Buffalo State Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall Highlights Spring 2025 Series
Darcy & Jer: Average at Best Tour
The Buffalo State University Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall is excited to highlight its spring 2025 series—the most robust in the PAC’s history—featuring award-winning comedians, internationally acclaimed musicians, world-champion Irish dancers, and much more.
The series opens on Saturday, February 22 at 8:00 p.m. with Darcy & Jer: Average at Best Tour, presented by Live Nation. With more than six million followers across platforms and an average of 50 million views a month, Darcy Michael and Jeremy Baer are leaders in comedy content creation. This real-life couple’s joyful personalities and unique content have allowed them to cultivate a community that embraces conversation about mental health and relationships; Michael has ADHD, and both men are members of the LGTBQ+ community. The duo aims to create an inclusive, safe environment that celebrates life with neurodivergence. Join Darcy & Jer as they riff on their neurodiverse relationship, share parenting anecdotes, and explore life as a middle-aged couple.
A Taste of Ireland
The Performing Arts Center welcomes former Irish dance world champions and dancers from Lord of the Dance and Riverdance in A Taste of Ireland: The Irish Music and Dance Sensation, on Friday, March 7, at 7:00 p.m. Presented by Pace Live, A Taste of Ireland transports the audience through Ireland’s tumultuous history as world-class performers blend melodic folk mashups, jaw-dropping acapella tap battles, and heartwarming storytelling with a pint of Irish wit.
Sam Morril: The Errors Tour
Sam Morril, one of today’s fastest rising comics, brings his Errors Tour to the Buffalo State Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, March 12, at 7:00 p.m. Previously a regular on Comedy Central’s This Week at the Comedy Cellar, Morril released his debut album, Class Act, with Comedy Central Records in 2015 and it went to No. 1 on iTunes. Morril has made multiple appearances on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Last Comic Standing, America’s Got Talent, and Inside Amy Schumer. His latest special, Sam Morril: You’ve Changed, can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video. Morril was also the host of the Emmy-nominated People Talking Sports on MSG; made a cameo in the Academy Award-nominated film Joker; and enjoyed more than 80 sold-out shows around the world on his last comedy tour. This show is presented by Live Nation.
Marcus Miller
The PAC is proud to present two-time Grammy award-winner Marcus Miller on Friday, March 14 at 8:00 p.m. Dubbed one of the most influential artists of our time, Miller’s characteristic bass sound can be heard on a limitless catalog of hits, including Bill Wither’s “Just The Two Of Us,” Luther Vandross’s “Never Too Much,” and songs by Chaka Kahn, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, Elton John and more. Millers distinctive style—a combination of funk, groove, soul, and pure technique—has earned him distinction as “one of the most significant bass players in jazz, R&B, fusion, and soul.” Miller’s fifteen years of songwriting and production partnership with Luther Vandross resulted in 13 consecutive platinum-selling albums and a 1992 double Grammy for “The Poet Of Love/Love Power” (Best R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song). Miller’s long list of television and film scores include cult-classic House Party, Boomerang, About Last Night, and the series Everybody Hates Chris. He also composed the music for the Oscar-nominated film Marshall. Miller’s new album, Laid Black—featuring guest performers Trombone Shorty, Kirk Whalum, Take 6, and Jonathan Butler—continues to cement his superstar status as a fusion, funk, soul and jazz master.
Modi: Pause for Laughter Tour
AEG presents Modi for a stop at the Buffalo State Performing Arts Center on Thursday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m., for a stop during his Pause for Laughter Tour. Voted one of the top 10 comedians in New York City by the Hollywood Reporter, Modi has been featured on HBO, CBS, NBC, ABC, Comedy Central, and more. At age seven, Modi emigrated with his family from Tel Aviv, Israel, to the United States and was raised on Long Island. His debut special, Know Your Audience, was released this past March. Modi has acting credits in several films, including lead roles in Stand Up, a feature-length film, and Waiting for Woody Allen, winner of the LA Film Festival. He has also appeared as himself in HBO’s Crashing and Netflix’s When Jews Were Funny. In 2018, then-mayor Bill de Blasio declared June 26 “Morchechi Modi Rosenfeld Day” in New York City, in recognition of Modi’s accomplishments and contributions to the artistic community.
