STRAWBS 50th ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND!! April 2019 IN THE USA!

Just announced!

Strawbs 30th anniversary weekend was in Chiswick, the 40th was in Teddington....now it's the USA's turn!

April 26-28, 2019 at the Strand Theater in Lakewood NJ....the current Strawbs electric band (Cousins/Lambert/Cronk/Fernandez/Bainbridge) plus a host of guest performers, former Strawbs, and Strawbs-related artists. The schedule isn't complete yet but we do know that the band will be playing with a symphony orchestra on the Friday night!

There will be a dedicated website for the event which will be up and running in the next couple of weeks. There are frequent updates on the Strawbs Facebook page.

Wow! Sounds amazing.

Oh hey, you're in Ontario....October Canada tour coming up! Confirmed dates 10th Quebec City, 12th Oakville PAC, 13th Peter's Players in Gravenhurst, 14-15 Hugh's Room Toronto. More TBA. Likely to be Hamilton, Kitchener, Midland, London.

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Originally Posted by greeneking

Oh hey, you're in Ontario....October Canada tour coming up! Confirmed dates 10th Quebec City, 12th Oakville PAC, 13th Peter's Players in Gravenhurst, 14-15 Hugh's Room Toronto. More TBA. Likely to be Hamilton, Kitchener, Midland, London.

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Wow! Will have to make an effort to see one of the shows.

Wow. I have got to consider going to this.

Saw this posted by a fan on The Strawbs Facebook page:

I just spoke with Rick Wakeman at the ARW meet and greet in San Diego.

I asked him about playing at the 50th Anniversary at the Strand...and he told me...he plans to be there for the weekend !

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Originally Posted by Dan Roth

Saw this posted by a fan on The Strawbs Facebook page:

I just spoke with Rick Wakeman at the ARW meet and greet in San Diego.

I asked him about playing at the 50th Anniversary at the Strand...and he told me...he plans to be there for the weekend !

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Crap. I may have to figure out a way to be there.

I read somewhere that there will be 4 ex-keyboard members?

Just got my room at the Ramada in Toms river. There are some still available. That is where the Sunday breakfast will happen.

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Originally Posted by Garyhead

I read somewhere that there will be 4 ex-keyboard members?

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RICK WAKEMAN????? or will ARW be on tour then?

I saw the show on Oct. 10th and have since become a fan. I like a lot of their late period stuff through their great last album The Ferryman’s Curse as well as the “classic “ period which, for me, started with Grave New World and ended with Heartbreak Hill.

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Originally Posted by Top Cat

RICK WAKEMAN????? or will ARW be on tour then?

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see post #7

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Originally Posted by Garyhead

see post #7

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WOW!! that's great news. :)

Attachment 12399


it's official!!

Looks like four keyboardists is accurate....So far it's Rick Wakeman, John Hawken, Blue Weaver, and current keyboardist Dave Bainbridge.

AND.....Grave New World will be performed in its entirety with a symphony orchestra conducted by.......TONY VISCONTI.


This just keeps getting better. Keep an eye out for another big announcement....there has to be someone to sing the Sandy Denny parts.

The weekend will be a dream come true. Thank you Dave Cousins for putting it together.

and....our hero Ray Coles, (event organizer AND Strawbs agent AND mayor of Lakewood AND he has a day job as well) without whom it might not be happening at all, or at least not in the USA!

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Originally Posted by greeneking

Looks like four keyboardists is accurate....So far it's Rick Wakeman, John Hawken, Blue Weaver, and current keyboardist Dave Bainbridge.

AND.....Grave New World will be performed in its entirety with a symphony orchestra conducted by.......TONY VISCONTI.


This just keeps getting better. Keep an eye out for another big announcement....there has to be someone to sing the Sandy Denny parts.

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It is confirmed that Annie Haslam will be singing Sandy Denny's parts. Although I can't find the link right now....

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Originally Posted by Garyhead

It is confirmed that Annie Haslam will be singing Sandy Denny's parts. Although I can't find the link right now....

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That's great! There wasn't any announcement on Strawbs website or Facebook page.....did this info come from an Annie Haslam site/page?

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Originally Posted by greeneking

That's great! There wasn't any announcement on Strawbs website or Facebook page.....did this info come from an Annie Haslam site/page?

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Dave Banbridge mentioned her involvement on his own page:

Lots more exciting stuff coming up over the next 6 months, including the Strawbs 50th Anniversary weekend in New Jersey in April, with some amazing special guests, including Tony Visconti, Larry Fast, John Ford, Blue Weaver, Annie Haslam, a 30 piece orchestra (recruited from the finest orchestral players in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia), and a certain caped crusader….I’m currently working on a few of the orchestral arrangements for this, so it’s all go at the moment.

Very cool, thank you Dan and Gary!

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Originally Posted by greeneking

Very cool, thank you Dan and Gary!

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I bought a ticket soon after announced and got 3rd row center.....I think. Curious to know how sales are going.....Will this be a sleeper of an event? Or will it be Huge! I’m flying in from Seattle. I really don’t think we can expect much past 50 Year Anniversaries with the acts we grew up with.....Al Stewart is another act still strong going on 53 years on the road!

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Originally Posted by Garyhead

I bought a ticket soon after announced and got 3rd row center.....I think. Curious to know how sales are going.....Will this be a sleeper of an event? Or will it be Huge! I’m flying in from Seattle. I really don’t think we can expect much past 50 Year Anniversaries with the acts we grew up with.....Al Stewart is another act still strong going on 53 years on the road!

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I’m definitely interested and it’s a bonus that the theater is only an hour drive for me, so no hotel involved. I looked at tickets today and there seems to be 1) a lot of available tickets still and 2) only one $300 3-day option that includes brunch with the guys and such to choose from. I’m interested but I don’t need the bells and whistles. Maybe I’m missing it, but I couldn’t find another ticket option other than that.

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Originally Posted by Garyhead

I bought a ticket soon after announced and got 3rd row center.....I think. Curious to know how sales are going.....Will this be a sleeper of an event? Or will it be Huge! I’m flying in from Seattle. I really don’t think we can expect much past 50 Year Anniversaries with the acts we grew up with.....Al Stewart is another act still strong going on 53 years on the road!

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Gary, just saw Al Stewart on the Moody Blues Cruise in January (Strawbs too)....he was WONDERFUL! Put on two excellent shows. Both Strawbs and Al Stewart (and Alan Parsons and Steve Hackett and the Zombies and Todd Rundgren...) are on the upcoming cruise in February next year.

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Originally Posted by Dan Roth

I’m definitely interested and it’s a bonus that the theater is only an hour drive for me, so no hotel involved. I looked at tickets today and there seems to be 1) a lot of available tickets still and 2) only one $300 3-day option that includes brunch with the guys and such to choose from. I’m interested but I don’t need the bells and whistles. Maybe I’m missing it, but I couldn’t find another ticket option other than that.

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Dan I think they want to sell the VIP tickets first before they put regular tickets on sale, releasing unsold VIP seats WHEN the regular tickets go on sale....otherwise if they release unsold VIP seats at the last minute, the last-minute buyers will get better seats than the folks who ordered early.

This weekend just begs to be immortalized on DVD. I wonder if there are any plans for such, if not maybe a crowdfunder, kickstarter thing would be an option.