Skid Row Names Justin Sargent as New Lead Singer
The band found its new frontman in New Jersey after a worldwide search, and will return to the stage in 2027 with a cover of The Who's “Won't Get Fooled Again.”
Skid Row has a new singer. The band announced Thursday that Justin Sargent will front the group, ending a worldwide search and more than two years away from the stage.
Sargent comes from Broadway, not from another rock band. He made his Broadway debut in Rock of Ages in 2011, was in the original Broadway cast of Bonnie & Clyde, and later played Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. The band said it first noticed him last year, then spent months in conversations and rehearsals before making the call.
The search itself went around the world. Earlier this year Skid Row partnered with music retailer Sweetwater to extend it. In the end, the band found its singer in its home state of New Jersey.
Co-founder Rachel Bolan said Sargent felt like part of the band from the first room he walked into. “He was one of us. A lifer. Then he sang with so much power and conviction, it blew me away,” Bolan said. Guitarist Dave “Snake” Sabo said the band knew quickly. “His voice, his attitude, his demeanor, it all just fit,” Sabo said.
Sargent said he had sung Skid Row songs for years without imagining he would join the band. “I have tremendous respect for the band's legacy, but I'm even more excited about what lies ahead,” he said. “I can't wait to get out there, connect with the fans, and give them everything I've got.”
The band's previous singer, Erik Grönwall, parted ways with the group in 2024 after a two-year stint. Lzzy Hale of Halestorm filled in for a few shows that year. Sargent is the band's official new singer, announced in its 40th anniversary year.
His first recording with the band is a cover of The Who's “Won't Get Fooled Again.” It was produced by Nick Raskulinecz, who also produced Skid Row's 2022 album The Gang's All Here. The video was directed by Dale “Rage” Resteghini. The track reaches streaming services Friday, October 30, and the band is also selling a limited hand-signed 7-inch single, capped at 500 copies worldwide.
The 2027 dates
The first shows with Sargent open March 5, 2027, at The Show at Agua Caliente in Rancho Mirage, California. The run includes New Buffalo, Michigan, on March 20; Welch, Minnesota, on April 3; Mashantucket, Connecticut, on April 9; and Atlantic City, New Jersey, on April 10. It continues through Wheatland, California, on April 16; Reno, Nevada, on April 17; Shelton, Washington, on April 18; Quapaw, Oklahoma, on April 23; and Grant, Oklahoma, on April 24.
The band will also play the Welcome to Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida, in May, and the Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio, on May 14. Other dates include Niagara Falls, Ontario, on May 29, and French Lick, Indiana, on September 25. The band says more dates are coming.
