Recycled Percussion Bringing High-Energy Show to Cranston’s Park Theatre February 21

Looking for a fun, family-friendly event for School Vacation Week? Then the Park Theatre in Cranston is the place to be on Saturday, February 21, for Recycled Percussion, a completely entertaining, yet hard-to-define theatrical spectacle. The band, best known for their third-place finish on America’s Got Talent in 2009, also performed thousands of shows over a decade in Las Vegas.

“It's a family show, a lot of comedy, a lot of great music from the 60s, the 70s, and the 80s,” says founding member Justin Spencer, who we spoke to recently. “It's a variety show with a cast of eight people on stage; amazing dancing, guitar playing, and drumming. If you could combine Blue Man Group with Rock of Ages, with some comedy blended in there, you kind of get an idea of what our show is all about.”

Based in Manchester, New Hampshire, the show is coming to Cranston for the first time. “We're celebrating the 30th year since the inception of the band in 1995,” says Spencer. “In that time, we've amassed over 8,000 performances around the world, including 5,000 of those in Las Vegas as a headline show, following our performances on America's Got Talent.”

“This particular tour has got great production elements to it,” continues Spencer. “Kids come from two years old and up, and they just have the time of their lives. We've always kind of made that our priority, to make sure we're an all ages of show.”

Spencer never expected the band to reach this level of fame. “You know, what we've achieved is one in a million, really,” he says. “We came from a small town in New Hampshire. We started in high school there and, for years and years and years, we used to perform at Faneuil Hall, outside Red Sox games, and in front of Boston Garden, hoping to make the tip money.”

The band has had quite a run over the past three decades, with many fans returning to shows multiple times. “It seemed like every few years something would happen, whether it was landing on the cover of the USA Today in 2000, performing our first NFL halftime show in 2001, and then getting a big break at New York's Intel eight years later, and then two years later, you're in Vegas. There are moments in your career when you recharge. Just when you think you kind of plateaued, something else happens, and another opportunity comes along.”

About eight years ago, the band returned to New England, where they created a TV show called Chaos and Kindness. “We basically went from performing 500 shows a year on stage with our band to about 100 shows a year in different venues around the country,” says Spencer, who is looking forward to the Cranston show. “I'll guarantee that it's one of the best shows that people will see. There are some great bits in there, awesome music, and amazingly talented performers. You will laugh until you cry. We've done 5,000 shows in Vegas. You can't survive in Vegas for 5,000 shows unless you've got something special.” Tickets are still available – click here for details.