‘Jersey Boys’ nostalgia fades, but the ‘Hit Men’ play on
CRANFORD, N.J. — Five years ago, some musicians who had played with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons during his comeback in the 1970s rounded up some of their friends, slicked back what hair they had left and set out on a tour to capitalize on the success of Broadway’s “Jersey Boys.”
“It was kind of, ‘Let’s see if this works. If not, we’ll have fun; it’ll be great, and we’ll try it a couple of times,’” keyboardist Lee Shapiro said this week as the group prepared to play a show at the New Jersey shore.
Today, the Hit Men are showing no signs of slowing down. They have played hundreds of shows across the country — including at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort — and have gigs booked through next May.
Along the way, they’ve overcome the deaths of two group members and the fading of the “Jersey Boys” phenomenon to carve out a niche in the lucrative pop music nostalgia universe. “Jersey Boys” is a jukebox musical chronicling Valli’s career.