Mandy Patinkin

Sunday, April 28, 2024 at 7pm at The Paramount

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Friday, April 26, 2024 at 8pm at The Paramount

Vienna Boys Choir

Christmas in Vienna

Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 7:30pm at The Paramount

The illustrious group of child musicians has been delighting music lovers across the globe for six centuries with their purity of tone, distinctive charm, and popular repertoire. The enormously popular chorus is composed of four touring choirs that hail from dozens of nations and together give over 300 concerts a year around the world. Christmas in Vienna showcases these gifted musicians with voices of unforgettable beauty in an extraordinary program featuring Austrian folk songs, classical masterpieces, popular songs, and, of course, holiday favorites. The Fort Worth Star Telegram raves, “There’s no more gratifying sound than that of children singing. And there’s no more polished ensemble of children’s voices than the Vienna Boys Choir.”

Allman Bets Family Revival

Wednesday December 6, 2023 at 8pm at The Paramount

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 7 years since Devon Allman put together a show at the Fillmore in San Francisco to celebrate the life of his father Gregg Allman. What started as one night of the Devon Allman Project featuring Duane Betts, along with a bunch of guest artists, has turned into a one-night festival visiting 18-20 cities a year.

This year, we are especially excited to announce the official rebranding of the Allman Family Revival to the Allman Betts Family Revival. We have programmed an array of guests who will perform two sets – one featuring songs by Gregg Allman and one featuring songs by Dickey Betts. Enjoy listening to the hits along with the deep cuts from their legendary Allman Brothers catalog performed by Anders Osborne, Luther Dickinson & Cody Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), Jimmy Hall (Jeff Beck, Wet Willie), Jackie Greene, Larry McCray, Orbi Orbison, Ally Venable, Devon Allman, Duane Betts, and the Allman Betts Band featuring Tal Wilkenfeld on Bass (Jeff Beck). There will also be some incredible artists that will join us in select cities including Sierra Hull & G Love, with more to be added.

The tour will also welcome back The Brotherhood of Light for the otherworldly visuals Allman Brothers fans experienced at the height of their career.

The Allman Betts Family Revival is nearly three action-packed hours that will leave you with a great musical experience and warmness in your heart. Join us as we celebrate one of the greatest bands in the world.

Lewis Black

Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 8pm at The Paramount

Known as the King of Rant, Lewis Black uses his trademark style of comedic yelling and finger-pointing to expose the absurdities of life. His comedic brilliance makes people laugh at life’s hypocrisies and the insanity he sees in the world. A Grammy Award-winning stand-up, Lewis Black performs his critically acclaimed shows more than 200 nights annually to sold-out audiences throughout Europe, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States.  He is one of a few performers to sell out multiple renowned theaters, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York City Center, the Main Stage at the Mirage in Las Vegas, and a sold-out Broadway run at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City.

Since 2014, Lewis Black has done over 400 live-streaming shows, called The Last Rant Is Due, at the end of each of his standup performances. Adding his own unique style, Lewis delivers audience-written Rants which have been submitted from the fans at his show and throughout the world.  These rants are now available on Lewis Black’s podcast, Rant Cast. Black is the longest-running contributor to The Daily Show on Comedy Central. He has had comedy specials on HBO, Comedy Central, Showtime, and Epix. In 2001, he won Best Male Stand-Up at the American Comedy Awards.  His newest special, Thanks for Risking Your Life (streaming premiere October 6, 2020), was his last live performance before the Covid lockdown. He has released eight comedy albums, including the 2007 Grammy Award-winning The Carnegie Hall Performance. He won his second Grammy Award for his album Stark Raving Black and has published three bestselling books: Nothing’s Sacred (Simon & Schuster, 2005), Me of Little Faith (Riverhead Books, 2008), and I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas (Riverhead Books, 2010). In 2012, he performed eight sell-out shows at Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway as well as did one of his two HBO Specials, Black on Broadway.

In 2015, Black notably voiced the character “Anger” in the Academy Award-winning film from Pixar, Inside Out. A published playwright, he’s written over 40 plays and has found his work performed throughout the country, including at the ACT Theatre, the Magic Theatre, The Williamstown Theatre Festival, and The Public Theatre. In addition to his professional pursuits, Lewis is dedicated to a number of charitable organizations including the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, The Rogosin Institute, and The 52nd Street Project. He’s also deeply committed to supporting our troops. A seasoned USO tour veteran, he’s performed for the troops on three Christmas tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band

Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at 8pm at The Paramount

There are few artists whose names are synonymous with one instrument and how it’s played in service to an entire genre. 

