RAHWAY — American Idol’s Bo Bice will front a rare, New Jersey appearance by the 3-time Grammy-winning jazz-rock ensemble, Blood, Sweat & Tears at Union County Performing Arts Center, 1601 Irving St., Rahway, on Friday, March 20 at 8 p.m.
Formed in 1967 in New York City by legendary rock organist Al Kooper and featuring the riveting baritone of lead vocalist David Clayton-Thomas, Blood, Sweat & Tears has racked up multiple Billboard Top 40 hits and a multitude of solid gold hits including “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” “Spinning Wheel,” “And When I Die,” “God Bless The Child,” “Hi-De-Ho,” “Go Down Gamblin’,” “Lucretia Mac Evil” and more.
Fusing an innovative blend of rock, blues, pop music, horn arrangements, gospel and jazz improvisation, Blood, Sweat & Tears has achieved a lasting place in the American Song canon recording hits that have sold tens of millions of copies.
Bobby Columby, original founder and drummer, has fielded a team of the best contemporary musicians to create an All Star powerhouse of a band. His vision for the band remains quite simple, “Find the greatest musicians and the rest is easy.”
Today’s Blood, Sweat & Tears tours internationally as a 9-piece group featuring guitar, keyboards, bass, drums, trombone, saxophone, 2 trumpets, and the electrifying vocals of American Idol icon Bo Bice.
“I believe Blood, Sweat & Tears has an iconic stature. It’s a style of music,” said Colomby. “A concept that people are coming to see, along with songs that they’re familiar with.”
His desire to create a 21st century Blood, Sweat & Tears brand first began to come into focus when he heard singer Bo Bice performing “Spinning Wheel” on American Idol.
“Bo’s an original,” said Colomby. “When I saw him perform I thought, ‘Wow!… He could sing a lot of this material in a newer, fresher way.’ Bo’s style works perfectly with ‘God Bless the Child’ and ‘Spinning Wheel’ and ‘You’ve Made Me So Very Happy’ as well as with the material that the band will be performing as we move musically forward.”
Tickets range from $30 to $75 and can be purchased by calling the UCPAC Box Office at 732-499-8226 or visiting UCPAC 24/7 at www.ucpac.org.