Kool & the Gang Coming to Youngstown Amp

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Kool & the Gang, whose founders were born in Youngstown, will return to the city on July 1 for a concert at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre.

Tickets are $125.50, $99.50, $75.50 and $39.50 and will go on sale Friday, April 28, at 10 a.m. at ticketmaster.com and the Covelli Centre box office. An online-only presale will take place April 27 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with the password KOOL.

Kool and the Gang was started by brothers Robert “Kool” Bell and his younger brother, Ronnie Bell, who were born in Youngstown and spent their young years living on the East Side. They moved with their family to New Jersey when Robert was 10 years old and started their first band in that state. Ronnie died in 2020.

Kool & the Gang had a string of R&B-funk hits in the ’70s and ’80s, including “Ladies Night,” “Celebrate,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Get Down on It,” “Too Hot” and “Fresh.”

Kool & the Gang last played Youngstown in 2018, when the long-lived act came to Stambaugh Auditorium.

The band will release a new album, “People Just Wanna Have Fun,” on May 26. The first single from the album, “Let’s Party,” was released today.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.