Utter the phrase “young blues rock guitarist” within earshot of anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the modern musical vanguard and the first name they are most likely to respond with will be Kenny Wayne Shepherd. The Louisiana-born axeman and songsmith has sold millions of albums while throwing singles into the Top 10, shining a light on the rich blues of the past and forging ahead with his own modern twist on a classic sound he has embodied since his teens.

In a 20-year recording career that began when he was just 16, Shepherd has established himself as an immensely popular recording artist, a consistently in-demand live act, and an influential force in a worldwide resurgence of interest in the blues.

At 16 years old, he signed his first record deal and burst onto the national scene with the release of his 1995 debut album Ledbetter Heights, which produced the radio hits “Deja Voodoo,” “Born with a Broken Heart,” and “Shame, Shame, Shame.” His relentless touring and success on rock radio helped to drive the album to Platinum sales status. His 1998 sophomore effort Trouble Is… also went Platinum, yielding such radio hits as “Blue on Black,” “True Lies,” and “Somehow, Somewhere, Someway.” 1999’s Live On spawned the radio hits “In 2 Deep,” “Shotgun Blues,” and “Last Goodbye.”

2004’s The Place You’re In was a blistering rock record and was followed up by 2007’s ambitious 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads, for which Shepherd and his band traveled throughout the American South to record with such vintage blues greats as B.B. King, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins, and David “Honeyboy” Edwards on their home turf. 2010 saw the release of Shepherd’s long-awaited first live album, Live! In Chicago, recorded at Chicago’s House of Blues during the all-star Legends tour. In 2013, Shepherd further expanded his musical horizons by teaming with veteran rockers Stephen Stills and Barry Goldberg to form THE RIDES, whose first album Can’t Get Enough helped to expand Shepherd’s audience as well as his musical resume. 2014 saw the release of Goin’ Home, Shepherd’s sixth # 1 debut on the Billboard Blues charts. In the months since its release, Shepherd and his band have toured the world extensively blazing a fresh trail for the historical American art form in the 21st Century.

Ben Folds

Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at 8pm at The Paramount Theater

“More than anything, I wanted to make an album that was generous, that was useful,” says Ben Folds. “I want you to finish this record with something you didn’t have when you started.”

Indeed, Folds’ masterful new collection, What Matters Most, isn’t so much a statement as it is an offering, an open hand reaching out to all those wounded and bewildered by a world that seems to make less and less sense every day. Recorded in East Nashville with co-producer Joe
Pisapia, the album marks Folds’ first new studio release in eight years, and it’s a bold, timely, cinematic work, one that examines the tragic and the absurd in equal measure as it reckons with hope and despair, gratitude and loss, identity and perspective. The songs are bittersweet here,
hilarious at times, but often laced with a quiet sense of longing and dread: a text message goes unanswered; an old classmate descends into the dark depths of internet conspiracies; a relationship unravels in the middle of a lake. And yet, taken as a whole, the result is an undeniably joyful record that refuses to succumb to the weight of the world around it, an ecstatic reminder of all the beauty and promise hiding in plain sight for anyone willing (and present enough) to recognize their moments as they arrive.

Born and raised in North Carolina, Folds first rose to fame in the mid-’90s with Ben Folds Five, whose acerbic, genre-bending take on piano pop helped define an entire era of alternative rock. After scoring multiple hit singles and a gold record with the band, Folds launched his solo career
in 2001, releasing a series of similarly acclaimed albums that would firmly establish him as one of the most ambitious and versatile songwriters of his generation. In 2010, Folds teamed up with celebrated author Nick Hornby on a collaborative record titled Lonely Avenue; in 2014, he
composed and performed his first piano concerto for the Nashville Symphony and Nashville Ballet in 2015, he recorded an album with the classical ensemble yMusic; in 2017, he became the artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, where he began
curating a series of performances marrying contemporary artists with symphonic orchestration; in 2019, he released his New York Times best-selling memoir, A Dream About Lightning Bugs; and in 2021, he launched the Lightning Bugs podcast, an interview series on creativity and
process with guests as diverse as Jon Batiste, Sara Bareilles, Bob Saget, and Rainn Wilson. As if that wasn’t enough to keep him busy, Folds also revealed himself to be a prolific photographer with gallery shows in the US and Europe, appeared onscreen in films and television (most recently playing himself in three episodes of the hit Amazon Prime series The Wilds), composed music for a 25-minute stage adaptation of Mo Willem’s Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs (which premiered at the Kennedy Center), and serves on the boards of the Arts Action Fund, the Nashville Symphony, and Planet Word, a new immersive museum in Washington, DC, dedicated to celebrating the power of language.

