Numa's Notes - March 2025

Hello Friends and Neighbors,

Each year, about one-third of the performers at the Florida Theatre are either new to the Florida Theatre, new to Jacksonville, or both. Yet, I often hear that we have the same old performers every year.

Legends are legends in part because they are great performers. Since they are great performers, people want to see and hear them. As long as people keep buying tickets to see these performers, we will keep bringing them back. While several performers this month fit that bill, there are also many newcomers.

Part of the reason that people don’t recognize how many artists on our schedule are new or young is that people tend to gravitate to what they know. They don’t naturally see an advertisement for a new or unfamiliar artist and think, “I want to try that.” But I wish you would!

Here’s my tip for watching something new and unfamiliar: let your mind wander. There is no right or wrong to this. Just let your mind take you where it wants to go. It’s an opportunity for internal reflection. If you attend with someone, you can discuss and debate the mysteries and secrets that the show or artist revealed to you later.

This month, the dance company MOMIX really fits that bill, and I hope some of you will give it a try. In the meantime, here are my thoughts on this month’s schedule: 29 performances in 31 days!

March 1 - Matteo Lane

Variety magazine called him one of “10 Comics to Watch.” The Advocate described him as “bold and unflinchingly genuine.” His comedy takes on topics from his experiences as a gay man to his own insights into everyday life. Before starting his comedy career, he trained as an opera singer and has a vocal range of six octaves. He is fluent in five languages. He also lived in Italy and supported himself working as an oil painter. He is, without a doubt, ridiculously talented, so be sure to see him before his next comedy special hits Hulu in May.

Tickets are available here.

March 2 - Neil Diamond Celebration

In the rock and roll era, Neil Diamond was almost an anachronism. He was a Tin Pan Alley songwriter whose work was recorded by everyone from The Monkees to (no kidding) Deep Purple. He later became a megastar in his own right, and there’s a reason he sold over 100 million records: the songs. Matt Vee and The Killer Vees are Matt Vee, his wife Julie Velline, and his cousins Jeff and Tommy Vee. They are music industry veterans who together celebrate the timeless songs of Neil Diamond: "Cracklin' Rosie," “America," "Sweet Caroline,” and more. They were here last year, and it was a fun night.

Tickets are available here.

March 3 - Bright Eyes

The indie rock band Bright Eyes is the musical alter ego of singer-songwriter and guitarist Conor Oberst, who has also released music under his own name. Bright Eyes started in a basement when the then 15-year-old Oberst worked with producer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Mogis. The group has evolved since then and now includes Mogis, Nate Walcott on trumpet and piano, and other musicians who tour with them. Although they still sound like ‘90s indie singer-songwriters, their influence on pop culture is outsized. Their music has appeared on countless films and TV soundtracks, been covered by artists such as Lorde, The Killers, Phoebe Bridgers and Jason Mraz; and sampled by rappers like Young Thug and Lil Peep.

Tickets are available here.

March 4 - Voctave

They’re an 11-member a capella singing group from Orlando. They perform unusually complicated arrangements of Broadway music, jazz standards and Disney classics (did we mention they’re from Orlando?). They have 150+ million views of their online videos, and their recordings have ranked in the Top 25 on the Billboard charts.

Tickets are available here.

March 5 - TESLA

They were a hair band during the metal boom of the 1980s. Their hit singles included “Modern Day Cowboy,” “Little Suzi,” “Love Song,” and, of course, their cover of the song “Signs,” originally recorded by the Five Man Electrical Band. (Save that nugget for trivia night.) They have endured our ever-changing culture because of their blue-collar work ethic and dedication to their faithful fan base.

Tickets are available here.

March 6 - Brett Young

He’s a country pop singer and songwriter from Anaheim. After an elbow injury sidelined his baseball career, he took up songwriting. The lead single from his first album was “Sleep Without You,” but it was the second single, “In Case You Didn’t Know,” that became the hit. He was the 2018 Academy of Country Music New Male Vocalist of the Year, and the video for his song “Mercy” was a CMT Music Award nominee.

Tickets are available here.

March 7 - Lewis Black

He is best known for regular appearances on The Daily Show, where his angry rants about current events or cultural trends go from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye. Live in person, however, it’s evident that he attended Yale School of Drama, because his performance builds and releases waves of comedic tension throughout the show. He is one of Comedy Central’s Top 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians of All Time. By the way, this is his very last tour, so you should not miss this opportunity.

Tickets are available here.

March 8 - Gladys Knight

She is “The Empress of Soul,” and a 7-time Grammy Award winner for songs like the #1 hits “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “That’s What Friends are For,” “I Heard it through the Grapevine,” “Every Beat of My Heart,” and “Letter Full of Tears.” Again, this is another opportunity you should not miss to see a legend live in person.

Tickets are available here.

