Croce Plays Croce 50th Anniversary Tour Comes to the Buddy Holly Hall December 14th

Lubbock, TX – Multi-faceted singer/songwriter A.J. Croce is hitting the road again in celebration of two more of his father Jim Croce’s legendary albums, 1973’s Life and Times and his final release, I Got A Name, in addition to songs from You Don’t Mess Around With Jim. The much-anticipated fall tour, Croce Plays Croce 50^th Anniversary will be performing at The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences on December 14, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.

The Croce Plays Croce 50^th Anniversary show features a legendary band (including drummer Gary Mallaber, bassist David Barard, guitar/violin James Pennebaker) and a moving multi-media presentation accompanying Jim’s songs (which on the previous tour included memorable hits, “Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels),” “Time in a Bottle,” and others). It was fan-demand for more, and the camaraderie that A.J. felt with the audience, the players, and the connection to his father’s timeless music that inspired A.J. to embark on the 50^th Anniversary tour for 2023. “The audience reaction has been so great,” says A.J. “The shows we did last year were not only met with a huge response, but I learned so much about what works and what resonates, we knew we had to keep going.”

The gifted multi-instrumentalist says besides the two albums Life and Times and I Got A Name, tracks from the popular You Don’t Mess Around With Jim – which fueled last year’s run – will also be part of the new show. “We’ll be playing songs representative from all three albums, and also some songs the audience might not know from more obscure artists that I realized connected me and my father. It was those songs that eventually led me to do this show in the first place.”

BMG has 50^th anniversary editions of Life and Times and I Got A Name planned for release in the summer. These will be limited color vinyl pressings of each album to celebrate this momentous anniversary and a special box set, among other promotions.

A.J. says the upcoming Life and Times and I Got A Name shows will continue to be fresh and spontaneous.  “People were surprised when they came that the show wasn’t just Jim Croce’s ballads,” he says. “I think one of the things the audience will appreciate if they haven’t seen us yet, is how alive these songs sound.  All the musicians have a level of improvisation that makes it a lot of fun.”

The two Jim Croce albums that turn 50 in 2023 are considered among Croce’s finest, with Life and Times, originally released in January of 1973, delivering the game-changing hit “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” which became the Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame inductee’s calling card, hitting #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, and ranked as the #2 song for all of 1973.  I Got A Name was his final studio album (and the first posthumous release by Jim), with the title song being released the day after his tragic plane crash which occurred on September 20, 1973. The album also featured the smash hit ballad “I’ll Have to Say I Love You In A Song,” and “Workin’ At The Car Wash Blues,” among others.

Fans and critics who attended last year’s 50^th Anniversary Celebration shows are thrilled that A.J. Croce is readying another affectionate interpretation of his father’s enduring legacy. The shows have renewed interest in Jim Croce and garnered praise for A.J: “I think they come as a Jim Croce fan but also leave as fans of mine. That’s something that has also made this whole experience really amazing.”

Tickets for Croce Plays Croce 50^th Anniversary Tour range in price from $29.50 to $74.50 plus taxes and fees. Tickets can be purchased online at buddyhollyhall.com, by calling ETIX at 1 (800) 514-3849, and in person at the venue box office at 1300 Mac Davis Lane, Lubbock, TX 79401, open Monday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

CROCE PLAYS CROCE 50TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR

For a complete schedule of 2023 dates for Croce Plays Croce 50th Anniversary Tour visit:  https://www.ajcrocemusic.com