The Soul Commitments Come to Raue Center

Raue Center For The Arts is excited to welcome The Soul Commitments with all the heart, all the soul, all the music! This tribute to the music of Alan Parker's 1991 musical comedy-drama film "The Commitments" hits the stage at 8 p.m. on March 16, 2019.

"I was first introduced to the music of Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and James Brown by my siblings and when I saw the movie 'The Commitments' I was hooked," says Executive Director, Richard Kuranda. "The Soul Commitments will recreate this music for us on March 16 and I can't wait! It will be a great party with such a good vibe and wonderful, lush sound!"

The Soul Commitments is a Chicago-based, fully-loaded R&B outfit. Four singers and an eight-piece band churn out the music drawn from the hit factories of the '60s and early '70s in places like Muscle Shoals, Memphis and Motown. The Soul Commitments performs what is undeniably some of the greatest, if not the best, popular dance and listening music of all time.

2016 marked the 25th anniversary of Parker's film "The Commitments," a celebrated cult film about the struggles of urban life in Northern Ireland and the way American soul music lifted the spirits of the men and women of this gritty city who were dubbed "The Saviors of Dublin Soul." Music from the film's two soundtrack albums will be performed.

The Soul Commitments will also perform a tribute to Irish icon, Van Morrison. While the first superstar of Irish rock failed his audition for the role of Joey "The Lips" Fagan in "The Commitments" film, his Irish heartbeat is still felt in the film and on the stage. "Van the Man's" hits are interwoven throughout the show for old school R&B with an Irish twist.

Tickets start at $20 and may be purchased online at rauecenter.org or via the Box Office at 815.356.9212 or at 26 N. Williams Street in downtown Crystal Lake.