Spend spring and summer at the South Orange Performing Arts Center, where you’ll see “the most exacting of the Zeppelin tribute bands in existence,” the 85-year-old Madman of Salsa, “the poet laureate of Louisiana’s fertile Roots music scene,” Bruce Springsteen’s longtime drummer, “[the] millennial shaking up the Jazz world,” a co-founder of the Byrds and more. Visit SOPACnow.org for more information.
MAY
Laughs in the Loft
Hosted by Joe Larson
MAY 4
Tickets: $20
Join us for Laughs in the Loft, a monthly series featuring stand-up comics from our own backyard, Brooklyn and beyond! Each Laughs in the Loft event features several comedians in a New York City-style showcase. For this show, see Emma Willmann, Ryan Reiss, Liz Glazer and Howie Dewey.
ZOSO: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience
MAY 20
Tickets: $28-$38
Feel like you traveled back to the 70s when this Led Zeppelin reincarnation rocks out with favorites like “Stairway to Heaven,” “Whole Lotta Love” and “Dazed and Confused.”
Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Band
MAY 21
Tickets: $45-$59
The iconic ten-time Grammy Award winner and NEA Jazz Master skillfully fuses the rhythm of his Puerto Rican heritage with the complexity of his influences: Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner as well as his older brother, Charlie Palmieri.
Kids ‘N Family Series: The Little Mermaid
MAY 22
Tickets: $20
This award-winning adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s beloved tale follows the dreams of a young girl who believes there is a better life waiting for her above the surface of the ocean.
Anders Osborne and Jackie Greene
with special guest Amanda Anne Platt and the Honeycutters
MAY 29
Tickets: $38-$55
Friends Anders Osborne and Jackie Greene are gifted as both singer-songwriters and guitarists. Join them for this evening of old-fashioned tune trading. This performance is sponsored by the Gia Maione Prima Foundation.
JUNE
Laughs in the Loft…on the Mainstage!
JUNE 1
Tickets: $30
Celebrate the one-year anniversary of this monthly stand-up series with a special show on the SOPAC mainstage. The lineup includes Jon Fisch, Usama Siddiquee and Jessica Kirson.
Max Weinberg’s Jukebox
JUNE 9
Tickets: $49-$64 (Meet & Greet: $115)
The Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame drummer and South Orange native invites audiences to create the set list in real-time for this interactive concert experience where anything the Beatles to the Stones to Bruce and The E Street Band’s biggest hits is on the set list of possibilities!
Joan Osborne
JUNE 10
Tickets: $38-$48
The multi-platinum selling recording artist and seven-time Grammy Award nominee is a soulful vocalist who has performed alongside such notable artists as Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris and Mavis Staples.
Bria Skonberg Quartet
JUNE 11
Tickets: $29-$39
Described as “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation” (Wall Street Journal) and “the shining hope of hot jazz” (New York Times), triple threat trailblazer Bria Skonberg is a force to be reckoned with. This multi-award winning trumpeter, singer and composer makes her SOPAC debut combining her signature sound of fiery trumpet playing and smoky vocals. She blends Jazz, Blues and beyond with storytelling and adventurous concoctions of classics and soulful originals.
Jesse Cook: Tempest Tour II
JUNE 17
Tickets: $34-$42
Jesse Cook is a global guitar virtuoso. The international appeal of this accomplished performer is his style of mixing Flamenco with Classical, Jazz, Zydeco, Blues and Brazilian samba.
Nick Lowe’s Quality Rock & Roll RevueStarring Los Straitjackets
Opening Artist: Tommy McLain + CC Adcock
JUNE 19
Tickets: $49-$59
Legendary songwriter Nick Lowe is widely known for such hits as “Cruel to Be Kind” and “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding.” Since 2014, Lowe has toured around the world on a wave of Surf Rock with the Lucha Libre Mexican wrestling masked instrumental heavy hitters, Los Straitjackets.
Roger McGuinn, Co-founder of The Byrds
JUNE 23
Tickets: $34-$49
From his signature 12-string Rickenbacker sound to his instantly recognizable vocals on hits like “Turn, Turn, Turn,” “Eight Miles High” and “Mr. Tambourine Man,” experience the unmistakable style of Roger McGuinn.