Back2Life Band: Best Philadelphia Dance Party Band

The Mann: Aubrey and Sam Mestman – October 2, 2021

Do you want to throw the best party of your life? Then just go ahead and hire Back2Life for your wedding right now. From the minute they started playing at our reception we looked around at our friends (most of whom are also in the entertainment industry) and their jaws were on the floor. Not only is every single member of this 9 piece band an unbelievable musician, but they play together tighter than U2 on their last tour. They also know exactly how best to pace your evening, and please trust them when they say they know what songs or medleys work best to keep the energy going and get more of your friends and family out on the dance floor. We also were so floored that they took the time to meet with us in person before the wedding to get a feel for us, talk through any significant songs choices for your ceremony, first dance, parent dances and they were incredibly accommodating with our somewhat unusual requests. We had a magic illusion instead of a traditional introduction and they completely down to help us stage it, sell the moment by letting us take over their microphones, and then punctuate it with a rendition of “Magic Carpet Ride.” If that wasn’t enough, they also knew I was a huge, huge, huge fan of the band Barenaked Ladies and they played my favorite version of one of their songs just for me and CRUSHED it. We lost count of how many people during the wedding and the next day at brunch asked if we were old friends with the band because they seemed to have such a real, deep connection with us and totally get our pretty unique vision and vibe. As a performer myself, I was utterly impressed with the talent, professionalism, expertise and STAMINA of this band. They got *everyone*  (yes, even that cynical, hipster cousin)  out to the dance floor to dance as if their life depended on it.  If you’re also averse to cheesy and cliche wedding bands then Back2Life is the right band for you. 100% pure talent and a true personal touch. Thank you again for making US look like rockstars that night!

- Aubrey (Bride)

 

Appleford: Elsie and David Carpenter – August 21, 2021

We hired Back2Life Band for our wedding Aug 2021 and they were AMAZING!! All of our guests could not stop talking about how great the band was and how much energy they had. The interacted a lot with our guests during our event. They got there early and we also used them as musicians during the cocktail hour as well (just guitar and sax). I would 10/10 recommend hiring them!!

- Elsie (Bride)

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They helped make the evening special... guests danced all night and were disappointed when they stopped!

- Marta (Mother of the Bride) 

Cescaphe Ballroom: Allie and Steven Orlando – July 23, 2021

Mark was very easy to work with and helped us every step of the way. On our wedding day we didn't have to think about anything besides having fun! All our guest were up dancing all night long to Back 2 Life! Our friends and family are still raving about them! I highly recommend booking Back 2 Life if they are available on your wedding date! You will NOT regret it!

- Steven (Groom)

The Farmhouse at People’s Light: Amanda and Connor Smallwood Amy – July 17, 2021

BVTLive was incredibly flexible and understanding with the schedule changes required due to COVID for our daughter's wedding. Back2Life did a fantastic job. They played a fun variety of music. They were engaged with the crowd. Everyone danced and had a great time. This was the second time we have had them for a wedding and would have them again!
- Amy (Mother of the Bride)

Artesano Iron Works: Doug and Gabrielle Stepenosky – July 10, 2021

We hired Back2Life for our wedding this July and they completely exceeded our expectations and we are thrilled with our decision. From the initial start of planning, to postponing the date due to Covid and then asking the band leader to check out the new ceremony space of the venue before the event, BVT could not have been easier to work with. Nils, the event consultant and Mark, the band leader were so kind, responsive and fun to work with. Mark and his band members have decades of experience and it showed. He is a consummate professional and musician. It gave us such confidence as we got closer to the event as he really knew what he was talking about and listened to the vision we had for the event. The experience showed also in the way the band worked so well together and the fun they seemed to have as well.
We had a special request for the ceremony music and the band nailed the instrumental versions of these songs, especially “The Final Countdown” that my new husband walked down the aisle to. It was so fun for our guests and set the tone for a fun wedding. The range of music that Back2Life has is just incredible and they had our guests on the dance floor the entire night. Some of the comments from our guests after the event included “they should be on tour!”, “that was the best concert I’ve ever been to!” and “the band was unreal and I want to have a party just to hear them again!” Thank you Nils, Mark and Back2Life!

