..The "What's New" ARCHIVES:
Prior months of 2004 are available
from links at the end of this column.
Click here for the most current month.
"WHAT'S NEW" - MAY/JUNE 2004
"Two wheels a-turnin', big motor burnin' the road,
I'll ride the highway, I'm going my way, I'll leave a story untold.
Big wheels a-turnin', ride on away from here"...
"Ride Away" 1965
 Big engines have indeed been rumbling during Brian's last few weeks at "Legends in Concert", as May swept into South Carolina aboard more than 250,000! motorcycles.
 The 64th annual Myrtle Beach Bike Week was a nonstop showcase of chrome plated history. Trick-painted "choppers" and luxurious touring motorcycles were lined up at night in the Legends Theatre parking lot like modern sculpture, including some classic "shovelhead" bikes from the 60's like the one pictured, that Roy enjoyed so much.
The Harley Davidson Owners Association brought the "Legends" show into the downtown Convention Center each afternoon. Quite a few folks who enjoyed that went to the regular theatre show at night, and were back downtown for the next afternoons performance!
(Brian singing Roy's
"Mean Woman Blues"
takes on a whole different slant when his Legends dancers are black-leather-clad biker girls)
|
|
It wasn't just tourists who came along with all those motorcycles...the Summer rotation of "Legends" performers brought two new acts in to keep the energy level high. What better reflection of the free spirit of America (besides all that 2-wheeled thunder) than "The Boss", Bruce Springsteen? (recall that line in "Born To Run"--"Roy Orbison sang for the lonely"?)...Canadian Matt Ryan as a perfect jeans and flag-vest clad Bruce showed us "Thunder Road" is alive and well. (and the last weeks of May, right outside the theatre door, too)
And, who better to appear along with Roy Orbison than an artist who helps keep his music in the public eye and ear? Brigitte Valdez is a powerful Celine Dion, giving the version of Roy's "I Drove All Night" used in the recent Chrysler commercials Celines own flair, along with the popular "My Heart Will Go On" from the movie "Titanic". Did you know the lyrics to the latter were written by Will Jennings, who co-wrote with Orbison several songs for Roy's last album "Mystery Girl"?
....Every so often, for some special night, Brian has a chance to put into his "Legends" set something very different, and very beautiful; another song also from "Mystery Girl." The band is silent for those four minutes as alone under a center stage spotlight, he sings "In The Real World" a cappella. You can hear the proverbial pin drop as he makes that gift to the audience. All the easier to tell why Brian is given the same introduction used for Orbison..."and now..."The Voice"...
"In The Real World" is up on the AUDIO page, (link at right)
--taped last summer at one of Brian's special shows.
click the logo above to be taken to their website
for schedule and ticket information
ARCHIVES of 2004 "What's New" pages:
(this article was May/June)
return to July/Aug
(previous article on this page)
January/Feb/March/April
a new window
September/October
a new window
|
Famous in country music history as the hometown of "The Cradle of the Stars",
