In 2021, with the COVID shutdown removing the first half of the year, HHT was still able to host 23 events with over 5500 guests and $150k in event revenue.

The year included a series of special events to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Hemet’s historic theatre. In August, HHT hosted the first joint mixer for both valley Chambers of Commerce where City of Hemet Mayor Karlee Meyer presented the Foundation with a Key to the City.

Then in September, the Press Enterprise announced that HHT has become the number one music venue in the entire Inland Empire!

In October, the Hemet Heritage Foundation hosted a 100th Birthday Party with a presentation on the theatre’s history by CEO Susan Carrier and tours of the vintage movie house. November highlighted the history of the valley with a showing of the film “Mr. Whittier’s Hemet” with a Q&A by the cast and crew. Special concerts featuring Queen Nation and Ronstadt Revival filled the holiday season with music. And New Year’s Eve saw the return of the wild antics of “Rocky Horror New Year’s Eve.”

The final event for the 100-year celebration will be next week at the Foundation’s spectacular “Vintage Vegas” Gala when legendary impressionist Rich Little will take the stage, live from Las Vegas! Festivities will include a “Champagne & Chocolate” dessert bar, open wine and beer bar, fun photo booth, prize wheel, raffle prizes, and a Grand Prize Drawing with a top prize of $1000 cash! Tickets for the Gala are $100 general admission and $200 for VIP seating at the foot of the stage.

Fundraising continues for future renovations including handicap seating and restrooms. Also planned is an expansion at the rear of the building to serve as a green room for performers. Most urgent on the list is the old A/C system. One of the system’s four units has failed and will need to be repaired or replaced before summer arrives. COVID-related grants have provided over $250k in funding, but much more is needed to realize the full potential of Hemet’s vintage movie house.

Meanwhile, this week will be the kick-off for Season One of the 2022 Tribute Mania Concert Series. Saturday’s Tribute to The Bee Gees has been sold out for weeks. John Acosta and the rest of the Bee Gees Gold band are anxiously awaiting their return to the HHT spotlight.

On Monday January 10th, the Hemet Heritage Foundation will once again host their monthly meeting at HHT, featuring a presentation by Scott Hudson, a retired Hemet Firefighter and Safety Officer. Hudson served as a member of the Riverside Multi-Agency FEMA Urban Search and Rescue team. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attack, the team was dispatched to the World Trade Center and served ten days at Ground Zero. His presentation will be, “Eyes of Manhattan on 9/11: The World Trade Center Through the Eyes of a Safety Officer.”

The full roster for Season One of the 2022 Tribute Mania Concert Series includes tributes to The Bee Gees featuring Bee Gees Gold (Jan 8), Prince with Prince Again (Jan 22), Mańa featuring Corazón de Mańa (Feb 5), AC/DC with Bonfire (Feb 19), Marvin Gaye featuring Jackie’s Boy (Mar 5), The Doors with Strange Days (Mar 19), Johnny Cash featuring Neil Morrow (Apr 2) and Van Halen with Fan Halen (Apr 23). Tickets for Tribute Mania events are $25, general admission. Showtime is 7:00 pm, with doors open at 6:15 pm.

Information on all theatre events is available at www.HistoricHemetTheatre.com or by calling the ticket office, (951) 658-5950. You can subscribe to the HHT email blast by enrolling on the website.

Emily Rand | Contributed

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Festivities for the event will include special food, games, and activities. Concessions will include $3 beer and wine, along with popcorn and HHT’s usual assortment of snacks.

It’s a great way to watch the game with a lively group of football fans. This week’s game is a matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bengals are favored to win by 7-1/2 points, although analysts expect that the Jaguars’ younger defense may be able to play “keep-away,” and the Bengals’ weak home field turnout will work against them.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s Tribute to Foreigner featuring 4NR is sold out, along with the rest of the 2021 Tribute Mania Concert Series, including The Beatles, with Hard Day’s Night (Oct 16), and Tribute to Fleetwood Mac with Mirage (Oct 23). There are still tickets available for the Tribute to Queen featuring Queen Nation (Nov 20) and the Holiday Tribute to Linda Ronstadt (Dec 4).