- Gabrielle (Bride)

Springton Manor Farm: Jo and Cameron – August 29, 2020

Back2Life Blew Us Away! Where do I even begin? We hired the Back2Life Band through BVTLive and we can't get over how incredibly amazing they were at our wedding on August 29, 2020. First of all, my new husband, family and I loved every second of the music. From cocktail hour jazz to the fun classic rock music throughout the night and even the songs they learned just for us. It was all perfect. They absolutely nailed our first dance song, La Vie En Rose and we looooved dancing to Tennessee Whiskey, which they learned for our wedding. Of course closing the night with Don't Stop Believing was one of the highlights of the day. All of the Sting, Rolling Stones, the Band, and even our entry to Fleetwood Mac... WOW. They absolutely nailed it. My dad is a huge Sting and Stones fan, so he was on cloud 9 the entire night. It was so fun to watch.

Secondly our guests could not get over the band! We continue to hear from all of our family and friends how much Back2Life rocked and how they want to book them for their next event. And I hope they do! We could've just spent our wedding sitting and listening to this band for hours. You are all absolute professionals and we wish we could do it all over again.

- Thank you so much, from the new Mr & Mrs Smith!

Union Trust: Alysia and Michael – February 29, 2020

A True Night to Remember! We had Back2Life play at our wedding and boy, did they rock the place! They were AMAZING! They got everyone up and dancing, even my father-in-law who was sure he wouldn’t be up on his feet! We first saw them at a music showcase and loved them immediately and they were even better at our wedding! I don’t have one negative thing to say about them! By the end of the night, I had at least 10-15 guests ask me where I found them and who they were! If you’re looking for wonderful live entertainment, look no further than Back2Life (or any BVT band they were all fantastic)!

- Alysia (Bride)

Alysia Breznicky Wedding Wire

The Robinson Center: Alchemy3 Lounge in Little Rock – September 18, 2019

I wanted to follow up and let you know how fabulous the band was at our Alchemy3 Lounge in Little Rock, September 18^th! Their performance and interaction was fantastic and kept everyone dancing throughout the event. So glad I got to know everyone (being my first Lounge since I’ve started with A3)!

Thanks much again for all!

- Lori

Hilton Wilmington Christiana: Michaela and Aaron Riddle – September 7, 2019

Thank you to Back2Life band for providing great music at our daughter’s wedding. They were high energy, talented, fun and engaging! The dance floor was full all night. Our guests are still raving about how terrific the band was. Thank you especially to Marcie for working with us to infuse some New Orleans jazz and Irish music into the day!

- Maura (Mother of the Bride)

Private Residence: Irene and Amin Khalek – August 24, 2019

Hi Marci (and other members of Back2Life Band :-),

Just wanted to send my sincerest thanks to all of you for a truly INCREDIBLE evening and giving me and Amin the wedding dance party I’d always dreamed of! My only regret of the night was that I didn’t manage to find my way over to thank you all in person and give you a giant hug after the last dance (it had indeed been my intention to do so but then I got a bit distracted by the surprise fireworks show staged by my cousins :-). I love to dance, and just like the flower girl Violet have absolutely ZERO inhibitions when it comes to a party on the dance floor, haha. Especially when there’s a horn section involved, killer vocalists, and such phenomenal energy emanating from the entire group. In my dreams I’m up there playing sax with all of you in my wedding gown, but I’m thankful I made the right decision to stay as present and focused as possible on the party and soaking up all the love glowing from everyone that evening.

