Patti LaBelle Among Performers Set to Appear at Wolf Trap in June

Wolf Trap Presents Legendary Vocalist Patti LaBelle, Eclectic Rockers Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes Touring with The Smithereens, and a Weekend of '60s Rock 'n' Roll with RAIN-A Tribute to The Beatles and The Monkees.

Patti LaBelle

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 8 p.m. $42 in-house, $25 lawn

Patti LaBelle brings her powerful voice to Wolf Trap for the first time in over a decade, celebrating her trademark performances of rhythm and blues, pop, and soul. Fronting the trio LaBelle, the singer achieved her first No. 1 song on the Billboard charts with the 1975 pop single "Lady Marmalade." By the 1980s, she had begun to pursue her solo career, and in 1986 she released another chart-topper, "On My Own." Though LaBelle is recording less frequently nowadays, she continues to tour and amaze audiences with her strong vocals. From fronting the '60s girl group Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles to inspiring dozens of today's artists with her successful solo career, LaBelle has enjoyed an enduring legacy that has earned her two GRAMMY Awards and a spot in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

To view performance by Patti LaBelle, click here

Elvis Costello & The Imposters

Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 8 p.m. $48 in-house, $30 lawn

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Elvis Costello and his band The Imposters return to Wolf Trap for a night of eclectic rock and roll. The British musician got his start in 1977 with the release of My Aim Is True, which included the hit singles "Watching the Detectives" and "Alison." Costello's music has always stood out thanks to its unique blend of reggae, Tin Pan Alley pop, punk-rock, and soul, a mixture that evolved over the years as he experimented with different genres of music. "Veronica," which he co-wrote with Paul McCartney in 1987, became his biggest American hit when it entered the Billboard Top 20. The rocker began collaborating with The Imposters in 2002, and has since been as prolific as ever. Rolling Stone called the band's latest release, Momofuku (2008), "among [Costello's] sharpest sets in years." In 2010 Costello collaborated with fellow rocker T. Bone Burnett to release National Ransom. Upon reviewing the album, Spin magazine said, "It's clear that after three decades [Costello] can still pen a hell of a tune."

To view a performance by Elvis Costello and The Imposters, click here

Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes

The Smithereens

Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 8 p.m. $40 in-house, $22 lawn

Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes

The New Jersey based band Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes make their Wolf Trap debut. Their first album, I Don't Want To Go Home (1976), included two tracks written by fellow New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen. AllMusic.com called it "a masterful set of hard-boiled blue-eyed soul," and the band continued to work with Springsteen on later albums. Hearts of Stone (1978) was among Rolling Stone's Top 100 Greatest Albums of the 1970s and '80s, and over the next 35 years they worked with more than 100 artists, including Jon Bon Jovi. In 2010 the group released Pills and Ammo, which Southside Johnny said is "still tinged with the exuberant rhythm and blues feel that is the Jukes' trademark," but also "has a sharper, guitar-oriented, rock and roll feel to it. A harder edge for harder times."

To view a performance by Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes, click here

The Smithereens

The Smithereens became well-known in the New Jersey college-rock scene in the early '80s before releasing their debut album, Especially for You, to positive reviews in 1986. Three years later, the band came out with 11, which achieved gold status with the Billboard Top 40 hit "A Girl Like You." Although the alternative grunge wave of the '90s left The Smithereens with a smaller fan base, they retained a sizeable cult following and continued to tour. Allmusic.com has called them an "excellent bar band" that "attacked pop songs with the weight of AC/DC." In May they released their first album of original songs in 11 years, Smithereens 2011.

To view a performance by The Smithereens, click here

RAIN-A Tribute to The Beatles

Friday, June 17, 2011 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, June 18, 2011 at 8 p.m.

$40 in-house, $25 lawn

RAIN-A Tribute to The Beatles returns to Wolf Trap, covering music by the Fab Four from their United States debut on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 to their final album, Abbey Road (1969). RAIN is a multimedia experience that includes historical footage and television commercials from the '60s in addition to riveting performances of songs from one of the most popular bands of all time. The four members of the tribute band have been together longer than The Beatles were themselves, giving them the chance to master every sound and movement of the original group and deliver a reenactment that The Washington Post has called a "cheerfully nostalgic extravaganza." RAIN made its Broadway debut in October 2010 and won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revue in May 2011.

To view RAIN performing, click here

The Monkees

Sunday, June 19, 2011 at 8 p.m. $42 in-house, $25 lawn

Celebrating their 45th anniversary and touring together for the first time in 10 years, The Monkees return to Wolf Trap. Known for their No. 1 hits such as "I'm a Believer," "Last Train to Clarksville," and "Daydream Believer," the band debuted in 1966 on NBC's television sitcom The Monkees. The show won two Emmy Awards and escalated the group to national fame with its self-titled hit soundtrack, which spent 13 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 chart. Subsequent releases also enjoyed massive success; the band put out three No. 1 albums in 1967, and between 1966 and 1968 their record sales beat out those of The Beatles and the Rolling Stones combined. Today The Monkees continue to be revered for their catchy pop hits that ignited a new era of music affectionately dubbed "Monkeemania."

To view a performance by the Monkees, click here

Tickets can be purchased by calling 1 (877) WOLFTRAP; or online at www.wolftrap.org.

For more information, call Wolf Trap at (703) 255-1868.

Wolf Trap is metro accessible! Our environmentally friendly Wolf Trap Express Bus travels from the West Falls Church metro stop every 20 minutes starting two hours prior to show time. For more information, please visit, http://www.wolftrap.org/Plan_Your_Visit/Access_by_Metro.aspx

 

 

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