Steven Van Zandt once said, “Some people may not realize it, but The Rascals were the first rock band in the world.” The provocation is designed as a corrective — a reminder that “Groovin’,” “People Got To Be Free,” and “Good Lovin'” arrived before much of what followed, and did things much of what followed still can’t quite replicate. The 60-Year Celebration Tour brings that argument to Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg on Saturday, September 19.
About the Show
The tour marks six decades since The Rascals formed in New York City in 1964 (originally as The Young Rascals, with Felix Cavaliere, Gene Cornish, Eddie Brigati, and Dino Danelli), signed with Atlantic Records, and built a catalog of 17 Top 20 singles through the back half of the decade. The group earned a reputation, widely cited, as the best blue-eyed soul act of the 1960s. The show is billed around original frontman Felix Cavaliere, the singer and songwriter who has carried the band’s catalog through every configuration that has followed the original lineup. Co-founder Gene Cornish, whose guitar and vocal work drove hits throughout the group’s years on Atlantic, has stepped back from performing; the band’s official tour page notes he may appear at select dates to greet audiences.
The Sherman Theater stop lands the night after the Rascals play Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, New York, a piece of the northeast corridor run that carries geographic weight for a band so tied to the era Bethel represents. The run continues in October with a date at Paramount Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill. Four Hall of Fame inductions mark the band’s legacy: the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, along with the Grammy Hall of Fame, Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and Songwriters Hall of Fame. The 2010 and 2013 stage production The Rascals: Once Upon A Dream briefly reunited the original lineup; this tour, built around Cavaliere’s continued commitment to the live show, is the ongoing iteration.
Venue & Logistics
Sherman Theater seats 1,800 and puts the audience close to the stage, a configuration suited to a catalog that rewards presence over spectacle. The theater is in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, drawing from the broader Hudson Valley market and across the state line. Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. All ages admitted; 21 and older to drink with valid ID.
Tickets
Advance tickets are $40 (PL3), $50 (PL2), and $75 (PL1). Day-of-show pricing increases to $80 for PL1. VIP Box seats are $725 for members and $775 for non-members; Skybox seats run $975 (members) and $1,025 (non-members). Get Tickets