And if you didn’t manage to hear it yet, my dad was a HUGE fan as well- all of his anxieties about the volume were completely put to rest, he loved every minute of it! Your performance put him in such a fantastic mood, and was a big factor in helping him forget all about the delays with the family photos that had gotten him a bit ruffled right before the ceremony, haha. I had been getting a bit nervous about the photo schedule as well, but once I got outside and was hearing you rehearse “Love Come Down” and “For Once in my Life” I was immediately put at ease. There were so many other highlights throughout the evening, but I also really enjoyed your renditions of “Love Train” and “Nothin’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” Those two songs in particular were ones that capture key parts of how I’ve felt about this wedding ever since I sensed it had a chance of happening and were instrumental in inspiring my toast to Amin. And thanks SOOO much for playing “Pour Some Sugar on Me” as an encore- it worked a lot better as a last dance than my selection of “Get Lucky” and helped eradicate any potential remaining vestiges of tidy hair I had left, haha. I can’t thank you enough for everything!

Please direct me to anywhere I can post a review, I’d be very happy to write one (and will of course be vetting your future services to anyone I know getting married in the Philadelphia area). And please let me know where I can find info about any of your public performances, I would so love to hear you again!

All the best!
- Irene

The Greenpoint Loft: Emily and Mario Simonelli – July 13, 2019

Our wedding guests never left the dance floor all night. About 85 guests remained for the very last song at 11 pm. Back2Life was amazing in every way. About twelve guests asked for their card for upcoming events. Incredible in every way! We are still receiving compliments!!
- Judith (Mother of the Bride)

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Dear Marci and band members,

Well we certainly don’t know where to begin... you completely capitalized on the energy in the room from the moment you started to play . The cocktail hour music was lovely and you were able to set up so quickly- thank you for that.

And boy did you start off with a bang! Your first set was amazing and the dance floor was filled very quickly as guests realized that they were, in fact, in for a real treat. Dinner music- beautiful and you kept your word about keeping it low enough so guests could converse over their dinners.

Afterwards? You amped things up as promised and kept our crowd on their feet until the very end. There were many people in the dance floor still lingering after your final number . I haven’t seen that happen often. It’s a testament to your talent, for sure.

My wedding planner, Vicky Perryman of Hold Your Hand Event Planning, is a consummate New Yorker and sought me out on Saturday to inquire about your contact information.

You set the tone for a perfect evening from the start. Our guests were, and still are, raving about the music.

With full hearts we send you our most sincere thanks. The evening was ultra-special and so much fun because of your talent and impressive energy. Everyone felt it. This is your gift.

Our very best to you,
Judy and Jim Ritchings (Parents of the Bride)

Hotel Bethlehem: Nicole and Mike Cecchi – June 22, 2019

Greetings from the Maldives!

We are basking in honeymoon bliss in paradise, re-living our incredible wedding over and over again through photos and videos sent by friends and family. Every new photo that comes in brings another spark of joy, seeing more details that we didn't get to fully enjoy on the actual day.

We wanted to reach out to all of you collectively to, above all, say THANK YOU. We can't even put into words how grateful we are for the world's greatest vendor team a wedding has ever seen. We know we are not the easiest clients you've likely ever had! We had a very specific vision in mind from the beginning of the planning process and that resulted in us asking all of you countless questions, probably e-mailing you and calling you more times than was appropriate, and generally caring A LOT about being involved in every detail. We thank you for all of your patience in dealing with us because the result was the wedding of our dreams.

Despite our determination to focus on us at our wedding, it was impossible to ignore the 150 guests who could not stop raving about everything… A sure sign that guests are enjoying themselves is a packed dance floor and boy, was ours packed all night!! Literally the entire night, the dance floor was filled with our friends and family dancing their hearts out and clearly having an amazing time. At brunch the next day, a constant theme was how outstanding the band was!

