Asbury Park Press Presents LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST 2017: The Beat Goes On

With a goal of topping last year's record-breaking $5.25 million dollars raised in its ongoing battle against Parkinson's disease, LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST 2017: The Beat Goes On, presented by the Asbury Park Press, the 17th anniversary edition of the anchor event for the world-renowned Light of Day Foundation, will bring over 150 music acts to 30 venues over 10 days in three New Jersey cities, New York City, and Philadelphia, in January, following holiday season tours of Europe and Canada.

Tickets go on sale Saturday, Oct. 29 at NOON EST for the Asbury Park portion of LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST 2017, where the bulk of the action will occur, being held Jan. 6-16, 2016 at such fabled rock venues as the Paramount Theater, the Stone Pony, and the Wonder Bar, House of Independents and the new Asbury Hotel, among others. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com), Ticketmaster charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000, and all Ticketmaster outlets. A wide variety of combination ticket packages - as well as single tickets to each show - will be available.

Albert Lee and Band, Peter Asher, Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers, Willie Nile and Band, GarlandJeffreys, James Maddock and Band, Milly, Joe D'Urso and Stone Caravan, Remember Jones, Billy Hector Band, Bruce Tunkel, Slim Chance and The Gamblers, Sandy Mack Allstars, Sonny Kenn, the Vansaders, Battery Electric, Kyle Ward, Colossal Street Jam, Tara Tote, and the Billy Walton Band are among the first wave of acts to be announced for LIGHT OF DAY 2017: The Beat Goes On. More acts will be announced as the festival approaches.

Concert goers can purchase tickets for individual shows, on an a la carte basis, including BOB'S BIRTHDAY BASH, at the Paramount Theater, scheduled for Jan. 14, 2017. Tickets for Bob's Birthday Bash range from $43 to $209.50, and tickets for the other club shows range from Free to $45. Concert goers can purchase a LIGHT OF DAY COMBO TICKET PACKAGE to gain admission to all Asbury Park events (Approximately 50 EVENTS) at five different levels, starting at $159.50. The packages GUARANTEE a reserved seat for BOB'S BIRTHDAY BASH at the Paramount Theatre, along with admission to all shows, capacity permitting, first-come, first-served basis. Ticket prices DO NOT include any fees and/or service/convenience charges.

Light of Day WinterFest has gained international notoriety for surprise performances by Bruce Springsteen in 11 of the previous 16 years. In his new autobiography, Born to Run, which just topped the New York Times Best Sellers List as well as in several countries worldwide, Springsteen revealed that his father suffered from Parkinson's Disease,

Last year's event raised $525,000 - a record amount - to combat Parkinson's disease, topping the previous year record of $500,000, with the 16-year total approaching $4 million.

Aside from Springsteen, previous LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST performers have included Michael J. Fox, JohnRzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls), Darlene Love, Ed Kowalczyk (Live), Jakob Dylan, Suzanne Vega, Max Weinberg, Lucinda Williams, Mike Peters (The Alarm, Big Country), David Bryan of Bon Jovi, David Bromberg, AlejandroEscovedo, Pete Yorn, The Smithereens, Peter Himmelman, Gary U.S. Bonds, Southside Johnny, LaBamba'sBig Band, John Eddie. Michael J. Fox starred with Joan Jett in the 1987 film titled after the Springsteen song (and live concert favorite) of the same name, which Fox and Jett sang in the movie.

These are heady times indeed for the Light of Day Foundation. This year, the Foundation was able to proudly establish a $150,000 grant to the Parkinsons Disease Foundation, as well as host an incredibly successful matching grant drive with Cure PSP which raised an additional $200,000. CurePSP is the foremost organization working toward curing and preventing Parkinson's related diseases such as CBD and PSP.

In 2015, Billboard Magazine presented the Humanitarian Award to Bob Benjamin and the Light of Day Foundation at the Billboard Talent & Touring Conference & Awards in New York City "for their 15 years of bringing awareness and support for Parkinson's disease through live music events." Benjamin, an artist manager and music industry veteran, has been living with Parkinson's since 1996, two years before he co-founded Light of Day with Executive Director Tony Pallagrosi, whose mother, Dolores, died in 2002 from the effects of PSP.

LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST 2016 also will include shows in New York City (Jan. 11 @ The Cutting Room), North Jersey (Jan. 6 in Montclair), and Philadelphia (Jan. 7 @ World Café Live). They are the culmination of a worldwide series of shows that began as a one-day event in Asbury Park and grew to a 10-day festival in the New Jersey/New York/Philadelphia metropolitan area.

On the radio side, longtime LOD concert host Tom Cunningham will host his Sunday morning "Bruce Brunch" program on 105.7 "The Hawk," live from the Anchor's Bend restaurant, in the Convention Hall/Paramount Theatre complex, with very special guests, on Jan. 15, starting at 9 a.m.

More significantly, Light of Day has expanded into an internationally recognized tour, through a true grassroots effort of musicians, music fans and benefactors. Light of Day shows now take place around the world on three continents, this year including a four-city 10th Anniversary Canadian tour (Nov. 16-19) headlined by Steve Earle & the Dukes, in Toronto, Niagara, London and Kingston; d a 10th anniversary European tour - a 17-day holiday run in 10 countries (Nov. 25-Dec. 11). And for the third consecutive year, a Light of Day event was held over the summer in Australia. The two-day festival always takes place in the Australian city of Ocean Grove, Victoria, a sister city to Asbury Park neighbor Ocean Grove, NJ. Portions of proceeds from all shows are donated to local Parkinson's organizations.

Light of Day also fields a team in the annual Parkinson's Unity Walk in New York's Central Park. Over the years the Light of Day team has raised over $235,000, which has helped the Walk earn over $4 million for Parkinson's research.