10,000 Maniacs will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a hometown concert at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 21. Submitted photo

Jamestown’s 10,000 Maniacs featuring Mary Ramsey will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a special hometown concert at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 21.

Opening the concert will be Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root with Dirk Miller.

Tickets can be purchased online at RegLenna.com or at Center’s box office on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays (hours vary). Ticket prices are $52, $42 and $22. The event is being produced by SitlerHQ.

“It’s always special playing in front of friends, family and neighbors,” said Steve Gustafson, bassist and a founding member of the band. “The Jamestown audience is very supportive and encouraging and that feels good. Our Jamestown shows also attract many of our uber fans from around the country. They call themselves ‘The Stalkers.’ They are wonderful people, very friendly and generous. They will be here for the weekend, staying in hotels, eating at restaurants, checking out the National Comedy Center and all things Lucy.”

Dennis Drew, keyboardist and founding member, added, “We just keep getting better and better, so I’m excited. The Reg Lenna is absolutely the perfect size venue for us. It will be spectacular.”

Last year marked the 40-year anniversary of the inception of 10,000 Maniacs. Founded in 1981 in Jamestown, 10,000 Maniacs has weathered a few personnel changes and is still anchored by four out of six original members: Steve Gustafson, Dennis Drew, John Lombardo and Jerry Augustyniack.

The group went from being chased out of a bar at their first show in Erie, Pa., to one of the most enduring and recognizable bands from the early “alternative rock” movement — having released close to 20 albums. Their critically acclaimed break-out album, “In My Tribe,” was included in Rolling Stone Magazine’s “100 Best Albums of The Eighties.” In 1993, 10,000 Maniacs made their iconic performance on MTV’s “Unplugged.”

All told, the band has sold over 10 million albums, with eight Billboard Hot 100 singles, and has made countless appearances on national TV, including Saturday Night Live, The Late Show with David Letterman, and more. Their music continues to be heard in films and TV shows.

The band’s relationship with the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts (formerly known as The Palace Theater) has been with them also since the beginning. “I watched movies at the Palace Theater in the 1960s when I was a kid,” Gustafson said. “I saw ‘Viva Las Vegas’ there. I walked past it every day of high school. The Arts council and Phillip Morris let us rehearse on the stage of the Palace Theater before the money was raised to renovate and save the place.”

“We worked out songs for just about every album on that stage,” Drew said. “We shot our first MTV video there in 1985. We recorded demos for ‘Our Time in Eden’ there in ’92.”

Founding lead singer, Natalie Merchant left the band in 1993 to pursue a solo career and was replaced by back-up singer, Ramsey, who proved to be a natural fit for the band vocally and added another dimension to the group with her prowess on violin and viola. Sadly, founding member, Robert Buck, passed away in 2000 and was replaced by long-time guitar tech, Jeff Erickson. For 10,000 Maniacs, it’s really is about keeping it all in the family.

Opening the concert will be Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root and Dirk Miller. Glabicki is exploring new sounds and opening new doors with his solo career, regularly touring as a duo with Rusted Root’s guitar player, Dirk Miller. His set will feature many of Rusted Root’s hits, stories and songs yet to be released.

“Michael is wonderful,” Drew said. “We have a long history with him and the entire Rusted Root Family. He’s perfect for this show.”

Glabicki has a long history of playing Jamestown, as one of Rusted Root’s first traveling gigs was at Joyce’s Keg Room. The band returned to Chautauqua County regularly, playing the Keg Room and Great Blue Heron Music Festival several times. He recently returned in 2019 with his Uprooted Band, to headlined “Jamestown Best Day Ever” event.

The event is being made possible with grant funding provided through Jamestown’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative award provided by Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York state through Homes and Community Renewal and the Fund for Downtown Programming. The grant was approved by the Jamestown Local Development Corporation and is also administered by JLDC.