10,000 Maniacs Returns to Jamestown, NY for Anniversary Performance.
By Jessica Schultz
Almost everyone knows who the 10,000 Maniacs are. From sold out tours, being on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, SNL appearances (Saturday Night Live), platinum records and even playing at President Clinton’s Inauguration ceremony, this is a band that has reached the top and then kept climbing. And this year is a huge milestone for them. The year 2021 marked the 40 Year Anniversary of the groups inception. And for 2022, they are bringing it back home to perform amongst family, friends and neighbors.
The Reg Lenna Center for the Arts will host the Homecoming Performance of the 10,000 Maniacs featuring Mary Ramsey on Saturday, May 21st, 2022 at 7pm. There will be an opening concert by Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root with Dirk Miller. The whole event is produced by SitlerHQ.
The Villager had the opportunity to speak with Doug Sitler about the event and all it had to offer and he was happy to share with us.
Villager (V): This is a big moment, 40th anniversary. What are all the big plans for the event?
Doug (D): “There is a full weekend of activities scheduled on May 20 and May 21st in downtown Jamestown. On Friday night, John & Mary (from the Maniacs) are playing an intimate fundraising concert at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts Media Studio. On Saturday morning, founding member Steve Gustafson is going to give a walking tour of downtown Jamestown and visit places that were important to the band’s history. The tour is going to leave the DoubleTree Hilton at 11:00 a.m. The main event is the 10,000 Maniacs 40th Anniversary concert at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts at 7:00 p.m. Michael Glabicki (Rusted Root) and Dirk Miller will open the concert. The official post-concert celebration will take place at The Beer Snob. Michael Glabicki and Dirk Miller will play a special set at the party.”
V: How much is the concert and where can tickets be purchased?
D: “The tickets to both the John & Mary concert and the 10,000 Maniacs Anniversary concert sold out a month in advance. The event will be livestreamed for free at the band’s Facebook page. “
V: The Reg Lenna is the hometown choice for the venue, how does the Jamestown community effect the performers?
D: “The band loves playing hometown shows for their friends and family. Many of whom have been fans of the band for 40 years. At a hometown show, everyone is excited and it usually comes out in the music. The anniversary concert is going to be a blowout. The band is very excited. About 20 percent of the tickets sold are from outside of Chautauqua County, so it means a lot of people will be visiting Jamestown. We are already hearing great news about hotels filling up and restaurants receiving many dinner reservations. The band is thrilled that so many people will get to discover how wonderful Jamestown is.”
V: How was the event made possible?
D: “This event is entirely made possible with grant funding provided through Jamestown’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative award provided by Governor Hochul and New York State through Homes and Community Renewal and the Fund for Downtown Programming. The grant was approved by the Jamestown Local Development Corporation (JLDC) and is also administered by JLDC. Shults Auto Group is also sponsor of the concert and weekend activities. They really stepped up to help make this a first-class event for the fans.”
V: Anything else you would like to add?
D: “It’s going to be an incredible weekend. The band rose to the heights of rock and roll stardom and they are from our hometown. It’s going to be a great few days to celebrate the band and the City of Jamestown.”
Thank you, Doug, for taking the time to speak with us and for producing such a great event. And a special thank you to the Reg Lenna Center for the arts for hosting and the bands that will be coming back to their hometown to share the celebration of a 40-year long career with our communities!!