David Cross

Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 8pm at The Paramount

Emmy Award winner and two-time Grammy Award nominee David Cross is an inventive performer, writer, and producer on stage and screen.

On February 12, 2022, Cross premiered his comedy special, David Cross: I’m From The Future, as a livestream event available internationally on his website. Recorded on November 8, 2021, in Brooklyn, NY, the special finds Cross reflecting on life during the pandemic, euthanizing a pet, The Gettysburg Address, the true power of wishes, and so much more. Cross’ 2019 comedy special, David Cross: Oh Come On, is available on Amazon Prime and Peacock. He was nominated for two Grammy Awards for the albums, …America…Great, and Shut Up You F***ing Baby, and his comedy special, David Cross: The Pride is Back, was named one of the 25 best stand-up comedy specials and concert films of all time by Rolling Stone in July 2015.

In 2021, Cross starred in the National Geographic series, Genius: Aretha, portraying famed music producer, Jerry Wexler, opposite Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin; he made guest appearances in the, critically-acclaimed HBO Max miniseries, Station Eleven; and starred in the HBO Max film, 8-Bit Christmas. Other groundbreaking TV credits include Arrested Development, Goliath, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, Mr. Show with Bob and David, Freak Show, and The Ben Stiller Show.

In 2020, Cross received rave reviews for his starring role in the dramatic film, The Dark Divide, and in 2018, he was part of the ensemble cast with Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in Steven Spielberg’s The Post.  Cross released the indie film Hits, which he wrote and directed and has appeared in numerous films including Kill Your Darlings, It’s a Disaster, Abel, Year One, Waiting for Guffman, Men in Black and Men in Black II, Ghost World, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Pitch Perfect 2, I’m Not There, and he provided his vocal talents for several animated films, including Megamind, the Kung Fu Panda franchise, and Curious George.

An Evening with Audra McDonald

Wednesday, May 17, 2023 at 7:30pm at The Paramount

Audra McDonald is unparalleled in the breadth and versatility of her artistry as both a singer and an actor, winning a record-breaking six Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Emmy. In 2015, she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people and received a National Medal of Arts—America’s highest honor for achievement in the field—from President Barack Obama. In addition to her Tony-winning performances in Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, A Raisin in the Sun, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, and Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill—the role that also served as the vehicle for her Olivier Award-nominated 2017 debut in London’s West End,—she has appeared on Broadway in The Secret Garden; Marie Christine (Tony nomination); Henry IV; 110 in the Shade (Tony nomination); Shuffle Along, or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (Tony nomination); and Ohio State Murders.

On television, she was seen by millions as the Mother Abbess in NBC’s The Sound of Music Live! and played Dr. Naomi Bennett on ABC’s Private Practice. She won an Emmy Award for her role as host of PBS’s Live From Lincoln Center and has received nominations for Wit, A Raisin in the Sun, and Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill. Having first appeared on CBS’s The Good Wife, she plays Liz Reddick in The Good Fight on Paramount+ and Dorothy Scott in Julian Fellowes’s historical drama The Gilded Age on HBO and HBO Max. On film, she has appeared in Seven Servants, The Object of My Affection, Cradle Will Rock, It Runs in the Family, The Best Thief in the World, She Got Problems, Rampart, Ricki and the Flash, Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast, the movie-musical Hello Again, and MGM’s Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect.

A Juilliard-trained soprano, her opera credits include La voix humaine and Send at Houston Grand Opera, and Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny at Los Angeles Opera, where the resulting recording earned her two Grammy Awards. McDonald has issued five solo albums on the Nonesuch label as well as Sing Happy with the New York Philharmonic on Decca Gold. She also maintains a major career as a concert artist, regularly appearing on the great stages of the world and with leading international orchestras. A founding member of Black Theatre United, board member of Covenant House International, and prominent advocate for LGBTQAI+ rights, her favorite roles are those performed offstage, as an activist, wife to actor Will Swenson, and mother.

