Last year, the Sweetwater Performance Pavilion welcomed guitar slinger Kenny Wayne Shepherd to town for what could be called a show for the ages. What made the evening so complete was that folks also got their taste of an emerging artist in the contemporary blues world. Samantha Fish opened the show that evening and became quite the talk among the attendees with her high, plaintive voice, slicing guitar work, and on-stage prowess. I can specifically recall 96.3XKE’s Doc West saying, “We must bring her back in 2020.”
The powers that be took note since the Kansas City, Mo., phenomenon is returning to the Pavilion on Friday, June 5, in support of her latest effort, Kill or Be Kind. This time around, Fish will be the headliner and joined by recent Grammy nominee Southern Avenue. Tickets for go on sale Friday, Feb. 7, at 10 a.m. at the Sweetwater campus and online via Sweetwaterpavilion.com.
Twist and shout
Another addition to the Sweetwater Pavilion calendar are The Fab Four on Sunday, June 7. The Emmy-Award-winning Fab Four are elevated above other Beatles tributes due to their precise attention to detail.
With uncanny, note-for-note live renditions of Beatles classics such as “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Yesterday,” and “Twist and Shout,” the Fab Four will make you think you are watching the real thing. Their performance will include three costume changes representing every era of the Beatles ever-changing career.
Tickets for this show also go on sale Feb. 7 at 10 a.m.
Fun, Fun, Fun
While your credit card is warmed up, go ahead and add another to the list. On Saturday, July 25, the Foellinger Theatre will host everyone’s favorite surf band, The Beach Boys. The band has been a non-stop touring machine for more than five decades and have sold over 100 million records worldwide. Plan on being on your feet that evening as you take in all the band’s charttoppers that have become eternal anthems of American youth.
One item of importance, this show will not include original members Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, or David Marks.
This show will go on sale on Feb. 7 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster, via phone at (800) 982-2787, or in the Parks and Recreation Administrative Office at 705 E. State Blvd.
All Shook up
The El’s Angels are a local non-jumpsuit tribute to the one and only Elvis. They don’t consider themselves an impressionist act but a respectful appreciation of Elvis Presley, the song stylist and musician. The band consists of Kenny Taylor (vocal/guitar), Paul New Stewart (keyboards), Jamie Simon (drums), Edward Renz (saxophone/acoustic guitar), Kellen Baker (guitar), and Colin Taylor (upright and electric bass).
Together, the band is scheduled to perform on Friday, March 13 at the Cottage Event Center in Roanoke. The event will feature two hours of Elvis songs, ranging from his early recording at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis to the later works on RCA. As an added bonus, the El’s Angels plan to add a little Johnny Cash into the mix as well.
Their performance at the venue sold out last year, so you might want to act quickly. Tickets can be purchased at cottageeventcenter.com. This is a fundraiser for Northeast Indiana Honor Flight which provides World War II veterans along with other conflicts with cost free trips to Washington to visit various memorials.