Community Bulletin
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The music was sleek, stylish and unmistakably modern. With infectious pop hooks, inventive synthesizers and driving rock guitars, The Cars created a sound that helped define the late 1970s and 1980s.
That music takes center stage when Best Friend’s Girl – America’s Favorite Cars Experience comes to the Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center on Saturday, October 10 at 7 p.m.
Best Friend’s Girl recreates the sound and excitement of a classic Cars concert, taking audiences on a journey through one of the most recognizable catalogs in American rock music. The show features an evening of hits including “Just What I Needed,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Good Times Roll,” “Let’s Go,” “Shake It Up,” “Magic,” “You Might Think,” “Drive” and “Moving in Stereo.”
Formed in Boston in 1976, The Cars featured Ric Ocasek on rhythm guitar and vocals, Benjamin Orr on bass and vocals, Elliot Easton on lead guitar, Greg Hawkes on keyboards and David Robinson on drums. Together, the five musicians found the perfect balance between the energy of classic rock and roll and the futuristic sounds emerging from the new wave movement.
The band’s self-titled debut album arrived in 1978 and became one of the era’s defining releases. Packed with songs that would remain on rock radio for decades, the album introduced listeners to the crisp production, cool vocals, melodic bass lines and sharp guitar hooks that became signatures of The Cars.
More hit records followed as the group moved seamlessly into the MTV generation. Songs such as “Shake It Up,” “Magic,” “You Might Think” and “Drive” were accompanied by memorable music videos that brought The Cars to an even larger audience.
The band sold more than 23 million albums and placed more than 20 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. Its recordings also became part of popular culture beyond radio and MTV. “Moving in Stereo,” for example, became inseparable from one of the most memorable scenes in the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
The Cars’ lasting musical influence and commercial achievements were recognized with the group’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
Best Friend’s Girl was formed by veteran professional musicians united by their appreciation for The Cars and their determination to reproduce the music with authenticity. Rather than simply playing familiar songs, the group carefully recreates the musical details that made the original recordings so distinctive.
Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist John Starr has performed since childhood and has worked professionally as a guitarist, bassist and vocalist with numerous acts. His experience and versatility help capture the distinctive vocal character and understated stage presence associated with The Cars.
Bassist Gary Bonneau is a longtime Cars fan who saw the original band in concert. After years of performing throughout the Northeast, he toured with the original group Eight Days Gone, developing extensive experience with both original music and classic rock favorites.
Drummer Mike Weber began playing at age seven, developing his skills alongside recordings by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and The Beach Boys. He later toured regionally and nationally, worked as a session musician and built a professional recording studio where he expanded into engineering and production.
Keyboardist Tom Wooley has spent more than 30 years performing in the New Jersey and New York music scenes. A music composition graduate and lifelong synthesizer enthusiast, Wooley has performed with tribute productions devoted to Pink Floyd, Santana, Led Zeppelin and Chicago. His knowledge of vintage keyboards is essential to recreating the unusual sounds and textures that Greg Hawkes brought to The Cars.
Together, the musicians reproduce the contrasting elements that made The Cars unique: rock guitar and electronic keyboards, emotional melodies and cool delivery, polished arrangements and raw energy.
For audiences who grew up with The Cars, Best Friend’s Girl provides a chance to reconnect with the songs that played on car radios, turntables and MTV throughout an unforgettable musical era. For those discovering the music more recently, the show demonstrates why The Cars remain an enduring influence on rock, pop and new wave artists.
Best Friend’s Girl – America’s Favorite Cars Experience performs at the Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center on Saturday, October 10 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25–$65, plus applicable ticket fees, and may be purchased online at therobinsongrand.com, by calling 855-773-6283 or at the Robinson Grand Theatre Box Office.
The Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center is located at 444 W. Pike Street, Clarksburg. The performance is appropriate for all ages.