Morgan Wade

Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 8pm at The Paramount

Morgan Wade didn’t write to be a sensation, for critical acclaim, or massive concert tours. She wrote to speak her truth, to save her own life – and perhaps throw a rope to others struggling with the weight of a world moving too fast, loves where you fall too hard, and nights that, good or bad, seem to go on forever.

2021 saw Reckless, her Thirty Tigers/now Sony Music Nashville debut, and lead single “Wilder  Days” topping critical lists from Rolling Stone, TIME, Stereogum, New York Times, Boston Globe,  FADER, Tennessean, Whiskey Riff, Billboard, and The Boot and Taste of Country who both proclaimed,  “a once-in-a-decade debut.” With a voice that is raw hurt, deep knowing, and somehow innocence retained, Wade wrote or co-wrote a song cycle about the reality facing teens and 20-somethings that embraced raw desire, the reality of getting high and getting sober, and the realm of crawling through the wreckage with a tough vulnerability that is as singular as the young woman from Floyd, Virginia.

With insider trade HITS proclaiming, “Imagine Kris Kristofferson as a Gen Z woman,” The New York Times raving, “she sounds like she’s singing from the depths of history,” and FADER offering, “Wade has a voice like a jagged blade, sharp enough to draw blood but lustrous under the light,” Reckless landed hard and true. A product of her collaboration with Sadler Vaden (guitarist in Jason Isbell + the 400 Unit) and engineer Paul Ebersold, the trio worked to keep the guitars forward, the edges rough, and her voice the star in the loose tumble of players meshing on the edge of Tom Petty/Lucinda Williams’ rock & roll.

Natalie Merchant

Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 8pm at The Paramount Theater

Nonesuch Records will release Natalie Merchant’s Keep Your Courage, her ninth solo studio album and first of new material since 2014’s self-titled record, on April 14, 2023. In celebration of the release, Merchant will embark upon a US tour this spring, going into the fall. An eclectic album, produced by Merchant, Keep Your Courage features two duets sung with vocalist Abena Koomson-Davis (Resistance Revival Chorus), contributions from the Celtic folk group Lúnasa and Syrian virtuoso clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, and horn arrangements by jazz trombonist Steve Davis. There are lush orchestrations throughout by seven composers including: Gabriel Kahane, Stephen Barber, Colin Jacobson, and Megan Gould. Keep Your Courage comprises nine original songs by Merchant as well as an interpretation of “Hunting the Wren” by Ian Lynch of the Irish band Lankum. The vinyl LP edition of Keep Your Courage includes four bonus tracks from earlier albums, previously unreleased on vinyl.

Merchant writes in her album’s liner notes, “The songs contained within this album were written and recorded during the global pandemic that began in the winter of 2019 and is in its fifth wave as I write, in the autumn of 2022. It has been, and continues to be, a period of great flux and fear on every level: global, national, communal, familial, personal. But this is not an album about the coronavirus or the chaos it caused. For the most part, this is an album about the human heart.” She continues. “The word ‘courage’ has its root in the Latin word for heart, cor, and we see it over and over in many languages: le coeur, il cuore, o coração, el corazón. This is a song cycle that maps the journey of a courageous heart.”

Over her forty-year career, Natalie Merchant has attained a place among America’s most respected recording artists. She has earned a reputation for being a songwriter of quality and a captivating stage performer and has distinguished herself as a social justice and environmental activist. Merchant began her musical career as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the pop music band 10,000 Maniacs and released one platinum, two double-platinum, and one triple-platinum records with the group: The Wishing Chair (1985), In My Tribe (1987), Blind Man’s Zoo (1989), Hope Chest (1990), Our Time in Eden (1992), and 10,000 Maniacs MTV Unplugged (1993). Merchant left the group in 1994 and has subsequently released nine albums as a solo artist with combined sales of seven million copies: Tigerlily (1995), Ophelia (1998), Natalie Merchant Live (1999), Motherland (2001), The House Carpenter’s Daughter (2003), Leave Your Sleep (2010), Natalie Merchant (2014), Paradise Is There (2015), and Butterfly (2017).