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass & Other Delights
The PAC welcomes the legendary Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass & Other Delights, presented by Martin Media, on Friday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m. This year, Alpert celebrates his 90th birthday, as well as the 60th birthday of his classic album, Whipped Cream & Other Delights. For first time in more than 35 years, Alpert is touring with an all-new “Tijuana Brass.” He performs hit songs like “The Lonely Bull,” “Taste of Honey,” “Tijuana Taxi,” “Ladyfingers,” to a backdrop of photos, videos, and art from his extraordinary career. This 90-minute show includes an audience Q&A, during which Alpert answers questions about his career and the founding of A&M Records. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime concert event! This show is currently sold out but limited tickets may become available closer to show date.
An Evening With David Sedaris
Pre-eminent humor writer and satire master David Sedaris makes his return to the Performing Arts Center on Thursday, April 3, at 8:00 p.m. in An Evening with David Sedaris, presented by Funtime. Sedaris has authored multiple New York Times bestsellers, including Barrel Fever, Holidays on Ice, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, and more. His most recent book, Happy-Go-Lucky, debuted at number one on the Times bestseller list. Sedaris and his sister, Amy, have collaborated under the name, “The Talent Family,” to write half a dozen plays, which have been produced at New York City venues like Lincoln Center. Sedaris has been nominated for five Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word and Best Comedy Album. In 2019, he became a regular contributor to CBS Sunday Morning, and released his master class, “David Sedaris Teaches Storytelling and Humor.” Sedaris’ books have more than 16 million copies in print and have been translated into 32 languages. He was recently elected as a member into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and, in 2020, the New York Public Library voted Me Talk Pretty One Day one of the 125 most important books of the last 125 years. Don’t miss Sedaris as he returns to the Buffalo State Performing Arts Center stage this spring.
Matt Mathews
Live Nation presents Matt Mathews: Boujee On a Budget Tour on Friday, April 4, at 7:00 p.m. In a short time, Mathews has skyrocketed into the social media stratosphere through his hilariously raw posts, side-splitting short-form videos, and stand-up clips, earning him more than 4.8 million followers on TikTok and 2 million followers on Instagram. He recently wrapped up his debut headlining tour that sold out 100 dates with 150,000 tickets across the country. Mathews’s six-episode YouTube series, Doin’ the Most With Matt Mathews, which follows Mathews as he takes on new challenges from ballet class to bartending, premiered this past fall. Matt Mathews brings his massive 53-city Boujee on a Budget Tour across the United States this fall and spring, which includes the April 4 stop at Buffalo State. He will discuss a variety of topics and personal experiences in his stand-up, including his daily life of living on a farm, his career as a boudoir photographer, relationships, and more. And he’ll bring his ever-popular “Confessions with Matt” video series to the live stage, where he provides a real-time comedic take on audience members who voluntarily choose to spill their secrets.
Marion Meadows, Brian Simpson, and Althea Rene
The Buffalo State Performing Arts Center presents Marion Meadows, Brian Simpson, and Althea Rene on Friday, April 11 at 8:00 p.m. Saxophonist Marion Meadows has become a staple of contemporary jazz, having released more than a dozen groundbreaking albums. He has recorded or performed with the greats, including Michael Bolton, Will Downing, The Temptations, and Chuck Loeb. Keyboardist and composer Brian Simpson started off playing alongside musicians Gerald Albright and Norman Brown, and eventually went on a world tour with Janet Jackson. He spent a decade touring and producing with the late jazz legend George Duke. Simpson has writing and performing credits on R&B chart-topping albums and Smooth Jazz Airplay charts. Flutist and bandleader Althea Rene is a dynamic, soulful performer with a bend towards contemporary jazz, funk, and instrumental R&B. A Detroit native, Rene is the daughter of trumpeter, saxophonist and longtime original Fun Brother Dezie McCullers. In 2013, Rene released In the Flow which, buoyed by the singles “Sunday Cruise,” and “Free,” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz chart. In 2018, Rene published the book Becoming Chocolate Barbie: A Guide for Professional Women in the Music Business and, in 2019, she released her eighth studio album, Flawsome. Together, these three jazz stars take the stage at the Buffalo State Performing Arts Center on April 11.
