The star-studded tour band Robby Robinson & the Route 66 Band will play a concert Friday evening, November 1, at the Wildey Theatre, a popular Metro-East music venue at 252 N. Main Street, Edwardsville, as part of the ninth annual Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference scheduled for Edwardsville October 31 – November 3, also held at the Wildey Theatre. Tickets are on sale to the public as of August 27th at www.cityofedwardsville.com/769/Wildey-Theatre. Two band members are Illinois natives, so this concert will sell out fast!
Robby Robinson, 46-year veteran music director and keyboardist of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and nationally recognized Hammond organ virtuoso as part of the “Ham Fam” will play keyboards. He has worked with timeless artists such as Liza Minelli, Tom Jones, the Beach Boys, and the Four Tops, and as a conductor has wielded the baton for major orchestras, including Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, and the London Symphony at the Royal Albert Hall. Robinson is a native of Litchfield, Illinois, and has returned to his beloved hometown numerous times to produce and perform local benefit concerts.
On lead guitar will be Vince Martell, one of the original members of the iconic 1960s rock group Vanilla Fudge. The band broke up in 1970 and Martell went on to perform and record solo until Vanilla Fudge reformed in 2005 with all the original members.
Vocals for the “Route 66 Band” will be handled by two young but seasoned entertainers: Sara Niemietz, Illinois native and dynamic rising vocal star of Postmodern Jukebox and Ozone Squeeze fame, and Travis Cloer, Broadway and Las Vegas star who performed 2,200 shows as Frankie Valli in the hit musical “Jersey Boys.”
With these musicians’ unique backgrounds, the audience can expect to hear a mix of songs from the Frankie Valli and Vanilla Fudge bands plus plenty of Route 66-appropriate tunes including Robby and Sara’s cool-and-campy arrangement of the ever-popular “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,” which they recorded in 2022. Don’t miss this dynamic show!
The Edwardsville show on November 1 is one of several venues TBA as part of a weeklong Illinois tour, inspired by their “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” recording and the opportunity to perform on Illinois Route 66 in conjunction with the Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference for the second year.
More information on Robby Robinson & the Route 66 Band tour can be found at www.robbyrobinsonmusic.com.
Built as an opera house in 1909, the Wildey Theatre closed its doors as a movie theater in 1984. In 1999, the City of Edwardsville acquired the property and, with a state grant, extensively renovated it. It reopened in April 2011 as a performing arts center. The theatre seats 325 — all with amazing views of the action on the stage or screen — and has state-of-the-art technical capabilities, including a new video wall for the stage.
The Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference is the only annual conference dedicated to Route 66 and features speakers, entertainment, networking, art, music, and social activities. Complete information, schedule, and registration at www.route66milesofpossibility.com.
Be sure to register for the conference (if you have not already done so) to receive the link to purchase your Route 66 Band tickets before they become available to the public.
Links:
Robby Robinson & the Route 66 Band November 1st Conference Sizzle Reel #1 – one minute video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-eCpObJ1po
Robby Robinson & the Route 66 Band November 1st Conference Sizzle Reel #2 – one minute video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDIZXGSPUa0
Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference
https://route66milesofpossibility.com/
Robby Robinson & the Route 66 Band
https://www.robbyrobinsonmusic.com/
