Buffalo State Performing Arts Center highlights Spring 2026 series and revamped website

The Buffalo State Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall continues to offer robust and diverse programming with its spring 2026 series, which features award-winning and critically acclaimed comedians and musicians spanning multiple genres. Additionally, the PAC has launched a fully revamped website with new updates and features, offering a more user-friendly experience.

The series opens on Friday, February 13 with Stavros Halkias: The Dreamboat Tour, presented by Live Nation, for two performances at 7:00 and 9:30 p.m. Comedian, actor, and writer Halkias is one of the most in-demand touring comedians today. His podcast, Stavvy's World, debuted at number three on the iTunes Comedy Charts, amassing hundreds of thousands of subscribers in its first year. Halkias stars in the Netflix comedy series Tires, and recently wrote, produced, and starred in the indie comedy Let's Start a Cult. His latest stand-up special, Fat Rascal, is streaming on Netflix; this special follows his debut special Live at the Lodge Room, which hit one million views in its first four days and has since surpassed seven million. Halkias will soon appear in Bugonia, premiering at the Venice Film Festival, and Tony, a film about Anthony Bourdain. While only a few single seat tickets remain available for the 7:00 p.m. show, there are more tickets available for the 9:30 p.m.-get them while you can!

Live Nation Presents Darcy & Jer: Average At Best Tour on Friday, February 20 at 8:00 p.m. With more than six million followers across platforms and an average of 50 million views a month, Darcy Michael and Jeremy Baer are leaders in comedy content creation. This real-life couple's joyful personalities and unique content have allowed them to cultivate a community that embraces conversation about mental health and relationships; Michael has ADHD, and both men are members of the LGTBQ+ community. The duo aims to create an inclusive, safe environment that celebrates life with neurodivergence. Join Darcy & Jer as they riff on their neurodiverse relationship, share parenting anecdotes, and explore life as a middle-aged couple.

On Saturday, February 28 at 7:00 p.m., Outback Presents Dan Soder: The Golden Retriever of Comedy Tour. A stand-up comedian, actor, and radio personality, Soder is known for his sharp wit and effortless storytelling. From 2015 to 2023, he co-hosted SiriusXM's hit show, The Bonfire, alongside Big Jay Oakerson, building a loyal fan base with his quick humor and down-to-earth style. As an actor, he played Dudley "Mafee" on Showtime's Billions for seven seasons and had memorable roles on Inside Amy Schumer and Paradise PD. Soder's film credits include Trainwreck (2015) and Drunk Parents (2019). Soder's stand-up career speaks for itself; he made his mark with Not Special (Comedy Central, 2016), followed by a standout set on Netflix's The Standups (2017). His 2019 HBO special, Son of a Gary, cemented his place as one of the sharpest voices in comedy today, and his latest special, On The Road, has continued that momentum, surpassing 2.7 million views on YouTube.

The Buffalo State Performing Arts Center is proud to present jazz super group Spyro Gyra on Saturday March 28 at 8:00 p.m., marking the group's return to its hometown. In 1974, Jay Beckenstein and a few musician friends in Buffalo organized a get together on their shared night off from working in "bands that actually made money." It was a simple, humble idea with a name that was likewise simple and humble: Tuesday Night Jazz Jam. What began inauspiciously as a fun diversion, something just for fun-and twenty-five cents at the door-has now released more than 30 albums-garnering gold and platinum along the way-played more than 10,000 concerts on six continents, and maintained standards of excellence that has kept it on the "A list" of live attractions in jazz for over 50 years.

On Thursday, April 2 at 8:00 p.m., the Performing Art Center presents jazz great Jonathan Butler. The youngest of 11 children, Butler was raised amidst Apartheid in Cape Town, South Africa, but his amazing talents afforded him the opportunity to prosper nonetheless. After releasing his first album at age 12, Butler was awarded the South African "Grammy" for Best New Artist. At 13, he made history by becoming the first Black artist played on white South African radio while earning three gold records ("I Love How You Love Me" went gold and "Please Stay" went double gold). More than a decade later, Butler moved to London and released his first album internationally, which went gold. He received Grammy^® Award nominations for Best R&B Song for his R&B-pop vocal hit "Lies" and for Best Jazz Song for the instrumental "Going Home." His genre-busting music earned songwriter's awards and received abundant airplay in multiple radio formats. Butler's long-awaited record, Ubuntu, produced by Marcus Miller, was released in March 2023. Today, Butler remains a musical icon in South Africa and around the world.