Almost Queen

Saturday, March 17, 2023 at 8pm at The Paramount Theater

he most authentic Queen live show since the days of Queen themselves. A deliberate four-piece band, Almost Queen delivers a live show consisting of signature four-part harmonies, intricate musical interludes, and genuine costumes while recapturing the live energy that is the ultimate Queen experience. It’s like seeing the original Queen lineup without having to travel back through time! Joseph Russo acts as iconic frontman Freddie Mercury, Steve Leonard portrays the curly-haired Brian May, John Cappadonna is drummer Roger Taylor, and Randy Gregg personifies bassist John Deacon.

Band

Joseph Russo– vocals, piano

Steve Leonard– guitar, backing vocals

Randy Gregg– bass, backing vocals

John Cappadonna– drums, backing vocals

Elvis Costello and The Imposters

Friday, March 10, 2023 at 8pm at The Paramount

Born in London and raised there and in Liverpool, D.P. MacManus later came to be known as “Elvis Costello”. He has been performing in public for over fifty years, solo, with the pianist, Steve Nieve and with the bands Rusty, the Attractions, His Confederates – including two former members of Elvis Presley’s TCB Band – The Rude Five, an acoustic ensemble, The Sugarcanes, and his current ensemble, The Imposters.

Costello is a writer and part-time musician who made a number of records in the 20th Century, some of which are still remembered today, the most notable for many being the first five releases which were all produced by his friend, Nick Lowe and with whom he is always proud to share the bill and possibly a song or two.

Costello has composed songs for Roy Orbison, Georgie Fame, Chet Baker, Dusty Springfield, Solomon Burke, and Johnny Cash and written songs with Loretta Lynn, Bill Frisell, Aimee Mann, Chris Difford, Rosanne Cash and Kris Kristofferson, Carole King, and his wife, Diana Krall. His compositions have been recorded by George Jones, Linda Ronstadt, June Tabor, Christy Moore, Norma Waterson, and Bjork.

Costello is a two-time Grammy Award winner – firstly with Burt Bacharach for the song, “I Still Have That Other Girl” as Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 1998 and then in 2019 for his 30th album release, “Look Now”, in the Best Traditional Pop category. Costello has received, a BAFTA award in collaboration with the composer Richard Harvey on the music for Alan Bleasdale’s eleven-hour drama serial, “GBH”, two Ivor Novello Awards for his songwriting catalogue and two Dutch Edison Awards, firstly with the Brodsky Quartet for “The Juliet Letters” and then with Anne Sofie von Otter for their collaboration, “For The Stars” and, perhaps most surprisingly, a 1989 VMA Award for “Veronica” as “Best Male Video”.  

He is a member of both The Songwriter’s Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2020, Costello was awarded an O.B.E. for his services to music.

He holds two honorary doctorates in music, one from the University of Liverpool and another from the New England Conservatory. Despite this, he is known for playing the guitar with almost no regard for common sense.

Los Lobos

Sunday, February 26, 2023 at 7:30pm at The Paramount

The journey of Los Lobos began in 1973, 50 years ago next year, when David Hidalgo (vocals, guitar, and pretty much anything with strings), Louie Perez (drums, vocals, guitar), Cesar Rosas (vocals, guitar), and Conrad Lozano (bass, vocals, guitarrón) earned their stripes playing revved-up versions of Mexican folk music in restaurants and at parties. The band evolved in the 1980s as it tapped into L.A.’s burgeoning punk and college rock scenes. They were soon sharing bills with bands like the Circle Jerks, Public Image Ltd., and the Blasters, whose saxophonist, Steve Berlin, would eventually leave the group to join Los Lobos in 1984.

Early on, Los Lobos enjoyed critical success, winning the Grammy® for Best Mexican-American Performance for “Anselma” from its 1983 EP …And a Time to Dance. A year later, the group released its full-length, major-label debut, How Will the Wolf Survive? Co-produced by Berlin and T Bone Burnett, the album was a college rock sensation that helped Los Lobos tie with Bruce Springsteen as Rolling Stone’s Artist of the Year.

A major turning point came in 1987 with the release of the Ritchie Valens biopic, La Bamba. The quintet’s cover of Valens’ signature song topped the charts in the U.S. and the U.K. Rather than capitalize on that massive commercial success, Los Lobos instead chose to record La Pistola y El Corazón, a tribute to Tejano and Mariachi music that won the 1989 Grammy® for Best Mexican-American Performance.

