A.J. Croce at Mahaiwe Theatre on October 23 2026: A Night of Nuanced Nostalgia
Acclaimed singer songwriter, piano virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist A.J. Croce took his celebrated Croce Plays Croce Tour to the historic Mahaiwe Theatre in Great Barrington, Massachusetts on Friday October 23 2026 for a memorable and emotional night of music. The over two-and-a-half hour set included his own material, a few choice covers, and many of his father’s best known songs, as well as some deep cuts and some of A.J.’s personal favorites.
Jim Croce was a singular artist, who tapped into the culture of the seventies (roller derbies, car washes, stock cars, public telephones), wrote songs of colorful blue-collar characters (“Big” Jim Walker, Willy “Slim” McCoy, Rapid Roy, Dixie Dawn, Speedball Tucker, Leroy Brown), and created timeless classics (“Time in a Bottle,” “Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels),” “I Got a Name”), with his unique guitar playing, chord progressions, and melodies.
A.J. Croce has also established a name for himself, as a multi-instrumentalist blending blues, jazz, rock, and Americana. Croce was backed by some legendary players including: drummer Gary Mallaber (Van Morrison/Steve Miller Band), bassist/singer David Barard (Dr. John), and guitarist/violinist James Pennebaker (Delbert McClinton), and background dynamic singers Jackie Wilson and Katrice Donaldson. The show featured a moving multi-media presentation on the back screen of home movies, archival footage, and appropriate film clips that fit the themes of Croce’s song lyrics interspersed with live camera shots of the band.
As the lights dimmed, the show began with a clip of Jim Croce holding an acoustic guitar and talking about his son A.J. and when he stated, “Let’s bring him out,” the lights came up and A.J. and his band took the stage. He established a personal rapport with the audience and overall vibe for the evening from the get-go, sitting down at the piano and stating: “Good evening, folks, how are you? It is nice to be back in the Berkshires – it has been awhile. You are going to hear some songs that you know, some songs that you don’t know, and some songs that you should know” before plunking out the intro to the opening number “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim.” The upbeat “Workin’ at the Car Wash Blues” followed, and afterward, Croce rolled up his sleeves, and asserted, “I’m going to show off a bit on this one, let’s see what this piano can do,” before launching into a jazzy piano solo intro to Billy Preston’s “Nothing From Nothing.”
During the night, he shared memories, told humorous anecdotes, bantered with audience gregarious members, and provided background stories of both his own and his father’s songs. He explained how he taught himself piano and guitar, heavily influenced by early blues, folk, country, rock, and soul artists from his father’s record collection (admitting, “I would not be here if not for that music”), toured with some of these legendary icons like B.B. King, Willie Nelson, and Ray Charles (who he cheekily confessed was his “gateway drug”), has written songs with artists like Leon Russell and Alan Toussant, and was recently joined by Americana artist Jason Isbell on his latest single “Hey Magarita.”
Besides his obvious influence from his father, all A.J.’s influences were all on display, as he moved from piano (with some dexterous solos on “Rollin’ On” and “Hung Up (On You)”), to Rhodes organ, to acoustic and electric guitars (including his 1967 Gibson ES 330 and golden Gibson Les Paul) depending on what the song needed. It was a night of both nostalgia and nuance, as Croce brought the crowd back in time to honor his father, and at the same time, showcased his own diverse and acclaimed original music and musicianship.
“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” was one of the 45rpm records – that my father brought home from the barroom jukebox where he worked – that I played on a small red and white suitcase record player. When a cartoon clip appeared on the back screen during A.J.’s performance of “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” it was immediately brought me back to my younger days (when I first saw it on The Sonny & Cher Show in the late 70s), and apparently it had the same effect on many other patrons as they gleefully sang along, danced in their seats, and cheered afterward. The final two numbers were quite emotional, especially when Croce sang the poignant line “And I carry it with me like my daddy did” in “I Got A Name,” the final number before he thanked everyone, exited the stage, and the lights dimmed. To aptly bookend the show, once again an archival film clip of Jim Croce singing “Time in a Bottle” appeared on the back screen, and you could have heard a pin drop. As the first verse concluded, the lights came up, and Croce and band segued seamlessly into the song, creating the night’s final poignant moment. As a kid growing up in the seventies, every time I heard or played my 45 record of Croce’s sentimental classic “Time in a Bottle,” I had a visceral response I felt deep inside, even when I saw it on The Muppet Show (performed by a puppet scientist who sings the lyrics while mixing potions that make him grow younger with every verse until he inadvertently reverts back to his original old age at the end of the song). The song still elicits this immediate response, and experiencing it in this live performance not only hit hard, but proved that certain songs can still permeate the very marrow of bone, and the welling emotional response from the entire audience was palpable as people left the theatre regaling about the remarkable performance they had just witnessed.
At one point in the night, Croce – acknowledging his legacy – stated, “We all stand on the shoulders of giants,” and reminded everyone that although it took him twelve years to get there, his father’s professional career was only a mere 18 months before his untimely death in 1973 at the age of 30. Croce Plays Croce is an unforgettable evening of music. A.J. is not only carrying it with him, he is sharing it with us in a performance that bridges generations, transcends time, and celebrates the enduring power of song. Do yourself a favor, and go see this show. https://www.ajcrocemusic.com/
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: Interview: A.J. Croce Carrying the Music Forward
AJ CROCE SETLIST (*Jim Croce songs):
You Don’t Mess Around With Jim*
Workin’ at the Car Wash Blues *
Nothing From Nothing (Billy Preston cover)
Box #10 *
Better Day (Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee cover)
Complications of Love
Speedball Tucker *
Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels) *
Rollin’ On
The Heart That Makes Me Whole
Roller Derby Queen *
So Much Fun
New York’s Not My Home / I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song *
Hard Time Losin’ Man *
It Doesn’t Have to Be That Way *
Alabama Rain *
One Less Set of Footsteps *
Hey Margarita
Photographs and Memories *
Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy) *
Hung Up (On You)
Trouble In Mind
Bad, Bad Leroy Brown *
I Got a Name *
ENCORE:
Time in a Bottle *