‘Close to’ The Carpenters

What figures to be a busy Warren County weekend has “Only Just Begun,” but got off to a great start Friday night with Close to You: The Music of the Carpenters at the Park Theater.

Close to You, a seven-person band based out of Chicago, is the longest-running Carpenters tribute in North America and is now in its 16th year of touring across the country. Led by Lisa Rock, who channeled the spirit and vocals of the iconic Karen Carpenter, the band treated the crowd to an assortment of the Carpenters’ biggest hits.

Starting off with “Yesterday Once More” and “We’ve Only Just Begun,” the band continued to roll through hits such as “Rainy Days and Mondays” and “Ticket to Ride” before taking an intermission to meet and greet the crowd.

The second set kicked off with “When I Fall in Love,” “Top of the World,” “Close to You” and many others before the evening was brought to a close with “A Song for You.”

The crowd of nearly 300 responded with enthusiastic applause throughout as many were transported back in time through the music of their youth.

“Close to You reached out to us in 2025, and after we expressed our interest, we were able to work out a date,” Park Theater Manager Joe Harvey said. “They were great to work with and even better on stage.”

“The crowd was great for this show,” Park Theater Assistant Manager Ashley Gillentine Wright added. “We saw quite a few locals and regulars here, but there were several folks visiting from out of town who were talking about eating, shopping and staying in town this weekend. I even heard from a couple of people who said they were here for the first time and couldn’t wait to come back to town to bring friends and family. We’re so appreciative to Lisa and her band for bringing such a nostalgic concert to the community and we think this is a great way to kick off a busy month here at the Park.”

The emcee for the evening was Raven Young, host of WBMC’s Town Talk with Raven and Rob.

Next up for the Park Theater is the Cannon Arts Dance Studio presentation of “Off to the Races” Saturday, May 2 at 7 p.m.