Scranton Jazz Festival Presents

Tower of Power

Saturday, August 2, 2025 at 8:00pm

Grand Ballroom | Doors at 7:30pm | Reserved Seating by Ticket Only | Prices Subject to Change 

VIP PreShow Soundcheck Package $178.80

1 Exclusive access to sound check and a photo with the band pre-showtime.
1 Premium Show ticket
Further details concerning times for access will be sent to your email prior to the show date. One Entry per ticket holder, must arrive prior to soundcheck.
Late entry is not cause for refund. NO REFUNDS / NO EXCHANGES.

For 55 years, Tower of Power has delivered the best in funk and soul music.“We were a Soul band called The Motowns.” recalls Emilio Castillo. “Rocco was the bass player, I was in there, and my brother was the drummer. I met “Doc” Kupka back in 1968, and gave him an audition. He came in the band, and we eventually changed our name to the Tower of Power.” The reason for the band name change was that they had a specific goal in mind.

“We wanted to get into the Fillmore Auditorium and with a name like the Motowns, dressed in suits with razor cuts, we knew we’d never get in there. We grew our hair long, and started to be hippies, and changed our name. Doc then suggested that we start writing our own songs.”
The Fillmore was a major goal, which came along at the right time. “We had been playing nightclubs, and we had gotten busted for being underage. One night, the ABC came in, and caught the trumpet player drinking, and the next thing we knew, a notice was out across the Bay Area that if they hired us again, clubs would lose their liquor license. Then, my parents moved to Detroit, and I was on my own, broke and hungry, and all I did was rehearse. We wrote the songs for East Bay Grease, and by November, we were at the end of our rope. I told the guys that I was leaving for the holidays, and if nothing happened with this audition, I wasn’t coming back.”

Fortunately, he did, and the rest as they say, is history.

East Bay Grease defined their sound and landed them with Warner Brothers. Bump City, their 1972 debut for the label, was a hit on both the Billboard 200 and the R&B Albums chart, and netted them the hits “You’re Still A Young Man” and “Down to The Nightclub.” The 70s were a boom period with radio classics like “So Very Hard to Go” and “What Is Hip?,” and the band continued to tour and record over the years. Castillo says their love of the stage is the same today as it was back in 1968.

50 years later, in 2018, they returned to Oakland to celebrate their landmark 50th anniversary. Tower’s window-rattling grooves and raucous party spirit has been a balm for the soul throughout their half-century existence, but the release of 50 Years of Funk & Soul: Live at the Fox Theater couldn’t arrive at a better time.

“People come up to me all the time and say, ‘Wow man, 50 years! We can’t believe it,’” laughs Castillo. “You can’t believe it? I’m the one that can’t believe it. We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs and learned a lot along the way. We’ve affected a lot of people’s lives and done a lot of work that we’re very proud of. The band has a real family atmosphere. It’s been very rewarding.”

The band has long since surpassed Castillo’s modest aspirations, traveling the world, enjoying hit singles on their own and backing legendary artists including Otis Redding, Elton John, Santana, the Grateful Dead, John Lee Hooker, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, and countless others. In the process they’ve defined an “Oakland soul” sound as instantly recognizable as those from Castillo’s hometown, Detroit, as well as inspirations like Memphis and Philadelphia.

The future of Tower of Power is set out to be vigorous and dynamic, and will prove to be just that for fans around the world starved for the band’s groove just the way Tower of Power likes it!

Visit the Tour Website at towerofpower.com

Due to the nature of live event bookings all performances, dates, times and prices are subject to change without notice.

Buyer Beware: If you purchase tickets from a non-authorized person or outlet, you risk purchasing a lost, stolen or fake ticket that is not valid for admittance, regardless of the event. Only valid tickets will scan to authorize entry for an event. Lost or stolen tickets may be deactivated and thus will not be valid for entry. Anyone who purchases tickets from a “scalper,” ticket broker, or online secondary merchant other than Ticketmaster.com does so at their own risk and in most cases is paying a premium.

When you visit the theatre, our first priority is your care and safety. To that end, please be aware in advance of increased security measures for all events at our Theatre. Backpacks, oversized bags, outside food and beverage, and weapons of any kind, including pocket knives, are not permitted in the building. Also, upon entry, bags and coats must be open and ready for inspection by our security team. Thank you for your cooperation!

Please Click Here for additional Security, House and Box Office Information.

The following items are PROHIBITED in the Center:
Purses, bags, coolers, backpacks, over-sized bags, bottles, cans and glass containers, outside food or beverages, horns, whistles, banners, noisemakers, laser pens, cameras, video cameras, or recording devices, illegal substances, weapons or any other threatening objects.

Please DO NOT bring into the building large bags, purses, backpacks, large umbrellas longer than 12″, outside food or drink.

Wristlets up to 4″ x 6″ x 1″ or Clear Bags up to 12″ x 12″ 6″ are permitted

Clear Bags may be checked for every event.

Other security measures vary per event.

The Center is a SMOKE FREE facility. NO smoking materials, cigarettes, cigars, pipes, lighters, matches or other flammable items may be brought into the Center.

There is no Re-Entry upon Exit for most concert events.

Cameras and recording devices are prohibited.