Come this fall, it will be exactly one year since Hurricane Sandy invaded our coast. One year since homes and businesses where people built their lives around were swept with the tide of the powerful storm. We all felt the overwhelming impact of the destruction, some more than others, but you probably know this already. We’ve been reminded on a daily basis of our resilient nature because that’s what keeps us going after a natural disaster.
One of the many spots that took a toll from Sandy was the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. Even though it was a business to some, it was also a home to many artists and those who worked there. After the storm destroyed their electrical, sound, lighting, heating, cooling and plumbing systems, the venue temporarily closed and shows scheduled were canceled or moved to other locations. After making the necessary repairs and renovations, Starland Ballroom will be up and running this month after almost a year since the storm hit. Listed are shows to expect at Starland Ballroom for the month of September:
Sept. 6
Presented by WRAT and WDHA, Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington will kick off the reopening. This past year, Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington replaced original lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots, Scott Weiland. Their last record was a self-titled release back in 2010 and the band announced that they are working on a five-song EP to be issued this fall. Special guests Filter will join STP as part of their U.S. tour.
Sept. 7
Thunder 106 presents country singer Billy Currington. Currington debuted in 2010 with Enjoy Yourself and received two Grammy nominations that same year for “Male Country Vocal Performance” and “Best Country Song” for “People Are Crazy.” His latest single, “Hey Girl,” premiered this past April and his upcoming album, We Are Tonight, will hit stores Sept. 17.
Sept. 10
Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker of Blink-182 give back while performing an intimate club show with New Beat Fund. A percentage of each ticket sale will aid Sayreville families affected by Hurricane Sandy through the Middlesex County Long Term Recovery Group along with research and treatment for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. It’s been almost a year since Blink-182 released their anticipated EP, Dogs Eating Dogs, and the infamous punk trio are currently touring worldwide and selling out venues. Following in the same generous fashion, Red Bull Records New Beat Fund announced that their t-shirt sales will also profit the same charities.
Sept. 11 / Sept. 12
Taking Back Sunday take on the Starland Ballroom stage back-to-back before kicking off their fall tour with Polar Bear Club and Transit. After releasing the digital version of TAYF10 Acoustic (Tell All Your Friends) in June, TBS are currently working on a new record. Get Involved! along with Asbury natives Lost In Society will open Sept. 11. Bad Rabbits will be on the lineup the following night, Sept. 12.
Sept. 15
Heavy hitters Hatebreed and GWAR will be co-headlining during their tour together. Hatebreed came out with The Divinity Of Purpose this past January while GWAR recently issued their 13th release, Battle Maximus. Also on the bill that night are Iron Reagan, Dispute To Flames and Thanatotic Desire.
Sept. 21
While on his North America tour, country artist Chris Young will be headlining the stage a few days after the release of his fourth record, A.M., via RCA Records Nashville. The Tennessee native recently won an American Country Award for “Breakthrough Artist Of The Year” along with “Single Of The Year” for “Voices.” Young’s upcoming record features his latest single, “Aw Naw.”
Sept. 22
Starland Ballroom presents, “An Evening With Cake,” featuring whom else, but post-alternative rock group, Cake. Seven years since the release of Pressure Chief, the band issued Showroom Of Compassion back in January through their label Upbeat Records using 100 percent solar generated electricity from their studio in Sacramento.
Sept. 25
Volbeat, HIM, All That Remains and Airbourne collide for the Monster Energy Rock Allegiance tour presented by WRAT and WDHA. This past year, former Anthrax and The Damned Things guitarist Rob Caggiano joined Volbeat and the band issued Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies. Meanwhile, Finnish rockers of HIM added Tears On Tape to their discography, as did Airbourne with Black Dog Barking.
Sept. 26
Presented by WRAT and WDHA, Three Days Grace will be hitting the stage with Otherwise and Kid Felix. Following their 2009 release, Life Starts Now, Three Days Grace came out with their fourth full-length, Transit Of Venus, last October via RCA Records. Opening will be the Las Vegas alt rockers Otherwise, whose third album, True Love Never Dies, hit shelves last January.
Sept. 27
The following night, Tegan And Sara will be performing on Rich Russo’s “Anything Anything”anniversary show, celebrating his five-year mark of being a radio DJ. The Canadian sisters have a 13-year-long career of creating indie pop music and released their seventh studio album, Heartthrob, in January. Tegan And Sara are currently on their North American tour and Sayreville will be their second-to-last stop. Opening for the duo are Willie Nile and Platiq Passion.
Sept. 28
A group with seven records under their belt, Saves The Day will be making their way to the Sayreville stage with Geoff Rickly of Thursday, Into It. Over It. and Hostage Calm. The band’s latest album, Daybreak, was released last year as part of the band’s musical trilogy that began with Sound The Alarm in 2006 and continued in 2007 with Under The Boards. After an intense year, Geoff Rickly gave back to his fans by releasing Darker Matter///Mixtape 2 for free online. Into It. Over It.’s most recent issue was Proper via No Sleep Records in 2011 while the five-piece, Hostage Calm, released Please Remain Calm in October 2012.
