classical and theatre organ traditions. His programs range from Broadway standards and light classical to popular selections, so no prior pipe organ knowledge required.
About the Venue
Shea’s Performing Arts Center at 650 Main Street, Buffalo opened January 16, 1926 as “The Wonder Theatre” and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975. The lobby opens one hour before showtime; the house opens thirty minutes before curtain. Walk-through metal detection is in effect for all patrons — factor that into your arrival time. Tickets are available digitally via the My Shea’s App. More at sheas.org. If you’re coming in from anywhere across Buffalo / Western NY, this is a night worth building a proper evening around.
Tickets
Tickets for the July 8, 2026 concert at 7:30 PM are available now. Get tickets via Ticketmaster. The Shea’s box office opens two hours before the performance.