The Cameos perform before thousands at PNC Bank Arts Center.
By Jennifer Vazquez
Observer Correspondent
There are certain venues where not all artists get to perform. For those that do, the feat symbolizes a certain level of success in their careers.
PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel is one such venue and New Jersey’s The Cameos are one of the fortunate musical groups who performed on this renowned stage.
“We performed at an event called Senior Concert Series,” The Cameos vocalist John Basilone said. “It’s always a great experience for us to perform (at PNC).”
Basilone explained the level of importance it is for The Cameos to perform on the PNC stage.
“Groups rarely get asked to perform at this event twice in a row,” he said. “This is our fourth time!”
The fact that the group does not have a current hit album makes its fourth appearance at PNC an achievement rarely seen, according to Basilone. There was an expectation of roughly 10,000 concert goers at the Sept. 18 event but due to the weather that particular day, only about 3,000 showed up, recalled Basilone. “To us this was still a huge outcome,” he said. “Because of the weather, we didn’t have as much people attend but this number still blew us away.”
For those who are not familiar with PNC Bank Arts Center, the venue is an open-air amphitheater with thousands of seats underneath a roof as well as a huge lawn in the open which many concert goers choose as their “seats.” Due to the fact that the lawn surrounding the amphitheater are not covered by a roof, those that purchase lawn tickets are vulnerable to the weather during inclement conditions.
Not only did The Cameos perform last month at the theater, they were slated to return to PNC for a fundraiser to support the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial — an event the group was excited to perform at.
“We are all honored that we can give our time to perform for this cause,” Basilone said.
While The Cameos date back to the 1950s, the latest group alignment has been together for roughly seven years. Drummer Paul Stuart became the head of the group when he took over for Roger DelRusso in 2005 when Del- Russo passed.
The success of The Cameos is apparent when one navigates through their events calendar on their official website. Every single weekend is practically booked — a feat feat all in itself since the majority of the members of the group work full-time at other places. The fact that they love the band and are so dedicated to their music is clearly seen, according to Basilone, especially when their busy schedule becomes even busier.
“We are more than fortunate (with booking dates),” Basilone commented humbly. “But, you should see our summer calendar. We are so busy at times, that we perform five days out of the week…there are days when (members) come straight from work to perform and we still put on a show for our great audience.”
Basilone The Cameos to be “lucky to have such amazing” supporters.
“We always make a point to let our wonderful audience that we are here because of them,” he said. “They are an important part of our band. They make this all possible.”
If you would like more information about The Cameos or would like to purchase their albums, visit their official website www.thecameos.com.
