Live music in the summer of 1967: What was happening in New Jersey?

by JAY LUSTIG

A handbill for shows at Convention Hall in Asbury Park in the summer of 1967.

I recently wrote a post about all the incredible music that was popular in the summer of 1967. And of course, in this 50th anniversary year, much as been written about the landmark Monterey International Pop Festival in Monterey, Calif., and the release of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, both in June 1967.

But what were the top New Jersey concerts, that summer?

It’s impossible to say, definitively. But using one of my favorite online resources, setlist.fm, I have put together a list of some of the state’s shows from late April to early October 1967. (I realize this is not all, technically, the summer, but I thought some of the early and late shows were interesting enough to merit inclusion). Many were at now-forgotten venues, though some of the locations, such as Newark’s Symphony Hall and Asbury Park’s Convention Hall, are still around.

(Note: Shows by Bruce Springsteen’s band of the time, The Castiles, made it to setlist.fm, obviously, because of interest in his later work. Shows as small as The Castiles’ generally aren’t included there. I’ve included all the setlist.fm shows, without editing, and not tried to add more than what is there — with the exception of shows shown in the Convention Hall handbill, above.)

(Another note: Yes, The Who really did open for Herman’s Hermits at Convention Hall.)

So check the list out, and please, if you have memories of any of these shows, or know of any New Jersey concerts in this time period, let me know in the Comments section, below.

April 20: Chad & Jeremy at Montclair State University.
April 27: Sammy Davis Jr. at New Jersey National Guard Armory, Teaneck.
April 27: Jay & the Americans at Fairleigh Dickinson University Gym, Rutherford.
April 28: The Marvelettes at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison.
April 29: The Beach Boys, The Buckinghams, The Doughboys, Jim & Jean at Symphony Hall, Newark.
April 29: Mitch Ryder at Fairleigh Dickinson University Gym, Rutherford.
April 29: Ian & Sylvia at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison.
May 5: Simon & Garfunkel at Dillon Gym at Princeton University.
May 6: The Lovin’ Spoonful at Baldwin Gymnasium at Drew University, Madison.
June 9: The Castiles at Freehold Regional High School.
June 15: The Doors at Mosque Theatre Building, WNJU-TV Channel 47 Studios, Newark. (Live broadcast of the “Disc-o-Teen” TV show).
June 30-July 4: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles at Steel Pier, Atlantic City.
July 1: Ray Charles at Convention Hall, Asbury Park.
July 2 and Aug. 12: The Castiles at Surf ‘n’ See Club, Sea Bright.
July 4: The Dave Clark Five at Grand Cayman Ballroom, Atlantic City.
July 10: Judy Garland at Camden County Music Fair, Haddonfield.
July 10-16: Martha Reeves & The Vandellas at Mr. Wonderful Club, Newark.
July 17-23: B.B. King at Wonder Gardens, Atlantic City.
July 19: Fats Domino at Hideaway Club, Bound Brook.
July 22: Jefferson Airplane at Convention Hall, Asbury Park.
July 23: The Dave Clark Five at Camden County Music Fair, Haddonfield.
July 26: The Castiles at Camp Arrowhead, Marlboro.
Aug. 5: The Four Tops, The Magnificent Men at Convention Hall, Asbury Park.
Aug. 6: Gene Krupa at Steel Pier, Atlantic City.
Aug. 9: Jefferson Airplane at St. John Terrell’s Music Circus, Lambertville.
Aug. 12: Herman’s Hermits, Blues Magoos, The Who at Convention Hall, Asbury Park.
Aug. 12: The Castiles at Surf ‘n’ See Club, Sea Bright.
Aug. 19: Mitch Ryder, Spencer Davis Group at Convention Hall, Asbury Park.
Aug. 26: The Four Seasons at Convention Hall, Asbury Park.
Sept. 2, early show: The Doors at Convention Hall, Asbury Park.
Sept. 2, late show: Lou Rawls at Convention Hall, Asbury Park.
Sept. 3: The Temptations at Convention Hall, Asbury Park.
Sept. 16: The Castiles, Purpul Dyneste at The Left Foot, Freehold.
Sept. 22: The Castiles at West Freehold School.
Sept. 30: Judy Collins at Baldwin Gymnasium at Drew University, Madison.
Sept. 30: The Castiles at The Left Foot, Freehold.
Oct. 6: Phil Ochs at Bergen County Technical High School, Teterboro.

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6 comments

Steven Burgess March 26, 2018 - 8:44 pm

The Young Rascals played at Fairleigh Dickinson in Rutherford sometime in 1967. I was there, and if memory serves me right it was before Jay and The Americans played at FD, I was there also.

Reply
Howard Ware October 27, 2020 - 10:51 am

Question did Jay and the Americans play on the Steel Pier in Atlantic City in the 60s thank you

Reply
njartsdaily@gmail.com October 27, 2020 - 11:45 am

It appears they did. When they played at Harrah’s in Atlantic City in 2014, they posted on Facebook that this was their first show in AC since they played the Steel Pier more than 40 years before. https://www.facebook.com/jayamericans/

Reply
Ken George March 27, 2021 - 7:53 pm

I was at three of the listed concerts in ’67:

April 29: Ian & Sylvia at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison. Ian and Sylvia Tyson were accompanied by Felix Pappalardi on electric bass.

May 6: The Lovin’ Spoonful at Baldwin Gymnasium at Drew University, Madison. Zal Yanovksy’s guitar in “Night Owl Blues” was thrilling; he also managed a live gargle of water during the gargle-break in “Bald-Headed Lena.”

Aug. 12: Herman’s Hermits, Blues Magoos, The Who at Convention Hall, Asbury Park. As I recall it, the Blues Magoos opened the show, not the Who. Blues Magoos played “We Ain’t Got Nothin’ Yet,” and sported flashing, multicolored, battery-powered light belts/bandoliers in a rookie effort at psychedelia. The Who played “My Generation,” “I Can See for Miles” and “Happy Jack” among other songs. They were terrific. I don’t remember anything at all about the Herman’s Hermits set list.

The Cyrkle played a short set at Chatham High School, Chatham NJ. I recall them opening for writer and radio raconteur Jean Shepherd. If I’m right about that, the date would have been Wednesday, May 17, 1967. “Red Rubber Ball” was in the short set.

Reply
A.L. Lesser July 10, 2022 - 3:49 am

Ray Charles at The Mosque Theater – July 1967 is our memory. Can you confirm?

Reply
njartsdaily@gmail.com July 10, 2022 - 9:41 am

Not sure. Mosque Theater became Symphony Hall in ’64, so in ’67 it would have been called Symphony Hall. The setlist.fm website, which is pretty good but not necessarily complete, lists the following Ray Charles shows:

March 17, 1962: Mosque Theater
May 8, 1966: Symphony Hall
Dec. 4, 1966: Symphony Hall
Dec. 10, 1968: Symphony Hall
May 8, 1971: Symphony Hall

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