March 9 - Luis Elizondo

As the poster in Agent Mulder’s office said, “I want to believe,” and Luis Elizondo may help. He’s a former US Army Counterintelligence special agent, a former employee of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and was the director of the now-defunct Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, which is associated with the Pentagon UFO videos. He remains engaged behind the scenes. Come for his first-person, revelatory account of the Pentagon’s most closely guarded secret.

Tickets are available here.

March 11 - MOMIX: "Alice"

MOMIX is a company of dancer-illusionists who use their bodies, along with music, costumes, props, lighting and effects, to create a fantasy world that is inventive, and physically beautiful. The dancers manipulate their bodies and props in astounding ways, creating a theater of light and bodies that might represent creatures of the desert ("Opus Cactus"), the flora of the four seasons ("Botanica"), or the four elements and the art of transformation ("Alchemia"). In my experience, MOMIX does not fail to surprise and enchant. They’re appropriate for all ages, too.

Tickets are available here.

March 12 - Get The Led Out

I have never been much of a Led Zeppelin fan, but I look forward to this show every year, especially their performance of “Kashmir.” These six guys from Philadelphia are excellent performers, and their love for this music really comes across. They rock it with authority, and with six musicians on stage, they are able perform much of the music that Zeppelin themselves, with just four members, were unable to perform.

Tickets are available here.

March 13 - Matteo Bocelli

Although he is the youngest son of Andrea Bocelli, tenor Matteo Bocelli has already released 8 singles and a full-length album of his own, Matteo?(2023). He studied at the conservatory in Lucca, Tuscany, has performed with Steven Tyler and Robin Thicke, and modeled alongside Jennifer Lopez in a Guess advertising campaign. This is his first-ever headlining tour.

Tickets are available here.

March 14 - Newsboys

They’re a Christian rock band formed in 1985, before that was really a thing. They have 17 albums to their name, including 6 gold records. They have four Grammy nominations, and four Dove Awards, including Rock Album of the Year for Going Public, and Rock Recorded Song of the Year for “Shine.”

Tickets are available here.

March 15 - Desi Banks

He has amassed 15+ million fans on social media the hard way - by producing over 3,500 of his own comedy videos. Kevin Hart called him the "next great" talent. You might know him from the DraftKings Super Bowl ad two years ago, or from acting appearances in Little, Merry Wish-Mas, Love by Chance, and the horror film Haunted Trail, which can be seen on BET+ and Amazon Prime.

Tickets are available here.

March 16 - Girls Gone Bible

Imagine a podcast hosted by two women who are hardcore Jesus freaks as well as ridiculously funny comedians. That’s the beloved and growing hit podcast, Girls Gone Bible. Join hosts Angela and Arielle live in person as they discuss faith, mental health, relationships, and life in general.

Tickets are available here.

March 20 - Tracy Lawrence

His sound is traditional country meets honky tonk. His early ‘90s debut earned him the Top New Male Vocalist Awards from?Billboard?in 1992 and the Academy of Country Music?in 1993. He has released 14 studio albums with eight #1 singles: “Sticks and Stones,” “Alibis,” “Can’t Break It to my Heart,” “My Second Home,” “If the Good Die Young,” “Texas Tornado,” “Time Marches On,” and “Find Out Who Your Friends Are,” which won Vocal Event of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards in 2007.

Tickets are available here.

March 21 - Matt Mathews

He’s a comedian, a farmer, and an award-winning boudoir photographer. Yes, that is not a typo. If that’s not enough info for you, he has millions of social media followers for Confessions with Matt, a series in which he responds to messages from followers who reveal their deepest, darkest secrets. Reportedly, he’ll get audience members to spill their secrets on stage in real time.

Tickets are available here.

March 22 - The Irish Tenors

It’s five days after St. Patrick’s Day, but we take these tours when we can get them. We hope you’ll come celebrate St. Patty’s Day with us anyway. The Irish Tenors are Declan Kelly, Anthony Kearns, and Ronan Tynan. They have been the kings of Celtic music since their 1998 Irish TV special, followed by Live from Ellis Island, hosted by Martin Sheen, their first American TV special, which solidified their status on this side of the pond. They have 10 best-selling releases to their credit and have delighted audiences all over the world as one of the most successful PBS TV acts.

Tickets are available here.

March 23 - Countess Luann

Her given name is Luann de Lesseps, and she is best known as an original cast member of the reality TV series The Real Housewives of New York City. In fact, TV Guide ranked her the #1 Housewife. She has transformed her career multiple times, from nurse to author to philanthropist to actress, and now cabaret entertainer. Her recordings of Money Can't Buy You Class, Chic C'est La Vie, Girl Code, and Feelin' Jovani have been streamed and downloaded tens of millions of times.

Tickets are available here.

