Branson, Missouri might be adding some rock ‘n roll to their country roots. It’s not the only musical change in the land of Mickey Gilley, Moe Bandy, the Baldknobbers and Shoji Tabuchi. Bigger names like Carrie Underwood and Pat Benatar are also set to perform this season.
The $13 million, 975-seat Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater, where the evening show through early December will star Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers and Paul Revere and the Raiders opened recently. “‘American Bandstand’ was on the air for 30 years,” says Chris Lucchi, managing partner for Morris Group Hotels, which developed the theater. “We felt like Dick Clark’s name represents the good side of rock ’n’ roll.” In addition to acts that appeared over the decades of “Bandstand” — the Comets, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Fabian — the theater will be a visual history of rock ’n’ roll. “Dick Clark has a warehouse full of memorabilia that will be on display,” Lucchi says. “He’s excited about this project.” Lucchi thinks the theater will be a perfect fit for what’s going on in Branson. “Branson in a lot of ways is putting the baby boomer in the crosshairs,” he says. “If you look at the age group we’re after with ’50s and ’60s music, it would be the first decade of baby boomers.”
Elsewhere in town, the Branson Showcase Theater highlights an entire decade in a variety show called “#1 Hits of the ’60s,” featuring everything from bubblegum ditties to protest songs. At the Legends in Concert Theater, performers will be channeling, among others, Neil Diamond, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, the Beatles and Elvis Presley.
“If you look at the show roster Branson has right now, you’ll see there is a great offering for folks who grew up with rock ’n’ roll, who grew up listening to Bill Medley, the Comets and the Beatles,” says Jennifer McCullough of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau. That doesn’t mean country isn’t still cool. But for several years it hasn’t been Branson’s only type of entertainment. “I think what is happening is people are beginning to hear about the diversity of Branson’s entertainment,” McCullough said.
“Cirque” has been in town for several years. So have the Acrobats of China and “Spirit of the Dance.” Last year brought Three Dog Night and the Moody Blues. B.B. King was here earlier this year. And if you need more proof that this is not your father’s Branson, two words: Lynyrd Skynyrd. The Southern rock band behind such ’70s hits as “Free Bird” and “Sweet Home Alabama” appeared for two nights this spring at the Welk Resort Theatre.
The times they are a-changin’.
Besides the star power on stage and Clark’s extensive collection of memorabilia, another big draw is expected to be the Patch Collection, a display of 55 pristine 1957 automobiles owned by collector and theater investor Glenn Patch. The cars will be displayed in the theater’s lower level in a re-creation of small-town America in 1957, the year “Bandstand” went national. Cars will be parked throughout the “town,” on streets in front of stores, in the carport of a ’57 home, in the parking lot of a drive-in theater and at a drive-in restaurant. It will be very nostalgic for baby boomers.