Frankie Valli to make a song for all 4 seasons

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons will return to the IU Auditorium at 8 p.m. Saturday to play for an audience with members from an entirely new generation.

“I heard they were here in the ’60s,” IU Auditorium director Doug Booher said, “and I thought they were due for a return.”

Though Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons first came to success in the early 1960s, their music remains iconic nearly 50 years later.

With classic songs such as “December 1963 (Oh What a Night),” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry,”  the band has made a lasting impression on the pop culture of each generation since their formation.

“Since that time, they’ve been ingrained in our culture,” IU Auditorium event manager Maria Talbert said. “Everyone knows all those songs by heart, even if they don’t have a CD at home.”

Students grew up with music from Frankie Valli, Booher said, and probably heard the songs from their parents. Having the band perform at the auditorium will give students and other fans the opportunity to see a hall-of-fame musician perform, he said.

“When I was in college, I was in Alpha Chi,” Talbert said. “During Greek Week, we did a mock rock karaoke night. “Oh What a Night” was the first song I did. It just brings people together.”

The band’s songs also made a recent appearance in Jersey Boys, a 2006 Broadway musical recounting Frankie Valli’s rise to fame. The musical was a smash success, Booher said.

“There are a number of people excited to see the real thing because they’ve seen Jersey Boys,” Talbert said.

Freshman Rachel Salmon said she is surprised at the number of people who do not recognize the name Frankie Valli.

“Their music is classic and fun,” she said. “I would see them over other acts.”

There is too much music out there, senior Heather Elmore said, that the classic songs get pushed back. Frankie Valli has a lot of good, innocent songs, she said.

“It’s good to have that on top of everything else out there,” she said.

The auditorium has seen a strong audience so far from people of all ages, Booher said, but there are still great seats left. Student prices start at only $20, he said.

“I love that we have the opportunity to bring pioneers of music to the auditorium,” he said. “It indicates that these musicians are totally timeless.”