Josh Groban Cincinnati 2026: A Night of Cinematic Magic -

Josh Groban Brings Stage, Screen & Symphony to Riverbend

Riverbend Music Center | Cincinnati, Ohio | August 11, 2026

I never got to see Frank Sinatra live.

Sinatra played Riverbend Music Center, and I was old enough to know who he was, but probably still a little too young to appreciate the opportunity that was right in front of me.

That’s one of those things I still kick myself about.

So when Josh Groban stood on that same Riverbend stage Monday night and began singing Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns,” something clicked.

Sinatra’s version of that song has always been one of my favorites. It’s beautiful. It’s heartbreaking. And it’s one of those songs that can stop me in my tracks.

Hearing Groban sing it live brought all of that back.

I’m not comparing Josh Groban to Frank Sinatra. I don’t think you need to.

But every generation gets a few voices that can make you stop whatever you’re doing and just listen.

Josh Groban has one of those voices.

A Night at the Movies

Groban brought his Stage, Screen & Symphony Tour to Riverbend, building the evening around songs from Broadway, movies and his latest album, Cinematic.

There was no opening act.

There didn’t need to be.

This was an evening filled with songs most of us already had some kind of relationship with.

There was music from Casablanca.

There was Les Misérables.

There was The Godfather.

There was Disney.

There was The Phantom of the Opera.

And there was Sondheim.

Groban didn’t rely on the hits people might normally expect to hear at one of his concerts. He committed to the idea behind the tour and trusted these songs, his voice and the musicians around him to carry the night.

And they did.

There were moments when his voice simply gave you chills.

He Can Sing in Sicilian, But He Can Still Make a Dad Joke

Here’s the thing I probably enjoyed most about Josh Groban.

The guy has this huge, powerful voice, but somehow the person attached to it feels completely approachable.

At one point, Groban told a story about performing music from The Godfather for Martin Scorsese. He had performed the song in Italian, only for Scorsese to tell him he wanted to hear it in Sicilian.

So Groban learned it in Sicilian.

That pretty much tells you the level we’re dealing with here.

Then after intermission, Groban came back out joking about having enough time to change his clothes, take a restroom break and get ready for the second half.

That’s my kind of guy.

Here’s someone who can sing a song in Sicilian one minute and have you laughing at a bad dad joke the next.

I’ve always imagined that hanging out with Frank Sinatra would involve a cocktail lounge, a whiskey, a cigar and probably a fedora.

Josh Groban?

I feel like you could sit at a bar with the guy, have a drink and trade bad jokes all night.

Then he’d probably get up and sing something that gives everyone in the place chills.

Yep, We’re Disney Adults Too

At one point during the evening, Groban shared that he and his fiancée got engaged at Disneyland this past April.

That led him to admit something to the Cincinnati crowd.

Yes, Josh Groban is officially a Disney adult.

Well, welcome to the club.

Candy and I are definitely Disney adults too.

Suddenly I’m sitting at Riverbend singing along with Josh Groban to songs from Coco and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” and I’m thinking, yep, I completely understand this guy.

And while Disney sometimes gets dismissed as kids’ stuff, anyone who has watched Coco knows better.

Those songs can hit you right in the heart.

“Can You Feel the Love Tonight” became another one of the evening’s big moments. With the voices behind Groban joining in, the song just kept building until the sound seemed to fill every corner of Riverbend.

Disney adult?

I’ll proudly take it.

The Song That Hit Home

But one of the biggest moments of the night for me came from The Phantom of the Opera.

Groban was joined by 18-year-old vocalist Samia Posada for “All I Ask of You,” and together they delivered one of my favorite performances of the evening.

That song carries a little extra weight for Candy and me.

We both love Phantom.

So when those first notes began, this one wasn’t simply another Broadway song in the set.

It was personal.

For a few minutes, everything else around me disappeared and I just took it in.

That was ours.

And that’s really what a night filled with songs like these can do.

Everybody sitting at Riverbend probably had a different song that meant something to them.

A different movie.

A different musical.

A different memory.

Groban gave us a chance to reconnect with all of them.

Sharing the Stage

Another thing I appreciated was how much Groban shared the stage.

Throughout the evening, he was surrounded by musicians and singers assembled from the region, giving the Riverbend performance something that belonged specifically to this stop on the tour.

And Groban made sure they weren’t treated like anonymous musicians somewhere behind him.

He acknowledged them.

He praised them.

He gave them their moments.

That said a lot about him.

Groban certainly has the voice to carry an evening by himself, but he seemed genuinely happy to share the spotlight with the people helping him bring these songs to life.

And when all of those voices and instruments came together, the sound could be absolutely massive.

A Little Bit of Ohio in Josh Groban

Groban also took a moment to talk about his connection to Ohio.

Although he was born in Los Angeles, his father was born and raised in Columbus, giving Groban some Buckeye roots of his own.

And you know what that means.

O-H!

I-O!

Of course the Cincinnati crowd was happy to play along.

It was another small moment that made the night feel less like another stop on a tour and a little more like Groban actually knew where he was and was happy to be there.