That kind of sharp artistic turn has become Los Lobos’ trademark, serving to both fuel the band’s creativity and keep its fans engaged. In 1992, that willingness to defy expectations led them to record Kiko, an adventurous album produced by Mitchell Froom that’s considered by many to be one of the band’s very best.

Since then, Los Lobos has continued to deliver daring and diverse albums such as Colossal Head (1996), Good Morning Aztlán (2002), The Town and the City (2006), Tin Can Trust (2010), and Gates of Gold (2015). On top of that, the band’s live shows never disappoint, as documented on the recent concert recordings Live at the Fillmore (2005) and Disconnected in New York City (2013). Through the years, they’ve managed to keep things interesting with unexpected side trips like an album of Disney songs in 2009, along with countless contributions to tribute albums and film soundtracks. One of those – “Mariachi Suite” from the 1995 film Desperado ­– earned the band a Grammy® for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. Los Lobos’ love letter to the city of Los Angeles as their album Native Sons (2021), returned the band to the Grammy winner’s circle with Best Americana Album of 2022. In 2023, Los Lobos celebrates its 50th anniversary as a band, a rare and impressive feat, as the band continues its great legacy.

Los Lobos has sold millions of records, won prestigious awards, and made fans around the world. But perhaps its most lasting impact will be how well its music embodies the idea of America as a cultural melting pot. In it, styles like son jarocho, norteño, Tejano, folk, country, doo-wop, soul, R&B, rock ’n’ roll, and punk all come together to create a new sound that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

Tower of Power

Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 7:30pm at The Paramount

For over 50 years, Tower of Power has delivered the best in funk and soul music. “We were a Soul band called The Motowns.” recalls Emilio Castillo. “Rocco was the bass player, I was there, and my brother was the drummer. I met ‘Doc’ Kupka back in 1968, and gave him an audition. He came in the band, and we eventually changed our name to the Tower of Power.” The reason for the band name change was that they had a specific goal in mind. 

East Bay Grease defined their sound and landed them with Warner Brothers. Bump City, their 1972 debut for the label, was a hit on both the Billboard 200 and the R&B Albums chart, and netted them the hits “You’re Still A Young Man” and “Down to The Nightclub.” The 70s were a boom period with radio classics like “So Very Hard to Go” and “What Is Hip?,” and the band continued to tour and record over the years. Castillo says their love of the stage is the same today as it was back in 1968.

50 years later, in 2018, they returned to Oakland to celebrate their landmark 50th anniversary. Tower’s window-rattling grooves and raucous party spirit has been a balm for the soul throughout their half-century existence, but the release of 50 Years of Funk & Soul: Live at the Fox Theater couldn’t have arrived at a better time.

The band has long since surpassed Castillo’s modest aspirations, traveling the world, enjoying hit singles on their own, and backing legendary artists including Otis Redding, Elton John, Santana, the Grateful Dead, John Lee Hooker, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, and countless others. In the process, they’ve defined an “Oakland soul” sound as instantly recognizable as those from Castillo’s hometown, Detroit, as well as inspirations like Memphis and Philadelphia. 

The future of Tower of Power is set out to be vigorous and dynamic and will prove to be just that for fans around the world starved for the band’s groove just the way Tower of Power likes it!

Tom Papa

Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 7:30pm at The Paramount

With more than 20 years as a stand-up comedian, Tom Papa is one of the top comedic voices in the country, finding success as an author, in film, TV, radio, and podcasts, as well as on the live stage.

Tom recently released his second book, You’re Doing Great! - And Other Reasons To Stay Alive, which was the follow-up to Your Dad Stole My Rake: And Other Family Dilemmas, both released by St Martin’s Press, making “Summer Must Read” lists from Parade Magazine to The New York Post. Tom is also a contributing writer to the New Yorker Magazine.

Tom has four hour-long stand-up specials. The latest, Tom Papa: You’re Doing Great!, was a wildly successful Netflix Original. His other critically acclaimed specials include Human Mule, Freaked Out, and Tom Papa: Live in New York City, two of which were directed by Rob Zombie.

He is a regular guest on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast and Tom’s own podcast, Breaking Bread with Tom Papa, features Tom and his guest for an hour of eating, drinking, and enjoying life. Listeners are invited to take a seat at the table as Tom and his guests celebrate the true meaning of breaking bread with insightful, revealing, and always funny conversations.