The PAC offers two incredible film-themed orchestra performances by the Hollywood Film Orchestra, presented by Star Entertainment, on Saturday, April 12. The event begins at 4:00 p.m. with a live orchestra performance of The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit—In Concert, featuring new music from The War of the Rohirrim. The musicians, choir, and the dark voice of “Saruman”—actor Sir Christopher Lee will immerse audiences in the musical world of J.R.R. Tolkien, complete with threatening sounds of Mordor, shrill attacks of the Black Riders, and the beautiful lyrical melodies of the elves. There will even be a special guest appearance from a member of the film’s original cast!
An 8:00 performance of The Music of Hans Zimmer & Others follows, featuring a pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean. Dive into the musical cosmos of Hans Zimmer and other film composers with music from Top Gun, Dune, Jones Bond, The Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lion King, Gladiator, The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar, and more. In addition to the Hollywood Film Orchestra, this performance features a choir, star soloists, selected film sequences, illumination, and laser projection.
Brian Regan Live
Brian Regan, dubbed by Vanity Fair “the funniest stand-up alive,” returns to the Buffalo State Performing Arts Center on Friday, May 9, at 8:00 p.m. in a show presented by Live Nation. Regan is a regular guest on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon and has made 28 appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman. Regan stars as “Mugsy” in all three seasons of the hit TV series Loudermilk, which ranked in the Top 10 TV shows for more than a month after its January 2024 move to Netflix. With Jerry Seinfeld, Regan stars and executive produces the Netflix series Stand Up and Away! With Brian Regan, which combines stand-up and sketch comedy. Regan’s stand-up special, Brian Regan: Live From Radio City Music Hall, made history in 2015 as the first live broadcast of a stand-up special on Comedy Central. Regan has two stand-up Netflix specials, and tours to sold out crowds in close to 100 cities across North America each year.
Trevor Wallace: The Alpha Beta Male
And, closing out the Buffalo State Performing Arts Center’s jam-packed season of variety is Trevor Wallace: The Alpha Beta Male, presented by Live Nation on May 10 at 7:00 p.m. Wallace is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor that can be seen just about everywhere on the internet. He has collectively built a digital thumbprint of more than 2.5 billion views across his social media channels, with a collective following of more 16 million fans. Wallace has been featured by Comedy Central, MTV, Barstool Sports, E! News, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Ad Age, Business Insider, Men’s Health, Buzzfeed, and Complex, to name a few. He was also a finalist for “Best in Comedy” at the 2020 Shorty Awards, and has worked with prestigious brands such as Chipotle, Natural Light, BruMate, SeatGeek, G FUEL, OnePlus, Bumble, Wetzel’s Pretzels, Snickers, Monster Energy, and more. Wallace has toured the country, performing at theaters, colleges, and comedy clubs, including the Netflix Is A Joke Festival, Moontower Comedy Festival, and the New York Comedy Festival. This past year, Wallace wrapped up his sold-out Are You That Guy? tour, which was an international success. His first hour-long special, Pterodactyl, is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Tickets to all shows are on sale now and can be purchased Tuesdays through Fridays, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in person at the Rockwell Hall Box Office or by phone at (716) 878-3005, or anytime online at buffalostatepac.org. For the most up-to-date show announcement information and for early access to tickets for future shows, be sure to sign up for the Performing Arts Center email list.
Media Contact:
Andrew Binder, Director of Operations
Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall
Buffalo State University
(716) 878-3599
