From Garden State Hip-Hop: Garden State Hip-Hop celebrates hip-hop at the Jersey Shore with New Jersey Vol. 3 The Cypher at House of Independents in Asbury Park on Friday, Feb. 22 at 9 p.m. New Jersey Live is a hip-hop event created to showcase the best emerging hip-hop artists throughout New Jersey. Hip-Hop has asserted itself into the Asbury Park music scene, and Garden State Hip-Hop intends to commemorate the resurgence with a live edition of their popular Garden State Hip-Hop Cypher series (2011, 2012, 2013). The show will feature leading rap artists apart of the Asbury Park hip-hop community. In 2017, New Jersey Live 2 took place at The Saint in Asbury Park. The concert was a sold out affair due in part to headlining artist Joe College, who the Asbury Park Press listed as a “Jersey musician you need to know in 2018.” This years show will be hosted by What’s The Movement’s RAMSEYSAIDWHAT and include 14 rap artists in a one night lyrical showdown. Among the names scheduled to participate are Solo For Dolo, founder of the Asbury Park Hip-Hop Fest and Poca, a female rapper from Asbury Park that established her name after releasing her EP […]

See John Mellencamp live in concert at the State Theatre Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. Set to coincide with a highly anticipated new album release, Mellencamp will embark on a 2019 tour of “The John Mellencamp Show” which will feature the rock icon’s classics such as “Jack and Diane,” “Hurts So Good,” “Pink Houses,” “Small Town,” and “Authority Song,” plus some new material. Mellencamp’s live shows have garnered huge critical acclaim with the Hollywood Reportercalling it a “triumphant, career-spanning show” and a “superb performance…still full of fiery defiance” by the Boston Globe. His extensive touring and live shows have solidified the Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer’s place at the forefront of American music for the past 40 years. Mellencamp’s career in music has seen him transition from pop star to one of the most highly respected singer/songwriters of a generation. Mellencamp is incredibly acclaimed; he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a Grammy® winner, a recipient of the John Steinbeck Award, ASCAP Foundation’s Champion Award, The Woody Guthrie Award, and Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award and more recently, the Founders Award, the top honor assigned by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.  Additionally, […]

Michael Bublé at Prudential Center Feb. 23 at 8 p.m.. Michael Bublé has completed five sold-out world tours, won multiple GRAMMY Awards and has sold over 60 million records over the course of his extraordinary career and he is coming to Prudential Center in support of his 8th major studio album Love. Love stands as a testament to the power of music and its healing power, not just for the listener but for Bublé too. His return to the studio came with a purity of purpose and an even stronger sense of connection with his fans, whose unyielding outpouring of support lifted him and his family through the darkest times. And now, as Love goes out into the world, Bublé hopes the music reaches those who might need to hear it the most and provide comfort to those in distress. Tickets start at $230.

From The Cassidy: Blue Plate Special will be performing as part of our Sunday Brunch Series, Sunday, February 24 from noon to 3 p.m. Join us in the heart of Maplewood for swinging live music and delicious food and drink.

The Society of Musical Arts presents a free concert: A Celebration of Classical Viennese Masters on Sunday February 24, 3 pm. Please join the Society of Musical Arts Orchestra for an afternoon of music by Beethoven, Mozart, and Schubert under the direction of Stephen Culbertson of West Orange.  Special guest soloist will be piano virtuoso Drew Petersen performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C, K. 467.  This season, we continue performing at the JCC Metrowest location at 760 Northfield Avenue, West Orange.  Ample parking and convenient handicap access available. For more information, please email orchestrasoma@gmail.com or visit our website:  somaorchestra.org  

Renée Fleming takes the stage at the State Theatre Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. From the State Theatre NJ: “A SUPERSTAR BY ANY MEASURE…” —The New York Times See this legend live on stage! Renée Fleming is one of the most acclaimed singers of our time and has captivated audiences with her sumptuous voice, unsurpassed artistry, and compelling stage presence. Known for bringing new audiences to classical music and opera, Renée has sung not only with Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, and Andrea Bocelli, but also with Elton John, Paul Simon, Sting, Josh Groban, and Joan Baez. She has hosted a wide variety of television and radio broadcasts, including the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series and Live from Lincoln Center. Winner of four Grammy® Awards, Renée has sung for momentous occasions from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the Diamond Jubilee Concert for Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. In 2013, President Obama awarded her America’s highest honor for an artist, the National Medal of Arts. In 2014, she became the first classical artist ever to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. Program highlights include: Johannes Brahms: “Meine Liebe ist grü,” Op. 63, no. 5 Heitor Villa-Lobos: “Ária […]

From Columbia High School: Swing with the CHS Jazz Ensemble at this free, intimate concert in the Black Box Theatre Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. Columbia High School, 17 Parker Ave, Maplewood NJ

Get in the Mardi Gras spirit Friday, March 1 at the Gladstone Tavern. Live Zydeco Music with Howard Parker and the Hot Take-Out Band  

See Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt, two of America’s most admired singer-songwriters, live at the State Theatre in an intimate acoustic evening! Four-time Grammy Award®-winning singer, composer, and actor Lyle Lovett—whose hits include “If I Had a Boat” and “She’s No Lady”—has broadened the definition of American music in a career that spans 14 albums. Coupled with his gift for storytelling, the Texas-based musician fuses elements of country, swing, jazz, folk, gospel, and blues in a convention-defying manner that breaks down barriers. Best known for his high-quality songwriting filled with wit and charm, Lovett has built his career “on the reputation of his live shows, which routinely sell out theaters and concert halls coast to coast” (The New York Times). Over the course of a four–decade songwriting and recording career—and since the release of his 1974 debut, Hangin’ Around the Observatory—rarely has more than a year or two passed without a new John Hiatt collection hitting the shelves. His musical styles on his albums vary from blues to new wave, to country. A member of the prestigious and highly selective Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Hiatt has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards®. He has also penned songs that became […]

The Nerds’ Mardi Gras Bash & Jack! Friday Mar 1, 2019 8:00 PM 21 and over $15 Crossroads 78 North Ave. Garwood, NJ

Known as the “Pied Piper of Pre-Schoolers” or the “Queen of Kindie Rock,” Laurie Berkner is an industry unto herself. The singer will perform two shows at the McCarter Theatre March 2. The 11 a.m. performance is a special solo acoustic Relaxed Performance. Designed for people on the autism spectrum, with cognitive and developmental differences, other sensory or communication needs, Relaxed Performances provide a welcoming and judgment-free environment so that they and their families may enjoy live performance together—everyone is welcome! A second show will be presented at 3 p.m. She has been a long-time fixture of children’s television (Noggin, Jack‘s Big Music Show and Sing It, Laurie!) and her original songs, music videos, books, and three original off-Broadway musicals have made her ubiquitous in American households.  

From The Morris Museum: The Brass Project Pops at Morris Museum March 3 at 2 p.m. This group of inspired musicians will perform a joyful Pops program presented in conjunction with the landmark exhibition “Trumpets, Weird and Wonderful: Treasures from the National Music Museum”. They will program will feature old favorites such as West Side Story and some surprise current hits. Visit the exhibition after the concert for an additional fee of just $3 payable on-site. Tickets: $30.