Information on all theatre events is available at www.HistoricHemetTheatre.com or by calling the ticket office, (951) 658-5950. You can subscribe to the HHT email blast by enrolling on the website.

Emily Rand | Contributed

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Debby Holiday is a singer/songwriter with over a dozen Top Billboard dance hits including “Dive,” “Half a Mile Away,” “Bring it On,” “Piece of My Love,” and “Surrender Me.” Performing across the country, her powerful voice and electric stage presence bring the legend of Tina Turner to life on stage.

Tina Turner was known for her energetic stage presence and powerful vocals, earning her recognition as one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, selling more than 200 million records in her 50-year career.

Back in the late 50’s, Tina Turner lit up the charts performing with husband Ike Turner. Then in the 1980’s, Tina returned as a solo artist, launching one of the greatest comebacks in music history and becoming the oldest female artist to top the Hot 100 chart. Her live tour set a Guinness World Record for the largest paying audience (180,000).

Turner also acted in the films Tommy (1975), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), and Last Action Hero (1993). What’s Love Got to Do with It, a film based on her life was released in 1993. Turner retired after completing her Anniversary Tour in 2009, which is one of the highest-grossing tours of all time.

Tina’s top hits include “We Don’t Need Another Hero,” “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” “Private Dancer,” and the Grammy-winning “Proud Mary.” She has earned 12 Grammy Awards, 3 Grammy Hall of Fame Awards, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

7 shows remain in the 2021 Tribute Mania Concert Season: Tribute to Tina Turner, featuring Debby Holiday (Aug 14), Tribute to Neil Diamond, with Hot August Night (Aug 21), Tribute to Led Zeppelin, with Led Zepagain (Sept 4), Tribute to Bob Seger, with Turn the Page (Sept 18), Tribute to Foreigner. featuring 4NR (Oct 2), Tribute to The Beatles, with Hard Day’s Night (Oct 16), and Tribute to Fleetwood Mac with Mirage (Oct 23).

Tickets for Tribute Mania are $25, general admission. Showtime is 7:00 pm, with doors open at 6:15 pm.

Information on all theatre events is available at www.HistoricHemetTheatre.com or by calling the ticket office, (951) 658-5950. You can subscribe to the HHT email blast by enrolling on the website.

Event tickets are available at the theatre Box Office (Monday thru Friday 11 am to 5pm) or online at www.PurplePass.com. Tickets are also available at the Downtown Deli, 113 N Harvard St and the Harvard Street Music Exchange, 134 S Harvard St.

Emily Rand | Contributed

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“Best concert EVER!” is a phrase that is often heard following a performance at the Historic Hemet Theatre. And Saturday, October 12th was no exception, the street filling with smiling fans — many still singing their favorite tune.

That was the night that “Hard Day’s Night” was in town performing Southern California’s favorite tribute to The Beatles before a packed auditorium.

For the first half of the show, the band dressed in classic black suits as the voice of Ed Sullivan brought back that historic day in 1964 when The Beatles took America by storm. And the crowd responded as they did back then, cheering at the top of their lungs for “The Fab Four.”

After intermission, the audience flashed back to 1967 as the band returned in the colorful suits of the Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Later in the evening, the costumes changed again to reflect the era when the member of the Beatles each gained recognition as solo artists.

This show had one of the biggest audiences of the year — and one of the loudest. Every song had the crowd singing along, each one a step back in time to the 1960s, 70’s or 80’s.

So, which is the “best concert ever?” The answer depends on several factors, including a great tribute band and the energy created by hundreds of cheering fans. But that happens at every HHT show! The key is the music that comes from the decade in which you “came of age” — when music spoke to your soul and impacted your path forward. Which is why at every event there will be someone walking out declaring the show is “the best concert EVER!”

Next up in Season Three of the “Tribute Mania” Concert Series will be Buddy Holly & the Legends of Rock & Roll (10/26), Huey Lewis & the News (11/2), The Blues Brothers (11/23), and Styx (12/7). Tickets are moving fast for all shows.

