New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The multi-platinum Grammy-nominated hard rock band
Godsmack will be hitting the road in 2024 - but doing things a little differently than their usual pyrotechnic arena show they will be stripping things down as their "acoustic and electric performances and untold stories as their Vibez Tour in 2024 and they will be making a stop at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) on Saturday, May 5, 2024 at 8:00 p.m.
Godsmack has more Top 10 Rock Songs than
Foo Fighters or their hometown heroes, Aerosmith. Stretching back to their four-times platinum self-titled debut, initially recorded in 1996 for $2500, the veteran band's catalog of hits is enough to fill a marathon set without running out. Songs like "I Stand Alone," "Awake," and "
Voodoo" are certified anthems deeply encoded into hard rock's DNA.
Like the antiheroes of a heist movie planning one last score, the Lawrence, Massachusetts-bred quartet takes a victory lap with Lighting Up the Sky, dropping one more classic album as they ascend into the celebratory portion of their career. Sully Erna, Robbie Merrill, Tony Rombola, and Shannon Larkin climbed the creative mountain over and over. They are consummate rock fans themselves, so they refuse to finish as one of those bands where fans hit the beer line during "the new stuff".
"Let's look at Godsmack. This isn't coming from an egotistical point of view. But we can play 15 songs a night and still not play all of our Top 10 singles," Erna points out. "When most people go see their favorite band, they don't care about the new records. We want to start our sunset years at some point and honor the 'greatest hits' portion of our career. Let's create the biggest and best show we can."
Lighting Up the Sky is undoubtedly a stunning swan song, should it truly prove to be the final studio album of new music from Godsmack. "Surrender," the first new song in four years, earned well over a half million streams on Spotify alone in its first two weeks of release. Songs like "
What About Me" and "
Soul On Fire" stand up to anything in the band's rich multi-platinum catalog. "Lighting Up the Sky is packed with melodies", assures the frontman. The band's body of work includes eight albums, four Grammy nominations, two iHeartRadio
Music Awards noms, and a Billboard
Music Award.
Godsmack self-released their debut album, All Wound Up…, in 1997. Republic/Universal Records signed the band to a multi-record deal and re-released a remixed version of the debut as 1998's Godsmack. The sophomore set Awake (2000) debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and was later certified double platinum. Faceless (2003), Godsmack's first with drummer Shannon Larkin, topped the Billboard 200 and went platinum the same year. Both IV (2006) and The Oracle (2010) debuted at No. 1 as well. 1000hp (2014) topped the Hard Rock Chart and opened at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
When
Legends Rise debuted atop Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart in May 2018. Two years later,
Godsmack tied
Van Halen and
Shinedown for the second-most top ten singles in the 40-year history of Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart, with 26 songs. When
Legends Rise produced three No. 1 singles back-to-back, including the title track, "Bulletproof," and "Under Your Scars".
The continued creative and commercial achievement with When
Legends Rise accelerated the momentum into Lighting Up the Sky, even as the Covid-related lockdowns temporarily stopped live events. Tickets to see
Godsmack in an intimate setting at NJPAC as "an intimate evening of music and untold stories" go on-sale Friday, December 1st at 10:00 a.m. and can be purchased by visiting NJPAC.org or calling 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722) or by visiting the NJPAC Box Office.
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, N.J., is America's most diverse performing arts center, and the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey - where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state's and the world's best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, which have reached almost 2 million children, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted more than 10 million visitors since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.