Thank you and please keep in touch! 🙂

xoxo,
Nicole & Mike (Bride and Groom)

Stockton Seaview Hotel & Golf Club: Valerie and Mike Quinlan – June 15, 2019

Hire Back2Life TODAY! Wow!!!! Our wedding was almost a month ago and people are still raving about how amazing Back2Life was! They were our first choice and I'm so glad we followed through with it! Marci and the gang made us feel so comfortable and they even learned a couple of special songs we wanted to hear that day!!! What a fun party!

- Valerie (Bride)

Glen Foerd Mansion: Erin and Patrick Rapuano – May 25, 2019

Couldn't have been more fun! The band was fantastic. They played the classics that you want for a wedding - music to please ages 6 months to 90 years old. They kept the party going all night, and looked to have a blast doing it. Couldn't be happier with our decision.

- Patrick (Groom)

Temple Beth Sholom: Rachel and Sarah – January 20, 2019

Non-stop energetic party!

We can't rave enough about Back2Life band. From the very first moment we contacted BVT regarding the band we were in such good hands. BVTLive was immediately responsive and friendly to all communications. Honestly, I've never seen a guy get back to us so quickly before, it was almost instantaneous.

Once we chose Back2Life, we had a meeting with Marci, who was so friendly and patient, walking us through every part of the process and answering any questions we had. They're an insanely professional and really talented band, from the songs they learned for our ceremony to the cocktail hour and reception, everything was top notch. And the party?! Our guests couldn't stop talking about them. WE couldn't stop talking about them. The way they created medleys our of our song selections, pacing of the crowd, they didn't stop and kept people dancing for hours. The singing, the horns! (I love a good horn section) it sounded like they were a much larger group than they were. My only complaint was that I wish we could have attended our own wedding as guests so we could have appreciated the detail of everything so much more - it went by in a flash! But what a marvelous flash it was. We don't have enough glowing words about Back2Life. They're lively, fun, professional, and they don't make the party about themselves at all and only serve to enhance the celebration for guests. Do yourself a favor and book this band!

- Rachel (Bride)

The Water Works: Christine and Vincent Digiovanni – December 2, 2018

My husband and I are so impressed with BVTLive and Back2Life.
They were so easy to work with, they organized everything, and made the event so special for us and for our guests

- Christine (Bride)

Greenville Country Club: Laura and James Berberian – October 6, 2018

Back2Life Makes the Wedding. As father of the bride I could not have been more pleased with the job Back2Life did at her wedding. The party was hoping at the end, and I attribute it to the band. Many people came up to me and complimented the band.

- Don (Father of the Bride)

Whitemarsh Country Club: Wilawan and JB Bowes – September 22, 2018

So glad to find BVTLive! Reasonable price and very professional. Everybody at my wedding talked about how good and fun songs they played. I recommend this band.

- Wilawan (Bride)

The Bellevue: Anastasia and Mark Shorr – August 25, 2018

We had our wedding at The Bellevue on 8/25/2018. BVTLive helped us book Back2Life, and they were an incredible band. My wife and I received many compliments on the song selection, volume of the band, and overall performance. I highly recommend Back2Life, and I am very glad that BVTLive was there to coordinate the booking and make very smart recommendations that perfectly met the needs of our venue.

- Mark (Groom)

Northampton Country Club: Member Event – August 4, 2018

As usual Back2Life was a HUGE HIT! I heard so many fantastic comments about the band this year! It was a great end to a rather soggy weekend.

- (Club Representative, Northampton Country Club)

Lucien’s Manor: Gabrielle and Cameron Stringham – August 3, 2018

Hi Marci - I hope this message finds you well!  We're now 2 months since our wedding (so hard to believe!) and we're submitting reviews of all our vendors.  We wanted to share ours with you directly, since we had such an incredible and satisfying experience having your band at our wedding. We had no idea you guys knew Neal Petti, and also that Ben was your trumpet player - he and I have gigged several times together in the Philly schools.  Some of my GAMP students said they enjoyed the snack basket that my mom sent you...which I had no idea that she was doing that!  Combined with your group's talents, this was such a special day for us, and we hope you guys had a fabulous time as well.

