The duo of Tina Fey and Amy Pohler is an exception in a male-heavy schedule. They played two shows at the Ocean Casino Resort on June 21.
Where are the women?
That’s the question posed by this summer’s casino and regional headliner schedule. There are just a small handful of mainstream, female-headlining acts, most notably comedy titans Tina Fey and Amy Pohler (June 21) and R&B star Ashanti (Aug. 1) at Ocean Casino Resort, and Wilson-Phillips (July 25, Windcreek Bethlehem) booked through the start of autumn.
Male performers have always outnumbered females in gambling-hall bookings, but the disparity has never been so striking, at least in this observer’s memory. Yet the lineup is not without notable names. Following is a chronological schedule of the season’s highlights. (All tickets are available at ticketmaster.com, except where noted):
Tina Fey and Amy Pohler (June 21, Ocean, two shows)
The dynamic duo’s performance at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City two years ago was among the best the town has seen this decade. Fey and Pohler displayed an impressive variety of comedy chops, generating non-stop laughs via sketches, improvisation, and even standup turns that emphasize their obvious affection for each other.
Jackson Browne (June 28, Hard Rock)
It’s been seven years since Browne – among the most iconic of the singer-songwriters spawned in the 1970s – last visited Absecon Island, so this gig is definitely long awaited. The Hard Rock show is his only scheduled performance until he begins a four-night stand at New York’s Beacon Theater, and one of only 18 shows in eight locations planned for 2025. As such, it’s an especially cool gig.
Darius Rucker (July 12, Hard Rock)
Rucker conquered the rock world as lead singer of ’90s chart-toppers Hootie & The Blowfish. Rather than rest on those laurels, he’s reinvented himself as a front-line country music attraction.
Jeff Dunham (July 13, Ocean)
Every generation has its superstar ventriloquist, and Dunham – who launched his career on TV’s “America’s Got Talent” – now holds that title.
Frankie Valli (July 19, Hard Rock)
Either with the Four Seasons or billed as a solo, the most famous “Jersey Boy” of all has been an AC headliner for more than 60 years, first at Steel Pier, then as a reliable attraction at the casinos. Now 91, Valli swears his 2025 road trip is his final one. His tour is billed as “Last Encores,” so the Hard Rock show stands as historic.
Daryl Hall, with special guest Glenn Tilbrook (July 25, Ocean)
Hall’s acrimonious split with long-time partner John Oates has allowed him to go the solo route. But it’s probably not wrong to expect his set will include a heaping helping of Hall and Oates’ signature songs. And if you go, get there in time to see opener Tilbrook, the former Squeeze co-leader (with Chris Difford) responsible for some of the catchiest tunes of the past 45 years or so.
The Second City (July 26, Live! Casino-Hotel Philadelphia)
The pioneering sketch/improv-comedy group that spawned the careers of such giants as Joan Rivers. John Belushi, Alan Alda, Dan Aykroyd and Stephen Colbert is celebrating its 65th anniversary with a national tour. You never know what future star you might see in the cast. (Tickets at axs.com)
Colin Jost, (Aug. 2, Ocean)
The popular “Saturday Night Live” writer-performer steps out from behind the “Weekend Update” anchor desk to offer a full standup set.
Ginuwine (Aug. 2, Rivers Casino Philadelphia)
Expect a night of smooth R&B when the singer born Elgin Baylor Lumpkin checks into the Fishtown gaming hall. (Tickets at axs.com)
Magic Rocks: Illusionist Leon Etienne (Aug. 2, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City)
It’s ironic that magic – once a lodestone of the summer show business – has all but disappeared from the local casino scene. So, if you need a fix, Etienne is the guy to see; he’s the only illusionist due in the area this summer.
David Lee Roth (Aug. 8, Hard Rock)
The former Van Halen front man hasn’t toured since COVID prematurely ended his 2020 road trip. Roth did a set at a May 3 show in California that was entirely comprised of Van Halen songs, but he didn’t even include his two solo hits, “California Girls” and “Just A Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody,” so draw your own conclusions about this concert.
Alice Cooper (Aug. 16, Windcreek Bethlehem)
If you missed “Auntie Alice” in Atlantic City last month, this is another chance to see the Sultan of Shock Rock in a relatively small venue. He’s also coming to Citizens Bank Park on Aug. 15 as the opening act for My Chemical Romance.
An Evening with Lil Mo’ Mozerella (Aug. 16, Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City)
If you’re not hip to the guy born Mark Brucato, he’s a Brooklyn-born, Queens-bred social-media personality whose 60-second takes on Gotham’s food culture are described on his website as having “a spirit akin to Adam Richman meets Guy Fieri’s ‘Diners Drive-ins & Dives,’ mixed with a quick in-and-out Italian twist.”
Hank Azaria & the EZ Street Band (Aug. 23, Borgata)
There are plenty of tribute acts headed our way over the next few months, but only one has an honest-to-goodness celebrity fronting it. That would be Azaria, the veteran film and TV actor who is perhaps best known and loved for voicing multiple characters on “The Simpsons.” In case the billing doesn’t give it away, he and his backing group will pay homage to Bruce Springsteen and his band.
George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic (Aug. 23, Windcreek Bethlehem)
Clinton turns 84 next month, but the godfather of hard-core funk still burns grooves on stages around the world. If you’re looking for a “must-see” show this summer, this one definitely qualifies.
Al Jardine and the Pet Sounds Band (Sept. 5, Borgata)
The June 11 death of Brian Wilson gives this date by Beach Boys co-founder Jardine added significance, especially because the Pet Sounds Band is the same unit that backed Wilson’s solo efforts for years.
UB40 (Sept. 6, Parx)
The 1980s band that topped the charts with reggae reinventions of pop hits like Neil Diamond’s “Red, Red Wine” and the Elvis Presley standard, “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You,” celebrates the 45th anniversary of its debut album’s release.
Sebastian Maniscalco (Sept. 18-21, 25-28, Ocean)
After a decade of precedent-setting runs at Borgata, Maniscalco is moving his wildly popular standup act to Ocean. Our spies tell us he liked the idea of playing the gaming hall’s luxe Ovation Hall, as opposed to Borgata’s utilitarian and smaller Event Center. He’ll do eight shows at the O.
Actor Hank Azaria and his backing group will pay homage to Bruce Springsteen and his band at the Borgata.
