Taylor Hicks ~~ Soul in the Heartland!

In 1998, “Grease” played the Sangamon Auditorium in Springfield, Illinois.

The Sangamon welcomes a former Teen Angel this week as Taylor Hicks wields a different harp and plays the spectacular venue on the campus of the University of Illinois at Springfield, Tuesday, August 10, at 8:00 p.m.

The 2000-seat theatre, named after the Sangamon River which winds through Central Illinois for 250 miles, is home to a rich show business history since opening in the early Eighties.

“Sangamon Auditorium opened its doors on February 21, 1981, and has since presented more than 2000 events. The Auditorium’s inaugural event was Hal Holbrook performing his one-man show, “Mark Twain Tonight”! As recently as the 2002-2003 Season, Holbrook’s performance of this historical piece continues to pack the Auditorium to capacity.”

In its almost 30-year history, the Sangamon has presented a plethora of entertainment from Broadway productions to pop sensations. Buddy Guy appears there October 10, 2010.

In a telephone interview from his tour bus last week, Taylor talked about his success with Brian Mackey of the State Journal-Register in Springfield:

“I never take it for granted, because I know what it’s like to struggle,” Hicks said. “You have to stay out there and work it.”

Taylor is staying out there on a 20-city national tour, bringing his high-energy live concert to the Land of Lincoln before heading north again for a show at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis Wednesday night and at The Annex in Madison, WI on Thursday night.

A few miles from Springfield in Peoria, I stood in line with my best friend, Janice, to see Elvis Presley in his first movie, “Love Me Tender,” at the Rialto Theatre. I saw my first live drama, “The Sea Gull,” at a summer theatre production in a local park. My first musical show was Mario Lanza in the movie, “The Student Prince.”

I’m a long way from the Sangamon now, but a little piece of my heart is there as someone dear to my heart plays the Sangamon Auditorium tomorrow night.

There’s a saying: “Will it play in Peoria?”

Springfield is only a few miles away. “Will it play in Springfield?”

I’ve been there, and, yes, Taylor Hicks and the boys from Alabama “WILL PLAY” in Springfield!!!

Rock the Heartland!


http://www.uis.edu/sangamonauditorium/index.htm

~~

Taylor Hicks National Tour ~ 2010

Catch it while you can!

August 11~Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis, MN, 7:00 p.m.
http://sa1.seatadvisor.com/sabo/servlets/TicketRequest;jsessionid=59317AAC37B38F17484A60BB66CE233D?eventId=302125&presenter=DAKOTA&venue=&event=

August 12~The Annex, Madison, WI 8:00 p.m.
http://www.intheannex.com/shows/

August 14~Knuckleheads Saloon, Kansas City, MO , 8:00 p.m.
https://www.etix.com/ticket/servlet/onlineSale?action=selectPerformance&displayType=list&cobrand=knuckleheadskc&performance_id=1288100

August 19~Mesa Theatre, Grand Junction, CO 8:00 p.m.
http://www.mesatheater.com/events.php?ID=532

August 21~Aquarius Pavilion, Laughlin, NV, 8:00 p.m.
http://www.theaquarius.com/ENTERTAINMENT_TaylorHicks.asp

August 22~Anthology Supper Club, San Diego, CA,
http://www.anthologysd.com/index.html

August 24~Downtown Brewing Company, San Luis Obispo, CA 7:00
http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=2639105&REFERRAL_ID=tmfeed&crosssite=TM_US:1092763:337533

August 25~The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko, San Francisco, CA, 7:30 p.m.
http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=2489715&REFERRAL_ID=tmfeed&crosssite=TM_US:1092763:341720

August 26~Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino, Coarsegold, CA
http://www.chukchansigold.com/PromotionsEvents/Concerts/

August 28~ Armed Forces Appreciation Day, American Idols for our American Heroes, “Bull Rigdon” Fairgrounds, Fort Walton, FL
Contact information: 850-244-8191.

