NYS Music 20​16

Category: Schenectady

  • Highly Suspect to Play First Upstate Concert Hall Show Saturday

    Grammy nominated Cape Cod rockers Highly Suspect are set to play a show at Upstate Concert Hall this Saturday, November 12 for the first time.  Doors are open at 7:00 p.m with show at 8:00 p.m. Slothrust is slated to open the show.

    Along with the upcoming show, Highly Suspect is releasing their sophomore effort The Boy Who Died Wolf on November 18 via 300 Entertainment. The band will undoubtedly play a few songs from that album.

    This is a band on the rise so it would be best to purchase tickets for this show sooner rather than later.

    highly suspect show

  • Schenectady Gets Weird

    “Weird” Al Yankovic brought his Mandatory Fun tour into a packed Proctors Theatre on Saturday September 17. Weird Al has toured since the 1980’s and this is the first time he had ever performed in Schenectady and he did not disappoint.

    schenectady gets weirdThe crowd was alive and buzzing with anticipation before the show. Many in the audience wore different costumes that represented different stages of Al’s career. From the Devo inspired one piece suits to full on Amish clothes, the atmosphere combined a concert and Comic-Con.

    The show started with a video intro and went into Al walking through the concourse while singing the opening number “Tacky” walking through the crowd to the stage. The show continued for the next two plus hours with Al and his band performing at 100 miles an hour rolling through thirty years of hit songs. The show itself featured video clips and more costume changes than a Vegas drag queen show.

    One of the more unique points in the show was an “Unplugged” session where he performed a variety of songs in the classic “MTV Unplugged” setting of him and his band sitting on stools surrounded by candles while acoustically playing songs including “Eat It.”

    He ended the show by bringing storm troopers, Darth Vader and R2-D2 on stage while he performed his Star Wars inspired hits “The Saga Begins” and “Yoda.” For a band that has been out on the road performing for over 30 years, I would dare to say they would give any “young” band a real run for their money.

    Setlist: Intro (Fun Zone / Intro Clips), Tacky, Lame Claim to Fame, Now That’s What I Call Polka! (Wrecking Ball/Pumped Up Kicks/Best Song Ever/Gangnam Style/Call Me Maybe/Scream & Shout/Somebody that I used to know/The One You Won’t Forget/I’m Sexy & I Know It/Thrift Shop/Get Lucky), Perform This Way, Dare to Be Stupid, Fat, First World Problems, Foil, Smells Like Nirvana, Party in the CIA / It’s All About the Pentiums / Handy / Bedrock Anthem / Another One Rides the Bus / Ode to a Superhero / Gump / Inactive / eBay, Canadian Idiot, Wanna B Ur Lovr, Eat It / I Lost on Jeopardy / I Love Rocky Road / Like a Surgeon (TV Shows / Rock & Roll Jeopardy), White & Nerdy, Word Crimes, Amish Paradise

    Encore: Cheer / Piano Solo, We All Have Cell Phones, The Saga Begins, Yoda (with Yoda Chant)

    [ngg_images gallery_ids=”174″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_pro_slideshow”]

  • Legendary Bassist Stu Hamm to Stop in Schenectady

    Fans of guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani will recognize the name, as will any learned bassist. Stu Hamm rose to fame performing with Satriani’s band for a decade, and on June 3, Hamm brings his solo act to the Van Dyck in Schenectady.

    Hamm’s tour is a true solo run in support of his latest album, The Book of Lies. In addition to the Schenectady stop, Hamm’s brief stint also includes shows in New York City and Buffalo.

    stu hamm tour

    Hamm met Steve Vai while both were students at Berklee in Boston; he met Satriani as a result of his relationship with Vai and rose to fame as a member of his band. Hamm played on Vai’s first solo album, Flex-Able, in 1984 and went on to record with Satriani on his seminal ’80s albums Dreaming #11 and Flying in a Blue Dream.

    Throughout his career, Hamm has recorded with such guitar luminaries as Eric Johnson, Michael Schenker, Frank Gambale, Alan Holdsworth and Robert Fripp. Another claim to fame is being named both best rock bassist and jazz bassist in the same year by Guitar Player magazine.

    Expect a mix of bass virtuosity and humorous storytelling when Hamm hits the stage. In a statement, Hamm said, “I promise an entertaining evening of music and stories from my 43 years of playing bass with some of our generation’s greatest musicians!”

    Check him out a venue near you this month.

    Songs and Stories Tour 2016:

    6/2 – New Hope, PA – Havana
    6/3 – Schenectady, NY – The Van Dyck
    6/4 – New York, NY – Spectrum (Masterclass at 2 p.m.)
    6/5 – New York, NY – Spectrum (6 p.m. and 8 p.m.)
    6/6 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Saint
    6/7 – Dunellen, NJ – Roxy and Dukes (Presented by NJ ProgHouse)
    6/8 – Buffalo, NY – Sportsmens Tavern
    6/9 – Ottawa, ON – Brass Monkey
    6/10 – London, ON – London Music Club
    6/12 – Detroit, MI – The Token Lounge
    6/13 – Newport, KY – The Southgate House Revival
    6/14 – Cleveland, OH – Nighttown
    6/16 – Charleston, WV – The Empty Glass
    6/17 – Pittsburgh, PA – PGH Winery

    https://youtu.be/VAkYhNUOWMY

  • Once at Proctors Captivates with Enchanting Music and Love Story

    Think about the first time you heard your favorite band. Remember that feeling when you discovered the way that certain music changes you? Well, that’s the feeling you’ll get again after seeing Once at Proctors.

