bergenPAC Announces Rockstars America, Ace Frehley and Broadway Star Patti LuPone

bergenPAC is adding another great show to fill out their fall season for the highly anticipated grand re-opening while continuing to build the 2023 roster. Fans can enjoy classic rock hits from the original KISS guitarist and R&R Hall of Fame inductee, Ace Frehley, on November 16 at 8:00 p.m.

Looking forward to March 2023, the perennial classic-rock favorite, America, will celebrate their 53rd anniversary bringing their powerful performance to the bergenPAC on March 4 at 8:00 p.m. Later in March, culture consumers will be treated to an evening with a true Broadway legend as three-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone performs her concert Don't Monkey with Broadway on March 23 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets for Ace Frehley, America, and Patti LuPone: Don't Monkey with Broadway go on-sale Friday, September 16, 2022 at 11 a.m. Visit www.ticketmaster.com or call bergenPAC's Box Office at (201) 227-1030.

ACE FREHLEY

Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022 - 8 PM

$29-$99

The success of Ace Frehley's solo career, as both a recording artist and performer, has easily outpaced his former KISS band mates. His 2014 release Space Invader was the only post KISS solo album to crack the Top 10 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart, and his acclaimed 2011 autobiography No Regrets went on to become a New York Times best-seller. Ace's current album, Origins II, was released on September 18, 2020, and features guests Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), Lita Ford, Bruce Kulick and John 5. With KISS on their farewell tour Ace is in the news just about every day - mentioned in every article referencing KISS as the original lead guitarist with most writers commenting that KISS is not the same without Ace.

AMERICA

Saturday, Mar. 4, 2023 - 8 PM
$49-$199

Founding members, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell (along with former band mate, the late Dan Peek) met in high school in London in the late 1960s and quickly harmonized their way to the top of the charts on the strength of their signature song "A Horse With No Name." America became a global household name and paved the way with an impressive string of hits following the success of their first #1 single. Forty plus years later, these friends are still making music together, touring the world and thrilling audiences with their timeless sound.

America's journey has found them exploring a wide variety of musical terrain. Their best-known tunes, which also include "I Need You," "Ventura Highway," "Don't Cross The River," "Tin Man," "Lonely People," and "Sister Golden Hair" were cornerstones of 1970's Top 40 and FM rock radio. The combination of Gerry Beckley's melodic pop rock and Dewey Bunnell's use of folk-jazz elements, slinky Latin-leaning rhythms and impressionistic lyric imagery contrasted well with Dan Peek's more traditional country-rock leanings and highly personal lyrics.

America's albums--six certified gold and/or platinum, with their first greatest hits collection, History, hitting four plus million in sales--displayed a fuller range of the trio's talents than did their singles. Their material encompassed an ambitious artistic swath; from effects-laden rockers to oddball medleys to soul-bearing ballads, America displayed a flawless blend of disparate genres and styles as wide-open as the great American plains.

Enjoying massive success early in their career, the trio won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1972 and began working with George Martin and Geoff Emerick in 1974. This successful team went on to record seven albums and several Top Ten hits, including "Tin Man," "Sister Golden Hair" and "Lonely People."

By the mid-70s, inter-band conflicts combined with an exhaustive touring and recording schedule exacted its toll on the group. With Peek's departure from the fold in 1977, Gerry Beckley & Dewey Bunnell rose to the challenge and carried on as a duo. Shifts in sound and direction, changes in producers and managers, and a renewed dedication to the craft of songwriting helped rocket America to the upper reaches of the pop charts in 1982 with their smash single, "You Can Do Magic." During this tumultuous time in their career, Beckley and Bunnell immersed themselves in their craft, infusing a newfound maturity into their rich body of work. Their growth as singers, songwriters and musicians has continued into the present day as illustrated by landmark releases such as 2000's Highway 3-disc box set, 2002's Holiday Harmony, an album comprised of seasonal classics and live showcases, 2007's Here & Now, 2009's Live In Concert: Wildwood Springs, 2011's Back Pages, and 2015's Lost And Found and America: Archives Vol. 1.

In 2020, the band released their ultimate 8-disc anniversary box set, Half Century (America Records), and streamed their concert special America--Live at the London Palladium for the very first time (it is commercially available as a DVD and CD). 2020 also saw the release of the book America, the Band, An Authorized Biography by journalist Jude Warne. She weaves original interviews with Beckley, Bunnell, and many others into a dynamic cultural history of America, the band, and America, the nation. Billy Bob Thornton wrote the foreword.

From their formative years, America has been a band capable of transcending borders with its uplifting music and positive message. Embracing a rainbow of divergent cultures, America's audiences continue to grow, comprising a loyal legion of first, second and third generation fans, all bearing testament to the group's enduring appeal.

Patti LuPone: DON'T MONKEY WITH BROADWAY

Thursday, Mar. 23, 2023 - 8 PM

$49-$99

In Don't Monkey with Broadway, Ms. LuPone explores - through indelible interpretations of classic Broadway show tunes by the likes of Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Jule Styne, Stephen Schwartz, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin - how her life-long love affair with Broadway began and the unpredictability of the Great White Way!

Tickets available at: www.ticketmaster.com or Box Office (201) 227-1030.

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