Tom is host of the daily Netflix radio show, What A Joke With Papa And Fortune, on SiriusXM’s Netflix Channel, airing Mondays through Thursdays from 10:00 AM – Noon ET. Tom also hosts the hit SiriusXM show Come to Papa with residencies at Largo in Los Angeles and The Village Underground in NYC. Tom writes the script for each show and casts top actors and comedians to play the roles or perform stand-up, all backed by a live band. Performers include Matt Damon, Sarah Silverman, Joel McHale, Bill Burr, Jim Gaffigan, John Mulaney, Kevin Nealon, Kevin Pollack, and many more.

Tom was a regular performer on the nationally syndicated radio show Live From Here, formerly A Prairie Home Companion, that featured his own regular segment, “Out. In. America. With Tom Papa,” heard by the 2.6 million fans of the weekly radio show. Tom also appears on National Public Radio as a guest panelist on Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me, which he also had the honor of guest hosting.

In the fall of 2018, Tom hosted his own Food Network TV series, Baked, where he took his love of baking and explored bakeries throughout the country. The show developed from Tom’s love of making sourdough bread using his own sourdough starter and visiting expert bakers while on tour.

As an actor, Tom recently starred opposite Lily Taylor in the film Paper Spiders, and he appears in the newly released North Hollywood. Tom has starred opposite Matt Damon in the Steven Soderbergh film The Informant, and opposite Paul Giamatti in Rob Zombie’s animated feature, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, as the voice of El Superbeasto. Tom has appeared in the films Analyze That, opposite Robert De Niro, and Comedian; he had a voiceover role in Bee Movie. Tom was seen in Rob Zombie’s film, 3 From Hell, alongside Clive Owen in Steven Soderbergh’s Cinemax series, The Knick, and he was seen in Chris Rock’s film, Top Five.

Tom was seen alongside Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in the HBO film Behind the Candelabra which was directed by Steven Soderbergh and won 11 Emmys.

On TV, Tom hosted the NBC series The Marriage Ref, which ran for two seasons. Tom had a recurring role opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the CBS series The New Adventures of Old Christine and starred in his own NBC series, Come to Papa.

As a film and television writer, Tom’s credits include the Rob Zombie film The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, the Jerry Seinfeld film Bee Movie, and the TV series Red Oaks, The Marriage Ref, and Come To Papa.

When not touring the country, Tom lives in Los Angeles with his wife, two daughters, a cat, and a dog. He spends most of his time writing and baking bread.

Whitney Cummings

Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 7:00pm at The Paramount Theatre

Hailed as “the reigning Queen of American stand-up,” Whitney Cummings is one of the preeminent comedic voices currently working as a stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director. Best known for creating and starring in the NBC series Whitney, she also co-created and co-wrote the Emmy-nominated CBS comedy series 2 Broke Girls.

In 2019, Whitney launched her own podcast titled “Good For You” and debuted her fourth stand-up special, Can I Touch It? on Netflix. Previous specials have debuted on HBO and Comedy Central including her first one-hour stand-up special, Money Shot, which premiered on Comedy Central in 2010 and was nominated for an American Comedy Award. In 2017, Whitney debuted her novel “I’m Fine…And Other Lies,” which details her brutal anxiety and codependency disorder, written with her trademark entertaining wit, humor, and honesty.

On the big screen, Whitney was last seen in Unforgettable for Warner Bros. Whitney also co-wrote and directed the feature film The Female Brain, where she starred alongside Sofia Vergara, James Marsden, Lucy Punch, Toby Kebbell, Cecily Strong, Beanie Feldstein, and Blake Griffin. Past feature film credits include The Wedding Ringer, Made of Honor, and The Ridiculous Six. Whitney has appeared in such series as Undateable, Workaholics, Maron, and the Comedy Central Roasts, which have solidified her presence in comedy television.

Whitney has made countless other television appearances on talk shows such as Watch What Happens Live, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Kelly Clarkson Show, The Late Late Show, and she’s appeared on and guest hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live. The continued success can be attributed to one thing, as explained by Glamour Magazine: “One thing has remained constant in this career: Whitney says it as it is, …and OWNs stand-up comedy.”

Whitney is currently touring the United States following the success of her sold-out Codependence Tour.

Andy Grammer

Sunday June 19, 2022 at 7:30pm at The Paramount

Multiplatinum troubadour Andy Grammer continues to engage, energize, and empower audiences with stomping stadium-size pop anthems meant to be shared at full volume. His observations and affirmations pick you back up when you need it, affirm your potential, and encourage you to keep going.

