I am often amazed at the caliber of entertainment available to we, the fans, in this area — always something for everyone, and most often at reasonable prices.
Between the schools producing wonderful musicals and theater performances, to dance groups, community theater, and bigger acts coming to the area to perform at various venues, hardly a week goes by without a quality concert offering being held somewhere, sometime.
This past weekend, fans of Pinkerton Academy musicals enjoyed performances of the classic show "Bye Bye Birdie." The musical had all the usual suspects, including top-notch student performances and spectacular singing, sets, dancing and direction. And, as always, the Stockbridge Theatre makes the night even more enjoyable.
This week, the Stockbridge offers its vast space for a performance by The Machine on Friday night, March 21, at 8 p.m. Hosted by the Tupelo Music Hall, The Machine is just the ticket for every Pink Floyd fan out there. The show has forged a 20-year reputation of bringing the best Pink Floyd sounds to the stage and continuing the famous band's legacy as a rock legend.
This New York-based band performs a diverse mix of Floyd repertoire, covering the famed band's 16 albums with renditions of well-known hits and other more obscure songs through the years.
Add in some lighting, multimedia effects, stage and set designs, and the music, and it's a theatrical experience not to be missed.
Tickets for The Machine at the Stockbridge are $29.50 for adults and $22 for students, for reserved seating. Visit the Tupelo Music Hall for tickets and information at www.tupelohall.com.
For fans of the Beatles and the earliest of the Fab Four's beginnings in Liverpool, the Tupelo brings back a true legend with the return of Pete Best, the Beatles' original drummer, to the Tupelo stage in Londonderry on May 17 at 8 p.m.
Best was there at the beginning when history was made and was the Beatles' drummer from 1960 to 1962, performing all over Europe and in his native Liverpool with buddies Paul McCartney, George Harrison and John Lennon.
I had the pleasure of being at Best's show last year at the Tupelo, and if anyone enjoys pure, raucous rock 'n' roll and wants to be in the same, intimate room with one of the greats in music history, this is the show for you. Best's drumming talents and his bandmates' talent on guitar and vocals can't be beat.
Last year, in a phone interview from his offices at the Casbah Coffee Club (where the young Beatles often performed in a lower-level coffeehouse setting), Best told me his show is "powerful, right from start to finish," and he is right. He said anyone attending his show at the Tupelo should get ready to hear some great sounds that will bring back lots of memories.
Pete Best tickets are on sale now through the Tupelo Music Hall at www.tupelohall.com.
Julie Huss is a staff writer for the Derry News. Her column focusing on the local arts scene appears every Wednesday. To contact her, call 421-3847 or send an e-mail to jhuss@eagletribune.com.
