Arts & Entertainment

Huge Crowd Turns Out For Belleville Concert Starring Judy Torres

The show left a big mark on Torres, who called it "one of the best experiences in my performing career."

Freestyle pioneer Judy Torres gives fans some fond memories at a recent concert in Belleville, New Jersey.
Freestyle pioneer Judy Torres gives fans some fond memories at a recent concert in Belleville, New Jersey. (Photos: Township of Belleville)

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Freestyle pioneer Judy Torres gave fans some fond memories at a recent free concert in Belleville. But the show also left a big mark on Torres, who called it “one of the best experiences in my performing career.”

Torres made the trip to Essex County last Thursday for the latest installment of Belleville’s Summer Concert Series, which attracted more than 2,000 people to the celebration.

The crowd sang along to many of Torres’ hits as she prowled the stage at Belleville High School.

Find out what's happening in Belleville-Nutleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

A news release from the township recaps the positive energy from the crowd:

“One of the highlights of the show came when Torres launched into one of her most popular club bangers, ‘Come into My Arms.’ “You showed me how love could be …” Torres sang. And when the DJ turned down the music, the audience seized its chance to sing the next line back to Torres: ‘Just show me how much you need.’”

“Last year we had a record crowd, and this year, we dwarfed that crowd,” Mayor Michael Melham said. “It was exciting just seeing how alive the crowd was and how it fed off Torres’ energy.

Find out what's happening in Belleville-Nutleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

“It also reminds us of music’s power to cut across racial and ethnic lines and unite a community,” he added.

Torres has played Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden, but her concert in Belleville just might top them all, according to a message she sent to Melham:

“It was literally one of the best experiences in my performing career! The people of Belleville, you and the police department were absolutely amazing! thank you! And I still owe you dinner lol.”

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Belleville-Nutley Facebook page.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.