The “Friday Nite Live” concert series also continues with tributes to Reba McEntire (11/8) and Keith Urban (12/13). The last show of the year will be a special holiday concert, “Stone Soul Christmas,” featuring Stone Soul singing some of rock and roll’s favorite holiday classics.

Show tickets $22 presale / $25 day of show. Showtime is 7:00 pm, with doors open at 6:15 pm. Information on all theatre events is available at www.HistoricHemetTheatre.com or by calling the Ticket Office, (951) 658-5950.

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Saluting our Rock n Roll Legends

Before his untimely death at the age of 22, Buddy Holly was a rising star and a central figure in the evolution of Rock and Roll. In his seven year career, Holly recorded only three albums, but his impact on future artists was so significant that he was among the very first singers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and he remains near the top of Rolling Stone’s list of the greatest artists of all time.

In 1959, Holly was killed in a plane crash along with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. In his iconic hit “American Pie,” Don McLean memorialized the date as “The Day the Music Died.”

On Saturday, October 26th, “Not Fade Away” will bring to the Historic Hemet Theatre their high energy tribute to Buddy Holly and the Legends of Rock n Roll. The band members (straight outta NYC) have performed in off-Broadway shows and dazzled audiences nationally in productions of The Buddy Holly Story, Ring of Fire, and Million Dollar Quartet. Together they have created a special tribute to the iconic music of Holly, Valens, The Big Bopper and other iconic Rock and Roll stars. Come watch as they dance, jump up on their instruments, play a solo behind their heads, and jump through ropes — all to powerful renditions of the classic hit songs like “That’ll Be The Day,” “Peggy Sue,” “Summertime Blues,” “La Bamba,” “Chantilly Lace,” and “Twist and Shout.” You’ve never seen a Buddy Holly show quite like this!

This show will be the fifth in Season Three of the “Tribute Mania” Concert Series. The series continues with tributes Huey Lewis & the News (11/2), The Blues Brothers (11/23), and Styx (12/7).

The “Friday Nite Live” concert series also continues with tributes to Reba McEntire (11/8) and Keith Urban (12/13).

Show tickets $22 presale / $25 day of show. Showtime is 7:00 pm, with doors open at 6:15 pm. Information on all theatre events is available at www.HistoricHemetTheatre.com or by calling the Ticket Office, (951) 658-5950.

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On Saturday, August 31st, the Historic Hemet Theatre kicked off Season Three of the Tribute Mania Concert Series with a high-energy Tribute to Madonna featuring the LA-based band BLONDE AMBITION.

Erin Stone was stunning in her leather bustier and fishnet shirt, twirling and dancing across the stage. Fans in the audience cheered at the top of their lungs from the first notes of “Dress You Up” to the last notes of “Like a Prayer.” Dozens filled the dance floor, some just for a closer look at the blonde bombshell with the angelic voice.

After the show, the verdict was unanimous – the crowd and the band had a great time sharing the iconic music of the Queen of Pop. 

Meanwhile, tickets for the next three shows are selling fast. Tributes to The Beach Boys (9/14), Brooks & Dunn (9/20), and The Eagles are likely to be the next sold-out performances at Hemet’s vintage movie house.

Then in October, the Tribute Mania Concert Series continues with tributes to The Beatles (10/12), Buddy Holly & the Legends of Rock & Roll (10/26), Huey Lewis & the News (11/2), The Blues Brothers (11/23), and Styx (12/7).

The country music Friday Nite Live Series also continues with tributes to Brooks & Dunn (9/20), Roy Orbison (10/4), Reba McEntire (11/8) and Keith Urban (12/13).

Show tickets $22 presale / $25 day of show. Showtime is 7:00 pm, with doors open at 6:15 pm.  Information on all theatre events is available at www.HistoricHemetTheatre.com

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On Saturday, September 14th, the Historic Hemet Theatre will welcome back to the stage one of its most requested tributes – Southern California’s top tribute to The Beach Boys, Surf’s Up.