    Once is a musical like no other. You’ll be transported to Ireland – the only set is an intimate Dublin bar that transforms into a music store, a home, a bank, and a music studio just with lighting and the changing of tables and chairs. Most unique about the show is that the actors double as the orchestra, all of them singing and playing their own instruments on stage.

    It’s the story of Guy, an Irish street musician and vacuum-cleaner repairman, who is still overcoming a tough breakup. We meet him when he is ready to give up on his music career, until Girl, a Czech singer-pianist, comes along. They begin making music together and quickly change each other’s lives.

    Theatre-goers are invited to enjoy the real on-stage bar before the show, and, unlike any Broadway show I’ve seen before, most of the cast comes out about 15 minutes before the show for a jam session. From the very first note, it sets the captivating atmosphere of the evening and reminds you that this isn’t your normal Broadway show.

    once the broadway musical

    The house lights didn’t even begin to dim when Sam Cieri, who plays Guy, began the first song of the night, LEAVE. But you become so enveloped in Cieri’s unique voice and the power he puts behind the music, that you don’t even notice when the lights finally go out.

    Mackenzie Lesser-Boy, who plays Girl, makes you fall in love with her immediately with her charm and quirky personality. Her chemistry with Cieri is so strong you’ll catch yourself leaning forward in your seat waiting for a kiss between the two.

    The Oscar-winning song from the show (and movie the musical is based on), FALLING SLOWLY, is only the second song of the show with a reprise at the end. But in-between, you’ll be immersed in all of the enchanting songs like GOLD, IF YOU WANT ME, and WHEN YOUR MINDS MADE UP.

    Once isn’t a Big Broadway show. It doesn’t have big dance numbers or bright costumes. But it does have a real story with real music that will resonate with you, and not just on the drive home. It’ll stay with you when you wake up the next day and go with you into the next week, reminding you of the power of the perfect song. It gives you that feeling like you’ve just discovered the way music can change you, all over again.

    When: Now – May 15
    Where: Proctors Theatre, 432 State Street Schenectady NY
    Tickets: $20-$80 on proctors.org

  • Weird Al’s Mandatory World Tour Continues With Newly Announced NY Shows

    Last year, “Weird Al” Yankovic toured extensively in support of his latest album, Mandatory Fun. Recently he announced that he will be back at it again — this time with 78 shows between June and September.

    Mandatory World TourReleased in July 2014, Mandatory Fun marked Weird Al’s first number one album. He also took home a Grammy Award in the Best Comedy Album category for it. The album was well received by critics, and the virality of its music videos helped place it atop the Billboard Top 200 shortly after it was released. As NYS Music’s Michael Hallisey said, “Mandatory Fun is Al’s 14th release, and by far his masterpiece.  Like Warner Brothers through Looney Tunes, Yankovic is able to tie in current events with references to the past, allowing listeners from multiple generations to enjoy.” Mandatory Fun is likely Yankovic’s last normal length album as he shifts to releasing songs through EPs and singles over the internet.

    S Harris - Weird Al - Capitol Theatre-1

    Most of the 78 shows are now on sale to the general public, including his three New York stops:

    Sept. 4  The Budweiser Summer Stage at TAG’s, Big Flats, NY
    Sept. 17 Proctors Theater, Schenectady NY
    Sept. 24 Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY

    For a full list of Weird Al’s tour stops, check out his website. Weird Al’s tour begins June 3 and wraps up Sept. 24.

  • Proctors and Capital Rep Announce 2016-17 Series in Grand Fashion

    When is a theater announcement more than just an announcement? When Proctors and Capital Repertory Theatre get together and present their 2016-17 KeyBank Subscription Series to the public in grand fashion.

    This was more than just a presentation of 13 musicals, it was an event and a spectacle featuring performances from some of the shows that will grace stages in Albany and Schenectady in the coming year.

    Presenting the lineups for each venue in a mock debate, Proctors CEO Philip Morris and theREP’s Producing Artistic Director Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill kept the audience laughing and cheering as they rolled out the Broadway shows that will come to the Capital Region for the first time, some on their first national tours. John Gray and Kydia Kulbida from WTEN offered commentary from the stage left upper box and kept the show flowing in between each well received announcement.

    Proctors’ 2016 schedule includes the four-time Tony Award winning production An American in Paris, which will be seen for the first time outside of New York and Paris in October 2016. Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage arrives in November 2016, followed by The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which tells the tale of an autistic boy accused of a crime and his struggle to communicate his innocence, also in November 2016.

    The first national tour of musical comedy Something Rotten! makes its way to Proctors in January 2017, followed by the Broadway blockbuster Wicked in March. The beloved story The Sound of Music is next in April 2017, while Roundabout Theatre Company brings Cabaret to Proctors in May 2017.

    Among the most anticipated shows, which also received the largest applause, was Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, coming to Proctors in April 2017 for a limited engagement. Sara Sheperd performed two selections from the musical, “Will Your Still Love me Tomorrow” and “(You Make me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” to great fanfare.

    Capital Repertory Theatre will offer a combination of classics, musical biographies and world premieres, including A Night with Janis Joplin, Outside Mullingar, NEXT ACT 5! New Play Summit, Camelot, Reluctant Wingman and An Iliad. By the end, when the stage was festooned with red, white and blue balloons, there was no question that Proctors and Capital Rep will bring a phenomenal lineup of musical theater to The Capital Region well into 2017.