September 15~Infinity Music Hall, Norfolk, CT, 8:00 p.m. Rescheduled from Sep. 25th
http://www.infinityhall.com/events/taylor-hicks

September 18~Paramount Theatre, Rutland, VT, 8:00 p.m. http://www.paramountvt.org/shows_details.php?show_id=80


September 26~SOS Children’s Villages Concert w/Matt Cusson, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA, 8:00 p.m.
http://www.kimmelcenter.org/events/index.php?id=3814

October 9 – 10 ~Epcot Center “Eat to the Beat Concert Series, Orlando, FL, 5:15, 6:30, 7:45 p.m.
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/04/eat-to-the-beat-concert-series-lineup-at-epcot-international-food-wine-festival/

Taylor Hicks National Tour Hits Middle America

Taylor Hicks takes his National Tour to Middle America tonight!

The two share a fondness for each other. In the first few pages of his autobiography, “Heart Full of Soul,” he talked about their understanding of each other:

“Debbie [Williams, one of American Idol’s stage managers] kidded me about my gut, which unfortunately, had gotten more noticeable during all those weeks [on American Idol] with easy access to free catering tables. ‘Watch out, Taylor, you’ve got a little belly there,’ she said as nicely as those words can be said. I looked her straight in the eye and replied, ‘Hey, middle America loves that belly.’ ….I understood middle America because that’s where I’m from. That’s who I am. I’m from Birmingham Alabama, and that’s as middle America as you can get—okay, perhaps not geographically, but in every other way.”

He is in middle America this week minus that belly!

He is carrying, however, four years of eclectic musical experience under his belt—a very successful national tour in 2007, Broadway starring role and National Tour of “Grease,” and three successful album releases. A svelte Taylor Hicks was recently seen shopping, perhaps to stock a healthy pantry on his huge tour bus as it heads to Middle America.

Taylor Hicks Middle America Summer Tour opens tonight!

Friday’s Fish Fry
Fat Fish Blue, Cleveland, Ohio, August 6, 9:00 p.m.
“Blues, barbecue and Bourbon Street” describe the goodness of Fat Fish Blue in Cleveland, Ohio, where Taylor and the band open a swing through the Midwest tonight at 9:00 p.m. The home of live blues music 5 nights a week, Fat Fish Blue is a hot dose of New Orleans in the heart of downtown Cleveland. Can’t you just smell the spicy creole cuisine? http://www.fatfishblue.com/about.html

Saturday’s Pig Gig
Veteran’s Memorial Park, Bay City, Michigan, August 7, 6:00 p.m.
Benefiting Boys and Girls Club
“Food, fun and music as hot as the ribs” is the billing for the celebration succinctly tagged the “Pig Gig” Saturday night. Taylor and his band headline the outdoor show expected to draw huge crowds to the Bay area. http://www.piggig.com/concerts_saturday.shtml

Monday’s Music in the Windy City
Reggies’ Rock Club, Chicago, Illinois, August 9, 9:00 p.m.
The Chicago urban rock scene welcomes the tour for a show about which Taylor tweeted: “Chicago is going to ROCK!” “A backdrop of murals created by local graffiti artists, state of the art sound, and a giant video screen complement old Chicago Brick and Steel making REGGIES ROCK CLUB one of the most intimate and unique spaces in Chicago to see a show.” http://www.reggieslive.com/rockclub/

Taylor’s tour through the heartland and points beyond continues next week. We’ll look at some of the venues that host the boys from Alabama as they wind their way west to the Golden State. The next stop--Sangamon Auditorium in Springfield, IL

For more information on all the tour stops and summer events and for media from the show and appearances, visit our Connections forum:

http://taylorconnections.com/forum/1573907/

Wherever you can catch the Taylor Hicks National Tour, DO! It’s a marvelous way to spend the waning days of summer!


Next: “Sangamon—in the Heartland”


Photo by Joe Marzullo: Taylor Hicks, Highline Ballroom, NYC, 7.25.10
"Heart Full of Soul" by Taylor Hicks, Random House