Our best!

- Cameron and Gabrielle

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Just wanted to share a review of our EXCEPTIONAL experience with Back2Life as our wedding reception band…
We had a fantastic experience working with Back2Life for our wedding day. The BVT staff were very knowledgeable and thorough as we searched for the right sound for our special day. Once we selected Back2Life, Marci and Mark were wonderful to guide us as we planned all the fine details. The band is incredible – they got all of our guests up and moving on the dance floor right from the start and it was never empty. It was especially meaningful for us that members of the band were private music teachers for some of our students (both my wife and I are school teachers), and that some of our guests were even friends with various band members. It was so special that we had this connection with them. We highly recommend BVTLive!, and especially Back2Life for all of your musical entertainment needs!

-Cameron (Bride)

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We had a fantastic experience working with Back2Life for our wedding day. The BVT staff were very knowledgable and thorough as we searched for the right sound for our special day. Once we selected Back2Life, Marci and Mark were wonderful to guide us as we planned all the fine details. The band is incredible - they got all of our guests up and moving on the dance floor right from the start and it was never empty. It was especially meaningful for us that members of the band were private music teachers for some of our students (both my wife and I are school teachers), and that some of our guests were even friends with various band members. It was so special that we had this connection with them. We highly recommend BVTLive!, and especially Back2Life for all of your musical entertainment needs!

- Cameron (Groom)

Lucien’s Manor: Gabrielle and Cameron – August 3, 2018

We had a fantastic experience working with BVTLive!, and their band Back2Life. The BVT staff were very helpful and thorough as we searched for the right sound for our special day. Once we selected Back2Life, Marci and Mark were wonderful to work with as we planned all the fine details. The band's talent is incredible - they got all of our guests up and moving on the dance floor right from the start and it was never empty. It was especially meaningful for us that members of the band were private music teachers for some of our students (both my wife and I are grade school teachers), and that some of our guests were even friends with various band members. It was so special that we had this connection with them. We highly recommend BVTLive!, and especially Back2Life for all of your musical entertainment needs!

-Cameron (Bride)

Indian River Inlet South Side: Nicole and Joe Ashton – June 22, 2018

Oh My GOD
I don't even know where to start
I cannot tell you how many times we heard - that was the best band ever. And we agree! I mean seriously - you killed it!!! you guys rocked. And kept on rocking throughout the whole night. The bend was on fire. I loved when you mixed in with everyone on the dance floor. The sax and horn -- I mean I forgot all about that!!!!!! The new lady singing with you really rounds you all out - she was delightful. Joe loves how everyone was so engaged. I can't write what he said but its close to you are ducking great 🙂
How do I repay you?
We are back to work but we just can't stop grinning. Thank you. Thank you for every event you have ever exceeded my expectations on and somehow you did it again when it was for Joe and I. Love you guys xoxoxoxoxo

- Nicole (Bride)

Blue Bell Country Club: PVCMA Holiday Party – January 7, 2018

Bill ....

Hands down the best band we have ever had here at BBCC! Wow ... just incredible. Thank you so very much.

My best,

- Kris (General Manager of the Blue Bell Country Club)

Ballroom at Ellis Preserve: Bridget and Mike Mattei – December 29, 2017

Back2Life was sensational! They met with us prior to the wedding to discuss song selection and go over various details. The night of the reception they provided and confirmed all last minute details. They had everyone dancing and enjoying the night from the very start. The dance floor was barely big enough - everyone was dancing and singing along to the songs. Their musicianship was exceptional; singing (split among three singers) was terrific; and they had a feel for the crowd and energy. They showed their ability to stretch into various musical genres - all while keeping the crowd entertained. Their last numbers of the night were perfect - they knew exactly how to finish it up and put an exclamation point to everyone's evening! We highly recommend Back2Life for any occasion. They exceeded our expectations and helped make the night fantastic!

- Bridget (Bride)