In 1961, The Beach Boys released their debut single “Surfin,” sparking the creation of an entire genre of music called “beach sound” and inspiring a decade of music around the California lifestyle. The band remains one of the most critically acclaimed, commercially successful and influential bands of all time, selling over 100 million records. 

Classic Beach Boys songs include “Surfin’ USA,” “Little Deuce Coupe,” “Fun, Fun, Fun.” ” I Get Around,” “Help Me, Rhonda,” “California Girls,” “Barbara Ann,” “Good Vibrations,” “Sloop John B,” and so many more.

Similar to the Beach Boys, Surf’s Up is a family band.  Brothers Donny & Danny Goldberg, their father Don Goldberg Sr. and cousin Denny Hardwick have been performing together for 25 years. Their sibling harmonies capture the authentic blend of the Beach Boys with fantastic precision. Not just another tribute band, these veterans truly bring the magical “Sound of Summer” to the stage.

Surf’s Up was one of the first tribute bands to perform at the reopened Historic Hemet Theatre. Since then, the group has made several return appearances, but have not performed at HHT since 2017. Tickets are selling quickly and may be gone before the day of the show. Grab your tickets this week and get ready for “Fun! Fun! Fun!”

This show is the second in Season Three of the “Tribute Mania” Concert Series. The series later this month with tributes to The Eagles (9/28), The Beatles (10/12), Buddy Holly & the Legends of Rock & Roll (10/26), Huey Lewis & the News (11/2), The Blues Brothers (11/23), and Styx (12/7). 

The “Friday Nite Live” concert series also continues this month with tributes to Brooks & Dunn (9/20), Roy Orbison (10/4), Reba McEntire (11/8) and Keith Urban (12/13).

Show tickets $22 presale / $25 day of show. Showtime is 7:00 pm, with doors open at 6:15 pm.  Information on all theatre events is available at www.HistoricHemetTheatre.com or by calling the Ticket Office, (951) 658-5950. 

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On Saturday, August 31st, the Historic Hemet Theatre will kick off Season Three of their popular Tribute Mania Concert Series with a high-energy Tribute to Madonna featuring BLONDE AMBITION.

Madonna has pushed the boundaries of popular music since the 1980s, selling over 300 million records and becoming the best-selling female artist of all time. She is famous for her flamboyant costumes and cutting-edge music videos, raising eyebrows and filling stadiums across the country. She has recorded twelve #1 hits, including “Like a Virgin,” “Vogue,” “Like a Prayer,” “La Isla Bonita,” “Borderline,” “Into the Groove,” and “Papa Don’t Preach.”

BLONDE AMBITION will take you on a journey through Madonna’s legendary career from the early ’80s into the ’90s and beyond. Erin Stone perfectly captures the look, sound and distinctive style of the “Queen of Pop” in a fun, energetic, and highly entertaining show. The dance floor will be rockin’ to all your favorite hits. This group has amazing audiences everywhere they go. Don’t miss this premier appearance at Hemet’s top concert venue. 

Meanwhile, last weekend’s Tribute to Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac filled the auditorium hundreds of fans, cheering and singing along with Lisa McCormick and Gypsy. The dance floor was continuously filled, inspired by the rhythmic beat and soulful melodies.

Next month the Tribute Mania Concert Series continues with tributes to The Beach Boys (9/14), The Eagles (9/28), The Beatles (10/12), Buddy Holly & the Legends of Rock & Roll (10/26), Huey Lewis & the News (11/2), The Blues Brothers (11/23), and Styx (12/7).

 The country music Friday Nite Live Series also continues with tributes to Brooks & Dunn (9/20), Roy Orbison (10/4), Reba McEntire (11/8) and Keith Urban (12/13).

Show tickets $22 presale / $25 day of show. Showtime is 7:00 pm, with doors open at 6:15 pm.  Information on all theatre events is available at www.HistoricHemetTheatre.com or by calling the Ticket Office, (951) 658-5950.

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