Branson Beat: Cross headlines concert series; ‘Grand’ returns

Now, let’s get to it. 

A ‘Spoonful’ of ‘Blood, Sweat & Tears’ ‘Cross’ paths at SDC 

Earlier this year, the folks at Silver Dollar City announced 2019 would be “The Year of Shows & Festivals,” and  it seems they’re holding true to their word as a two-weekend Summer Concert Series featuring Blood, Sweat and Tears, the Lovin’ Spoonful and Christopher Cross.

Things get rolling May 31, and again on June 9 with 80’s cover band Members Only. This band provides a high-energy performance featuring the decade’s most recognizable singles from groups like Chicago, Journey and Kansas. These cats have become regulars in Branson, as well as SDC, over the past few years, and they’re always a hit.

June 1 will see Christopher Cross take the Echo Hollow stage for what I’m sure will be a capacity crowd. Cross burst onto the music scene with the release of his debut album, “Christopher Cross,” in late 1979. That album contained the massive hits “Ride Like the Wind,” which featured backing vocals by Michael McDonald, “Sailing”, “Never Be the Same,” and “Say You’ll Be Mine,” featuring backing vocals by Nicolette Larson. 

The album was such a big hit, Cross  was nominated for several Grammy awards, and made history when he took home four of the most prestigious Grammy awards, all in the same night. His debut album won Grammy awards for Album of the Year, Record of the Year for the single “Sailing,” Song of the Year, also for “Sailing,” as well as Best New Artist. 

Cross is currently the only artist in Grammy history to win all four General Field awards in a single ceremony.

As if that wasn’t enough, in 1982,  Cross took home the Golden Globe Award and Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” which served as the theme song for the hit film “Arthur,” starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli. The song was a collaboration between Cross, pop music composer Burt Bacharach, and Bacharach’s frequent writing partner and then wife, Carole Bayer Sager. A fourth writing credit went to Minnelli’s ex-husband and Australian songwriter Peter Allen.

The tune also reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and on the Hot Adult Contemporary charts during October 1981, remaining at the top on the Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks. 

Even though his popularity wained with the birth of the MTV generation, “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” “Sailing” and “Ride Like The Wind” still enjoy heavy rotation on radio stations to this day.

This one should be a fantastic show.

The following night, June 2, Echo Hollow will host Dancing Dream: The Tribute to Abba, a New York City-based touring tribute act. Because of the rise in popularity of both the movie and Broadway play “Mamma Mia,” Dancing Dream has been performing summer concerts across the country attracting audiences of all age groups. 

This group is set to perform the greatest pop hits from the Swedish supergroup, including “Mamma Mia,” “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance,” my personal favorite “Fernando,” and many more.

 Friday, June 7, will find Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group the Lovin’ Spoonful taking the Echo Hollow stage. Some of their biggest hits include “Do You Believe In Magic,” “You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice,” “Daydream,” “Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind,” “Summer In The City,” “Nashville Cats,” and more. 

June 8 will find another iconic group from the 1970s, Blood, Sweat & Tears, playing at SDC. These jazz-rock stars won Album of the Year at the 1970 Grammy Awards, and their biggest hits include “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” “And When I Die” and “Spinning Wheel.”

I most assuredly love me some Blood, Sweat & Tears.

The concert series will wrap June 9 with Members Only.

The park opens for the season March 13, then sees The Festival of Wonder, which is billed as “a most amazing entertainment experience, designed to spark curiosity by presenting several hot-ticket shows, open April 10. Those shows include “Phoenix Fire,” which is a black-light, laser and fire production, and a new circus-inspired show filled with extraordinary acts in “CirqUnique.” 

Following the Festival of Wonder, the Bluegrass & BBQ festival will return to Silver Dollar City May 2 with a slate of evening concerts in the Echo Hollow Amphitheater called Bluegrass Nights. The summer season again kicks off with Star-Spangled Summer June 8, set to feature “summer mega-productions,” including “Reuben’s Swashbuckling Adventure” and more.

Also new for summer is a show featuring the world’s youngest magician and illusionist, Kid Magic, starring Kadan Bart Rockett and Brooklyn, direct from a run on “America’s Got Talent.” Star-Spangled Summer will also feature all the rides and attractions the park is known for, as well as several other returning favorites.

Following Star-Spangled Summer, the park will again host one of it’s most popular run of dates with Midnight and Moonlight Madness, before making way for the 12 biggest days in the Southern gospel music field with the Southern Gospel Picnic. 

