There is a stage in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where Paulino never has to introduce himself. On Friday night, August 14, 2026, the rocker known to longtime fans as Jason Paulino stepped out front and center at Madeira Field to headline the Senhor da Pedra Feast with The Great Escape: A Tribute to Journey, a free performance for a crowd that has watched him grow from a regional favorite into a national award nominee. “I’m looking forward to returning to the Senhor da Pedra Feast and couldn’t be more excited to headline Friday Night,” he said ahead of the show.
For Paulino, these nights are about more than music. “I am very proud of my Portuguese heritage and hope all my people show up in support of me,” he said. In New Bedford, that heritage is woven into the life of the city, and nowhere more visibly than on its summer feast grounds.
The best known of those celebrations is the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament, which Paulino and The Great Escape have also played. Founded in 1915 by four immigrants from the island of Madeira, the feast began as a re-creation of the religious festivals of their home villages and a gesture of thanks for their safe passage to America. More than a century later, it is widely recognized as the largest Portuguese feast in the world, drawing crowds in the tens of thousands to Madeira Field every summer with food, music, a parade, and free admission for all. For a Portuguese-American performer, there are few stages that carry more meaning.
Paulino’s own story began in Hudson, Massachusetts, where he grew up before moving to Clinton in 2005. Three years later, he became the frontman of The Great Escape, a band he has been with since its very formation in 2008. With a voice that has long drawn comparisons to Journey’s classic sound, he has led the group through clubs, casinos, fairs, and feasts across New England and beyond, building the kind of loyal following that turns out year after year.
Last year, Paulino moved to the Nashville area to pursue a solo career as a singer-songwriter and recording artist, and his fans back in Massachusetts have been cheering him on ever since. In his very first year entering his music, his single “Don’t Give Up On Me” earned a nomination for Song of the Year – Rock Artist at the 12th Annual Josie Music Awards, and on September 20, 2026, he was in the room at the Grand Ole Opry House among the year’s nominees, chosen from more than 100,000 submissions. “Words cannot express what I am feeling,” he said when the nomination was announced. “The recognition of being heard and understood in such a personal song confirmed I’m achieving my dreams and right where I’m supposed to be.”
Nashville may be his new base, but New England remains home turf. Paulino still performs with The Great Escape whenever his schedule allows, and the band is set to return to The Vault Music Hall and Pub in downtown New Bedford on Saturday, December 5, 2026. For the fans who have filled feast grounds and music halls to hear him sing, it is a chance to welcome back one of their own, carrying his roots with pride from Madeira Field to Music City and back again.
The official website for Paulino may be found at https://paulinosings.com/