After Dark Presents Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen, featuring Patrick Myers as Freddie Mercury, on Monday, April 20 at 8:00 p.m. Killer Queen has established itself as the highest-grossing artist paying homage to Freddie Mercury and Queen. Highlights from the past year include 8,177 tickets sold at Red Rocks with a $433,633 gross; 10,094 tickets sold at Ravinia, grossing $405,290; 3,645 tickets sold at Centennial Terrace in Toledo, grossing $109,866; and 2,368 tickets sold at the Grand Sierra in Reno with a $98,856 gross. Career milestones include a residency at London's Strand Theatre, an award for "Worldwide Best Tribute Band" at a ceremony in Leicester Square, hosted by Suggs from Madness, and being selected to represent Queen in a re-staged tribute Live-Aid concert held by Sir Bob Geldof.

On Friday, April 24 at 8:00 p.m., the Buffalo State Performing Arts Center presents smooth jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour. Ritenour's 50-year eclectic and storied career is highlighted by a 1986 Grammy Award win and 17 Grammy nominations. He has recorded more than 40 albums, with 35 chart songs, including the Top 15 hit "Is It You" which became a contemporary jazz radio classic. In the nineties, Ritenour was a founding member of Fourplay, one of the most successful bands in contemporary jazz. The group's first album spent an unprecedented 33 weeks at number one on Billboard's contemporary jazz chart. Ritenour has collaborated on various levels with dozens of legends including Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, BB King, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Simon & Garfunkel, Aretha Franklin, Barbara Streisand, Phil Collins, Chaka Kahn, Herbie Hancock, and more.

Outback Presents Girls Gone Bible: Revival Touron Thursday, April 30 at 7:00 p.m. What began as an intimate Bible study between two best friends has transformed into Girls Gone Bible, a Christian podcast redefining faith-based conversations for a new generation. The podcast, which boasts more than 20 million listens, is ranked number one for religion and spirituality on Spotify and is featured in the top charts on Apple Podcasts, offers unfiltered, heartfelt discussions on faith, relationships, personal struggles, and spiritual growth. Co-hosts Angela Halili and Arielle Reitsma say the idea wasn't born in a strategy meeting; it happened organically. The two were sitting in Halili's living room reading the Bible when "suddenly, it just clicked," Halili said, "we need to record this." That unassuming moment sparked a movement, resonating with listeners who craved authenticity in a world that often demands perfection. Raw, real, and deeply personal, Girls Gone Bibleis more than just a podcast-it's a community. With Girls Gone Bible, Halili and Reitsma are leading a new wave of faith-driven conversations-one honest, unfiltered episode at a time.

And finally, on Friday, May 1 at 8:00 p.m., Funtime Presents Alan Doyle: Already Dancing Tour, with special guest Bandits on the Run. Alan Doyle- actor, producer, best-selling author, and best-known as lead singer for Newfoundland's beloved Great Big Sea for over 20 years- hardly needs an introduction. With five solo albums under his belt, Doyle has been touring the world with his ace six-piece band for the past decade. In late 2014, Doyle released his best-selling memoir Where I Belong, followed by A Newfoundlander in Canada released in October 2017, and All Together Now released in November 2020. Amidst these projects, Doyle found time to write music for and appear on CBC's Republic of Doyle, guest on CBC's Murdoch Mysteries, a role in 2014's Winter's Taleand 2010's Robin Hood. With his 2022 live album "Here, Tonight" and a recent JUNO nomination for his 2021 album "Back to the Harbour," Doyle chalks up a lot of where he is right now to luck. "I'm the luckiest guy I've ever even heard of," he says. "This was all I ever wanted: a life in the music business, singing concerts." Doyle hails from Petty Harbour, NL, and formed Great Big Sea in 1993 with Sean McCann, Bob Hallett, and Darrell Power, in which they fused traditional Newfoundland music with their own pop sensibilities. Their nine albums, double-disc hits retrospective, and two DVD releases have all been declared Gold or Platinum and have sold a combined 1.2 million copies in Canada.