Oh, what a night: Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons are making their way back to Chautauqua for a third time.
The group was previously on the grounds in 1987 and 2004. And following shows in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Vienna, Virginia, the group will perform at 8:15 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25, in the Amphitheater for the last popular entertainment event of the season.
Originally comprised of Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi, the group went on to release 19 top 10 hits, including “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “Who Loves You” and “December 1963 (Oh, What A Night).”
Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons sold more than 100 million records between 1962 and 1978. The group then went on to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
This legacy is what convinced Chautauqua’s Vice President of Performing and Visual Arts Deborah Sunya Moore that the group was the right choice to wrap up the summer.
“Frankie Valli is a living legend,” Moore said. “He and the Four Seasons are one of the best-selling and best-loved musical groups of all time. I am so honored to have them closing our Chautauqua season.”
Valli has toured almost continuously since the group’s debut single, “Sherry,” premiered in 1962. From Nov. 26 through Dec. 6, Valli will be making seven stops in the United Kingdom as part of his “farewell tour” overseas. And he will continue to perform across the U.S. through March 1, 2019.
“It’s like taking drugs,” Valli said in a May 2015 interview with Dan Rather. “You get so into it. I don’t know what I would do with myself if I wasn’t touring. I’ve tried a few times where I’ve said that I’m going to cut my schedule for the year that’s coming, and I might take a month or so and I go crazy.”
Valli & the Four Seasons inspired the 2005 Tony Award-winning musical, Jersey Boys, which was adapted into a major motion picture in 2014. Its soundtrack includes the group’s biggest hits. Though the Broadway production closed in January 2017 after 4,642 performances, it is still currently on tour across the U.S. and U.K.
“I’m not sad,” Valli said in a 2016 interview with the Associated Press. “I never dreamed it would last 11 years. The beauty about this whole situation is it’s not over. It is now beginning to happen in other parts of the world.”
As for the performance in the Amp, Moore expects it to be an unforgettable night.
“Concert-goers can look forward to their favorite songs as we all celebrate the end of summer with an evening of unforgettable music,” Moore said.