March 24 - Keb' Mo' & Shawn Colvin

This is my idea of heaven: two of my favorite singer-songwriters on one stage at the acoustically superb Florida Theatre, which is perfect for this kind of concert. If you’re not familiar with Keb’ Mo’ (born Kevin Moore), imagine Buddy Guy and Jackson Browne met in Mississippi and had a child with a terrific sense of humor. Often labeled a blues musician, his music transcends genres, blending influences from folk, rock, jazz, pop and country. For example, he wrote a humorous blues song about taking his wife to France. He has five Grammy Awards for a reason. Shawn Colvin is often categorized as a folk singer. While she earned a Best Contemporary Folk Album Grammy Award for “Steady On,” she also won two of the “Big Four” Grammy Awards in the same year: Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Sunny Came Home.”

Tickets are available here.

March 25 - VIP Concert

If you’re a performing arts venue looking to thank your members and donors for their support, what’s a better way than by offering them a free concert? We do this every year. Past VIP Concerts have featured Max Weinberg, Sister Hazel, and Robin Zander from Cheap Trick. This year, the VIP Concert stars the awesome funk band Here Come the Mummies. This concert is not open to the public; It’s by invitation for Florida Theatre Members at the “Cameo Role” level and above. (Hint: it’s never too late to become a Florida Theatre member.)

Learn more about membership here.

March 26 - Billy Joel Legends Live! The Lords of 52nd Street

Russell Javors (guitar), Liberty DeVito (drums) and Richie Cannata (sax) were key members of Billy Joel’s band from the Turnstiles album (1976) to The Nylon Curtain (1983). Record producer Phil Ramone coined their name during the sessions for the album 52nd Street. They’re much more than a cover band - they actually arranged and played on the records. They have a terrific singer who interprets rather than copies Billy Joel, and from “New York State of Mind,” to “You May Be Right” to “Angry Young Man,” it’s a very fun evening of live music.

Tickets are available here.

March 27 - Little River Band

Jacksonville has a special connection with the LRB. Jax was one of the first radio markets to break the LRB in America, and it’s been singing along ever since. We keep bringing them back because people still want to hear songs like “Reminiscing,” “Cool Change,” “Lady,” “Lonesome Loser,” and “Help Is on Its Way.”

Tickets are available here.

March 28 - The SteelDrivers

Notable for a former band member named Chris Stapleton, fiddler Tammy Rogers, bassist Mike Fleming, guitarist/vocalist Matt Dame, mandolinist Brent Truitt, and banjoist Richard Bailey still more than hold their own. They won the 2015 Grammy for Best Bluegrass recording for “The Muscle Shoals Recordings,” and they have three other Grammy nominations, including two Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal nominations for “Where Rainbows Never Die” and “Blue Side of the Mountain.”

Tickets are available here.

March 29 - Jimmy Failla

He’s a comedian, the host of Saturday Night with Jimmy Failla on Fox News, and the host of FOX Across America on the radio. A former NYC cab driver, he was named the 2014 Outstanding Male Comedian of the Year at the New York City Nightlife Awards. His comedy special, “State of the Union,” is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He has even played himself on The Jim Gaffigan Show on TV Land.

Tickets are available here.

March 30 - Big Head Todd and the Monsters

If you were listening to the right radio stations in the early ‘90s, you know them. But if you don’t, Big Head Todd and The Monsters?are a rock band from Colorado. They released 14 albums between 1989 and 2024 and have 5 Top 40 singles: “Bittersweet,” “Broken Hearted Savior,” “Circle,” “Resignation Superman,” and “Boom Boom.” Fun fact: the original members remain intact.

Tickets are available here.

March 31 - Stinky Cheese Man

Based on the book The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, this 55-minute performance is designed for students in grades K-4. There are two shows at 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM – perfect for schools! The show addresses curriculum themes including language arts, literature, vocabulary, spelling, creative writing and storytelling. If you haven’t read the book, poor Jack must save himself from a terrible Giant, but a cast of familiar fairytale characters (Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, Goldilocks, etc.) keep messing up his plans.

Tickets are available here.

March 31 - Dave Mason's Traffic Jam

He is the Forrest Gump of classic rock. He was everywhere. He played in Traffic with Steve Winwood, played on Derek and the Dominoes’ first live gig, played on the Rolling Stones’ “Street Fighting Man,” George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, Jimi Hendrix’s version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” and sang backup on Hendrix’s “Crosstown Traffic.” He wrote “Feelin’ Alright” for Traffic, and Joe Cocker had a hit with it, wrote “Only You Know and I Know” and Delaney and Bonnie had a hit with it, and he finally had a hit of his own with “We Just Disagree.”

Tickets are available here.

For a full list of upcoming Florida Theatre events, click here.

Sincerely,

Numa Saisselin

President of the Florida Theatre