An artist who has wowed very large crowds at the Lowell Summer Music Series, Peter Wolf and the Midnight Travelers, return to wow us again on June 26th! I’ve seen them quite a few times (as well as members of the Midnight Travelers individually) and the shows are off the charts – very high energy with great music.

“Peter Wolf has been known for decades as the dynamic lead singer and song writer of the J. Geils Band, where his dynamic talents produced such hits as “Centerfold,” “Freeze Frame,” “Love Stinks,” and “Musta Got Lost.” Together with his distinguished band, “The Midnight Travelers”, Wolf is known for his ability to create an intimate and personal connection with his audience.

Peter Wolf (Official Photo)

“A Cure for Loneliness manifests the same vibrant passion for music that’s motivated Peter Wolf for most of his life.  Growing up in an artistic, politically engaged family in the Bronx, he became an early rock ‘n’ roll convert after attending an Alan Freed rock ‘n’ roll revue that included performances by Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Frankie Lymon.  His thirst for new and old sounds drove him to exploring blues, soul, country, folk, and jazz, inspiring weekly visits to Harlem’s Apollo Theatre and leading to acquaintances with many of the music’s surviving originators.  

“Wolf’s talent as a painter won him a grant to study at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts.  While a student there, he experienced a life-changing epiphany after jumping on stage to sing with a blues band at a loft party.  He soon talked himself into membership in that band, The Hallucinations.

““I didn’t join a band to meet girls,” Wolf recalls.  “I joined my first band to meet musicians. Painting was a fascination for me, but I was a music fanatic, and sitting in with that band was a born-again type of experience for me.  I was transfixed, and myself and some of the guys in the band would check out performances by the musicians we admired so much, like Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker and John Coltrane and Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers. Those roots stayed with me.”

“Wolf’s natural loquaciousness won him a job as an all-night DJ on the fledgling FM rock station WBCN.  Adopting the persona of “The Woofa Goofa,” he spun raw rock‘n’roll and rhythm‘n’blues, channeling the spirit of the flashy, fast-talking DJs he’d grown up listening to.

“Wolf’s encyclopedic musical knowledge came in handy when he and some like-minded Boston players formed the J. Geils Band, much of whose early repertoire was drawn from Wolf’s vast record collection.  The band soon became a local favorite, injecting a much-needed jolt of raw, uninhibited rock ‘n’ roll into the ’70s scene, and was soon signed by Jerry Wexler for Atlantic Records. Between 1970 and 1983, the J. Geils Band released 13 influential albums, topped the pop single charts with 1981’s “Freeze Frame,” “Love Stinks,”  “Centerfold,” and earned a reputation as one of rock’s most exciting live acts, thanks in large part to Wolf’s flamboyant, hyperactive stage presence.

“After going solo with 1984’s Lights Out, Wolf continued to stake out new musical territory with the subsequent releases Come As You Are, Up to No Good, Long Line, Fool’s Parade, Sleepless, Midnight Souvenirs, and A Cure For Loneliness. His solo work has seen him collaborate with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Merle Haggard, John Lee Hooker, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Little Milton, Wilson Pickett, Shelby Lynne, and Neko Case.  Wolf temporarily reunited with his J. Geils Band cohorts for live shows on several occasions between 1999 and 2015, but his solo career has remained his creative focus, as A Cure for Loneliness makes clear.”

Tickets for the Gaelic Storm show are priced at $43 in advance. There are also premium seats – beach chairs are provided by the Series – set in two rows directly in front of the stage for $143. Tickets for this show go on sale Monday, March 2nd at 10 a.m. through Lowell Summer Music Series, by calling 1-800-657-8774, or by visiting the Lowell Memorial Auditorium box office, open Monday-Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.. Children under 12 are always free courtesy of Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union – parents, this is a great way to introduce your kids to live music in a safe, family-friendly environment. Don’t forget their ear protection!

For those of you who are unaware of the Series, or if you are aware of it but have never attended a show there, it is an outdoor (weather permitting) concert series held on National Park Service grounds in Lowell, Massachusetts. The Series is not-for-profit, which helps keep the ticket prices reasonable. The Series is co-presented by the Lowell Festival Foundation and Lowell National Historical Park.

Surrounding Boarding House Park are old mill buildings, part of the Lowell National Historical Park, which you can tour if you arrive early enough. They provide an unusual setting for an evening of great music and ambiance.

The Series generally runs from mid-June to early September.

This Series is dear to my heart. I have been a season pass holder since 2007 and it is one of the highlights of the year (and of summer in particular) for me. Many lasting friendships have been made there. I expect this will be another excellent year!

I will post additional announcements for the Series as they are made.

So far, the  lineup is:

June 20 (Saturday) – Gaelic Storm

June 26 (Friday) – Peter Wolf and the Midnight Travelers

July 11 (Saturday) – Joss Stone

July 18 (Saturday) – Leonid & Friends

August 22 (Saturday) – Tower of Power

September 4 (Friday) – Richard Thompson

September 5 (Saturday) – Rhiannon Giddens