Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons bring Jersey Boy sound to NC
The cool quotient is high this week, thanks to a number of acclaimed indie rock acts and a unique veteran vocalist, who should be a bucket list experience.
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
The details: Jan. 26, 7 p.m. Durham Performing Arts Center, 123 Vivian St., Durham. Few tickets remain. Check website for prices. 919-680-2787 or dpacnc.com
Valli, 85, recently finished his farewell tour of the United Kingdom. Who knows how long the iconic vocalist with the unmistakable falsetto will continue to tour? Valli recently told the Arizona Republic that he’ll continue to play dates in the United States. But the dynamic entertainer can’t go on forever. Valli told the Republic last year that it was a Frank Sinatra concert that changed his life.
“When I saw Sinatra live,” Valli said. “I mean, I saw something so big, I couldn’t believe it. I was so taken aback by it. Can you imagine a kid going in and seeing for the very first time a live performance of a major star like Frank Sinatra where they’re throwing bras and undergarments on stage and women are screaming and fainting and all of that?”
The Sinatra show Valli caught was in 1942. Valli appropriated Ol’ Blue Eyes’ stage presence but no one ever replicated the Four Seasons’ frontman’s clarion call of a voice.
Yonder Mountain String Band
The details: Jan. 30, 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle, 300 E. Main St., Carrboro. Tickets start at $25. 919-967-9053 or catscradle.com
What happens when you combine the jamtastic influence of the Grateful Dead with the edge of punk? Meet the Yonder Mountain String Band. The adventurous group combines bluegrass, progressive and improvisational rock. Yonder Mountain is best appreciated live since the band engages the audience and the shows are always unpredictable. Don’t miss opening act, the dynamic Travelin’ McCourys.
Over the Rhine
The details: Jan. 20, 8 p.m. Motorco Music Hall, 723 Rigsbee Ave., Durham. Tickets start at $25. 919-901-0875 or motorcomusic.com
It’s been 30 years since Over the Rhine formed in Cincinnati. The pop-rock duo marked the anniversary with the release of its latest album, “Love & Revelation,” which is a collection of catchy and earnest tracks. The husband-and-wife combo of Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler are still going strong.
“We got lucky in that we both like having a partner,” Berqquist told Cincinnati’s City Beat last year. “The rest of it is work, it totally is. Sometimes you run out of tools and you’ve got to find resources to get more tools. That works with relationships, with music, with your career.”
The Devil Makes Three
The details: Jan. 25, 8:30 p.m. The Ritz, 2820 Industrial Drive, Raleigh. Tickets start at $25. 919-424-1400 or ritzraleigh.com
There’s no band quite like The Devil Makes Three, which is comprised of a pair of guitarists, a bassist and drummer. The acoustic act combines blues, country and bluegrass. “Chains are Broken,” the group’s first album since 2013, is heavier and more dramatic than prior projects.
Grayscale
The details: Jan. 28, 7 p.m. Motorco Music Hall, 723 Rigsbee Ave., Durham. Tickets start at $18. 919-901-0875 or motorcomusic.com.
Grayscale is at the head of the class of Philly’s latest wave of alt-rock bands. The pop-punk band, which formed a decade ago out of high school, is on point with its latest album, “Nella Vita,” which is filled with urgent, anthemic tracks. Hot Mulligan, WTSR and Lurk will open.
This story was originally published January 21, 2020 at 8:45 AM with the headline "Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons bring Jersey Boy sound to NC."