Once the picnic wraps, Silver Dollar City will expand its Country Music Weekends series of shows to Country Music Days, which will feature 13 back-to-back days, Sept. 6-22, of iconic country music played throughout the park, as well as special Saturday Night Celebrity Concerts with classic country stars.

As far as the fall festival goes, it will have “a different look next year” as Silver Dollar City will continue highlighting craftsmen with Craft Days, but will be adding a new show, as well as expanding hours for something new called Pumpkin Nights.

Even though crafts and lumberjacks will take center stage during the daylight hours, the evenings will be willed with a “spectacular evening and nighttime experience” called Pumpkin Nights. During Pumpkin Nights, thousands of glowing pumpkins will be artfully brought to life throughout the streets of the city, creating the biggest fall in the park’s nearly six-decade history.

The park will be open until “9 or 10 p.m.,” during Craft Days and Pumpkin Nights.

As always, the grand finale to the year is An Old Time Christmas. Silver Dollar City transforms into one of the world’s most recognized holiday celebrations with over 6.5 million lights, the dazzling Christmas In Midtown display, Rudolph’s Holly Jolly Christmas Light Parade, the return of two popular original musical productions, “A Dickens’ Christmas Carol” and “It’s A Wonderful Life,” plus a towering special effects Christmas tree.

Visit silverdollarcity.com.

Cathcart fundraiser 

Saturday at Center Stage

Branson’s Center Stage Bar & Grille will host a benefit event for Joe and Isabelle Cathcart featuring the Thundering Red Rockets Saturday night. Joe Cathcart, son of Peggy Lennon of the Lennon Sisters, is battling brain cancer for the third time, and his 9-year-old daughter, Isabelle, requires ongoing treatment and therapies for cerebral palsy. 

“As much as it pains me to ask, we need help,” Cathcart said in a letter. “I will not let my health situation interfere with the progress our daughter has made, but would like to be around to watch her make more progress in her life.”

Both of their treatments require regular travel out of the area, and this benefit is designed to help with these expenses, as well as the household expenses of the family, including Isabelle and her four siblings.

The Thundering Red Rockets, featuring brothers Joey, Chris and Mike Cathcart, along with Billy Bernhardi, Danny Macias, Al Loman, Bogie Bohinc and Matt Muhoberac, will perform throughout the evening while Jim Barber emcees  the event. A limited menu will be available at Center Stage with a percentage of the food purchase price going towards the fundraiser.  

In addition, there will a silent auction with many unique items and a raffle for a Rogue 6-string acoustic guitar. 

Y’all be sure and stop by for an entertaining and fun evening while helping out a local friend and neighbor in need.

To donate to the silent auction, call Cris Bohinc at 417-294-2661.

‘Jubilee’ and ‘Jamboree’ 

return to Grand Country  

After taking some much needed R&R, the folks at the Grand Country Music Hall are returning to action this week as “Grand Jubilee” returns Thursday night, followed by “Comedy Jamboree” Friday afternoon.

“Grand Jubilee” is fronted by emcee and producer extraordinaire Mike “The Golden Throat of the Ozarks” Patrick, as well as the man, the myth, the legend Jamie “Jim Dandy” Haage, who shares the stage as his co-host/comic relief/star of the show. They are joined by the New South Quartet, which features David Ragan, Jon Drockelman, Mark McCauley, Luke Menard, female vocalists Jackie Brown, and the Grand Band, known locally as the “Rhinestone Mafia,” featuring steel guitarist and band leader Gene Mulvaney, keyboard player Michael W. Davis, bassist Larry Allred, drummer Rob Blackburn, guitarist Chad Cathell and fiddler Wayne Massengale.

I caught the all-new 2019 show earlier this year, and it is fantastic. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.

Friday afternoon at 3 p.m., “Comedy Jamboree” returns to the stage. Not only is this show thoroughly entertaining, but it is legitimately funny.

“Comedy Jamboree” stars the Jamboree Singers, Matt Snow, Tiffany Sassanella and GiGi Hutchison, the Grand Band featuring Tracy Heaston, and the comedy team of Justin “Stretch McCord” Sifford, Shannon “Apple Jack” Thomason, and Andy “Just Andy” Parks.

“Comedy Jamboree” is always a great time.

Grand Country is also home to the “Amazing Pets” show, which takes the stage at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

For more information and a full list of guests, visit grandcountry.com.