His catalog consists of numerous bona fide hits, including the quadruple-platinum “Honey, I’m Good,” platinum singles “Keep Your Head Up,” “Fine By Me,” “Don’t Give Up On Me,” “Fresh Eyes,” “Good To Be Alive (Hallelujah),” gold single “I Found You,” and the gold albums Andy Grammer and Magazines Or Novels. He has quietly generated billions of streams and lent his music to films such as Five Feet Apart. When “Don’t Give Up On Me” soundtracked ESPN’s 13th Annual V Week for Cancer Reach, he garnered a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Music Direction and a Clio Award. Beyond selling out shows on multiple continents, he has electrified dozens of television shows, including The Today Show, Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!, Good Morning America, American Idol, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and The Late Late Show with James Corden in addition to appearing as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.

Most recently, his 2019 offering, Naïve, arrived to widespread critical acclaim. Parade attested, “Each song on the album magically pinpoints its emotional target with brilliant composition and performance,” and People hailed it as “touching.” Once again, he makes a connection on his forthcoming fifth full-length album led by the song “Lease On Life.”

Buddy Guy

Sunday June 12,2022 at 8pm at The Paramount

Chicago’s electric “real deal” musician returns to The Paramount’s stage!

At age 85, Buddy Guy is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to the city’s halcyon days of electric blues. Buddy Guy has received 8 GRAMMY Awards, a 2015 Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY Award, 38 Blues Music Awards (the most any artist has received), the Billboard Magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #23 in its “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”

Whitney Cummings:

Touch Me Tour

Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 7:00pm

Hailed as “the reigning Queen of American stand-up,” Whitney Cummings is one of the preeminent comedic voices currently working as a stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director. Best known for creating and starring in the NBC series Whitney, she also co-created and co-wrote the Emmy-nominated CBS comedy series 2 Broke Girls.

In 2019, Whitney launched her own podcast titled “Good For You” and debuted her fourth stand-up special, Can I Touch It? on Netflix.  Previous specials have debuted on HBO and Comedy Central including her first one-hour stand-up special, Money Shot, which premiered on Comedy Central in 2010 and was nominated for an American Comedy Award. In 2017, Whitney debuted her novel “I’m Fine…And Other Lies,” which details her brutal anxiety and codependency disorder, written with her trademark entertaining wit, humor, and honesty.

On the big screen, Whitney was last seen in Unforgettable for Warner Bros. Whitney also co-wrote and directed the feature film The Female Brain, where she starred alongside Sofia Vergara, James Marsden, Lucy Punch, Toby Kebbell, Cecily Strong, Beanie Feldstein, and Blake Griffin. Past feature film credits include The Wedding Ringer, Made of Honor, and The Ridiculous Six. Whitney has appeared in such series as Undateable, Workaholics, Maron, and the Comedy Central Roasts, which have solidified her presence in comedy television.

Whitney has made countless other television appearances on talk shows such as Watch What Happens Live, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Kelly Clarkson Show, The Late Late Show, and she’s appeared on and guest hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live. The continued success can be attributed to one thing, as explained by Glamour Magazine: “One thing has remained constant in this career: Whitney says it as it is, …and OWNs stand-up comedy.”

Whitney is currently touring the United States following the success of her sold-out Codependence Tour.

The Allman Betts Band

Sunday, August 8, 2021 at 8:00 PM at The Paramount Theater

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS DEREK WOODS BAND!

The Allman Betts Band includes Devon Allman & Duane Betts on guitars and vocals, Berry Oakley Jr. on bass, Johnny Stachela on slide guitar, John Ginty on Hammond B3 (Robert Randolph/Dixie Chicks), and Devon Allman Project percussionists R. Scott Bryan (Sheryl Crow) and John Lum.  The show features original music from their two recent BMG albums, songs from their solo projects as well as classic songs by The Allman Brothers Band, the legendary group founded by Devon and Duane’s fathers, Gregg Allman & Dickey Betts.

Their sophomore album, Bless Your Heart, was released on August 28, 2020.  Like their debut album, Bless Your Heart was recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studios and produced by Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price, John Prine, and Elvis Presley).

“This is The Allman Betts Band’s best offering yet, showcasing a band still tethered to their legacy but finding their own way with a sound that honors their roots without stepping all over them.” – No Depression