Light of Day main event will stay in Asbury Park
Promoters announce John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls will headline
Promoters for the Light of Day Festival have announced the headliner for their main event concert—and have listed the Paramount Theater as the venue.
Light of Day is a five-day concert series that raises funds for research and treatments for Parkinson’s disease and related illnesses. The festival started as a single concert held at The Stone Pony 13 years ago, according to the foundation website. It has since grown in to an international festival that kicks off in Asbury Park the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. day.
The Sun reported in August that the event organizers had considered holding the main show in Red Bank’s Count Basie theater since the Paramount Theatre’s current owners could not guarantee the venue would be open at the time.
In a press release issued today, promoters announced John Rzeznik, best known for his string of hits with his band Goo Goo Dolls, will headline the main concert event on the historic Paramount stage Jan. 18. Rzeznik was also the headliner in 2008.
Mayor Myra Campbell and the City Council also plan to proclaim the week of shows as “Light of Day Week” in Asbury Park, in honor of the concert series, which draws an international crowd of music fans to the city each year, the release said.
More than 100 artists will perform at several different venues in the city from Jan. 16-20, 2014. Venues include the Wonder Bar, The Saint, Asbury Lanes, The Stone Pony, Tim McLoone’s Supper Club, Dauphin Grille at The Berkeley Hotel, Watermark, Langosta Lounge and Toast.
Joining Rzeznik on the Paramount bill is Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers, Willie Nile, Jesse Malin and Joe D’Urso & Stone Caravan. Nicole Atkins and a cappella group the Rock n’ Roll Chorus will also perform in the show hosted by actor Vincent Pastore, best known for his role as a mobster on the HBO series “The Sopranos,” the release said.
Bruce Springsteen has joined his friend Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers to perform extended sets at nine of the 13 previous Light of Day events, the release said.
The Asbury Park week of shows serves as the culmination of worldwide events held in Canada in March and 11 other European countries in late November and early December.
Tickets for the series of shows go on sale at noon Saturday, Nov. 2 through Ticketmaster. A wide variety of combination ticket packages and single event tickets will be available. Additional show listings and ticket prices can be found at the Light of Day website.
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