The Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, is a historic treasure. The auditorium is a venue that is one of my favorites. When you walk into the auditorium it’s like walking into a cathedral and rightfully so because they have been doing Sunday religious services on the expansive stage each Sunday at 10:30 a.
m. in the summer. The structure was built in 1894 and its arched ceiling, intricate woodwork and barn doors are a definite throwback to simpler times and excellent construction.
While little has changed with the structure of the auditorium, a few upgrades to the seating took the seating capacity from 10,000 to its current capacity of 6,200. It has no air-conditioning or heat and events and concerts are usually held in the summer. The Great Auditorium acoustics are so special that the aged wood grabs each note and produces a true sound unheard in any other venue.
At a Tony Bennett show at the auditorium around 10 or 12 years ago, Tony put the microphone back in the stand and sang acapella. It gave me chills as you could hear a pin drop and the sound of Tony Bennett’s melodious tones softly bouncing off the 130-year-old structure. I heard The Beach Boys do that, the late great Johnny Maestro, The Duprees and so many other artists pay tribute to the sound and feel of the auditorium.
The great conductor Leonard Bernstein performed at the auditorium and compared the acoustics to Carnegie Hall. For over 20 years, each summer I hosted some outstanding concerts at the a.