Pop music fans can party like it’s 1999 - or 1969 - when Aurora’s Paramount Theatre presents Purple Reign: The Prince Tribute Show, Friday, August 11, at 8 p.m., or the return of The Happy Together Tour featuring The Turtles, Little Anthony, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Vogues, The Classics IV and The Cowsills, Sunday, August 13, at 7 p.m.
Tickets to both concerts, playing on the same weekend this August, are on sale now. For tickets and information, visit paramountaurora.com call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount Theatre box office, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora,, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and until show time on show days. For group discounts, contact Melissa Striedl, melissas@paramountarts.com or (630) 723-2461.
About the shows
Purple Reign: The Prince Tribute Show
Friday, August 11, 2023, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $37-$57
Prince may be gone, but his music endures with Purple Reign, one of the world’s top Prince tribute bands. So hop in your “Little Red Corvette,” don your “Raspberry Beret” and head to downtown Aurora for a show that proves Prince was in a class all his own.
From humble beginnings in small UNLV college clubs to late night TV, Purple Reign has toured the world and risen to international acclaim. Featuring Jason Tenner as Prince, Purple Reign takes audiences back to the era that made “The Artist'' an international superstar. Tenner and his on-stage entourage capture the imagination and seamlessly re-create the blistering performances and raw energy of Prince in his prime, complete with a tribute to Morris Day and The Time. Crowned Best Tribute Act and Best Impersonator by the Las Vegas Review Journal Poll, this is a must see live experience for Purple Rain movie fans and all music fans alike. purplereign.net
This tribute concert sold out in 2018, so get your tickets today and get ready to party like it’s 1999 with Purple Reign at Paramount Theatre in August.
Watch Purple Reign perform...."Purple Rain."
The Happy Together Tour
Featuring The Turtles, Little Anthony, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Vogues, The Classics IV and The Cowsills
Sunday, August 13, 7 p.m.
Tickets: $59.50
C’mon, get happy! This spectacular concert brings together the biggest and best music of the 60s and 70s. This show has sold out every year at Paramount, and you better believe this latest extravaganza will do the same.
2022 marks the 13th year of this highly successful, hit-filled summer touring sensation. With hits from The Turtles, Little Anthony, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Vogues, The Classics IV and The Cowsills, audiences will be instantly transported to the golden age of music.
And yes, these are all the real bands doing their performing a show full of chart-topping hits from the ‘60s and ‘70s – an undeniable 61 Billboard Top 40 smashes, in fact. Don’t miss:
The Turtles, best known for their harmony-heavy California pop sound, with such hits as “Elenore,” “She’d Rather Be With Me,” “It Ain’t Me Babe,” “You Showed Me” and the title of the tour, “Happy Together.”
Little Anthony of Little Anthony and The Imperials, a group famous for 17 pop and twelve R&B chart hits including “Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko Bop,” “I’m Outside Looking In,” “Goin’ Out of My Head,” and “Hurt So Bad.”
Gary Puckett and The Union Gap whose fans affectionately remember “Young Girl,” “Over You,” “Woman, Woman,” “This Girl Is A Woman Now,” “Lady Willpower,” “Don’t Give In To Him” and more.
The Vogues, also known for their harmony-driven soaring pop sounds thanks to Top 10 hits with singles like “Five O’Clock World”, “You’re The One,” “My Special Angel” and “Turn Around Look At Me.”
The Classics IV, one of the most influential pop groups of the 60s and 70s, achieved phenomenal success with their southern soft rock sound and multiplatinum hits such as “Spooky,” “Stormy,” “Traces,” and “Everyday With You Girl.”
The Cowsills, the harmonious family act (two brothers and a sister) that inspired the hit TV show The Partridge Family, known for songs like “Hair,” “Indian Lake,” “The Rain, The Park & Other Things (I Love The Flower Girl)” and more.
The Happy Together Tour is sponsored by Schmitt McDonald’s.
Watch Paramount's Happy Together Tour 2023 sizzle reel, then reminisce about each artist below.
(left) Watch archival video of The Turtles performing Happy Together.
(right) Enjoy Little Anthony's signature vocals in "Hurt So Bad."
(left) Gary Puckett performing at the 2019 Happy Together Tour.
(right) The Vogues performing "Turn Around Look at Me" in 2017.
(left) The Classics VI perform "Spooky."
(right) Hear The Cowsills sing "Hair" live.
Paramount's Covid-19 commitment to and safety and protocol
Paramount Theatre has followed, and will continue to follow, the requirements of the State of Illinois and the Kane County Health Department. Therefore, at press time, Paramount is following the guidance of the State of Illinois and recommends, but no longer requires masks, proof of vaccination or negative COVID test for patrons. For complete details, please read Paramount’s full Covid Policy.
About Paramount Theatre
Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., is the center for performing arts in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. The beautiful, 1,843-seat theater, graced with a strong 1930s Art Deco influence and original Venetian décor, nationally known for its high-quality productions, superb acoustics and historic grandeur, has been downtown Aurora’s anchor attraction since 1931.
After launching its own Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount Theatre has rapidly grown to be the largest subscription house in the U.S. In 2022-23, more than 35,000 subscribers enjoyed Paramount’s critically acclaimed, Broadway-caliber productions, along with an array of internationally known comedians, musicians, dance troupes and family shows.
For over 50 years, the Joseph Jefferson Awards has recognized excellence in Chicago area theater. Last season, Paramount took home six Jeff Awards for Kinky Boots, including Best Musical-Large, Paramount’s fourth win in that category following Sweeney Todd (2017), West Side Story (2016) and Les Misérables (2015). Over the last 11 years, Paramount has been honored to earn 97 Jeff nominations and 27 wins.
Paramount Theatre is one of four live performance venues programmed and managed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA). Paramount’s new “sister stage” is the newly renovated 165-seat Copley Theatre, home to Paramount’s new BOLD Series, across the street at North Island Center. ACCA also oversees RiverEdge Park, the city’s 6,000-seat outdoor summer concert venue, Stolp Island Theatre, an immersive space opening in 2024, and the Paramount School of the Arts.
Paramount Theatre continues to expand its artistic and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Tim Rater, President and CEO, Aurora Civic Center Authority; Jim Corti, Artistic Director, Paramount Theatre; a dedicated Board of Trustees and a devoted staff of live theater and music professionals.
For the latest updates, visit ParamountAurora.com or follow @ParamountAurora on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, @paramountarts on Tik Tok, and on LinkedIn.