Paramount announces Fall/Winter line-up
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Standing under the illuminated marquis of the historic Paramount Theater this morning, venue officials ceremoniously pulled a gold quilted sheet from an easel revealing the 39 acts of the 2007-2008 season. Survey says? This year offers an eclectic and wide-ranging if not truly star-studded season.
Among the bigger names who’ll take the stage in coming months: R&B diva Dionne Warwick, jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, and country singer Wynonna. While the upcoming season may not have the biggest of big names like Tony Bennett or Yo-Yo Ma, both of whom the Paramount has boasted in the past, there’s no shortage of choices.
Classical music lovers and opera buffs will get a chance to see The Ten Tenors and the State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico; country and folk music aficionados can soak up Clint Black, as well as returning artists Ricky Scaggs and Arlo Guthrie; gospel devotees can see the Mighty Clouds of Joy; big band freaks might enjoy Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra; and there’s even a throwback to the late 1960s with the 5th Dimension. There’s also plenty of dance, comedy, and shows for the kids, as well as the Paramount’s classic movie screenings– Viva Las Vegas, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and a Halloween showing of the classic horror flick Night of the Living Dead, to name just a few.
Tickets go on sale to the general public August 21, but members who donate to the organization have access either one or two weeks prior to that date, depending on how much they’ve shelled out. For a complete schedule or more information, visit the Paramount’s website.
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So, as a 27 year old, I’m obviously not in the Paramount’s targeted demographic, but still, what a bore.
no kidding! with exception of the Lincoln Theater Jazz group, I’ll PASS
That’s one lame freaking schedule. They have yet to produce anything even remotely as interesting as the “fake” schedule they used to show on their site before they opened. I guess it’s up to Coran to book decent shows there - the Paramount itself seems relatively incapable of doing so.
I, for one, am so glad that you three will not be there. There are enough rowdy joints around here for you to slouch in.
I’m not looking for rowdy…. fyi. current/relevant 10% of the time? yes!
Rowdy? Ouch.
You misjudge.
My radio dial stays on NPR and most nights I spend hanging out at my house with my two cats.
My idea of rowdy is two glasses of wine.
But there’s little here to attract me, or anyone under 50, I fear.
(Ok, ok, I’d go see the comedy programming.)
Yeah really - how do you get “rowdy” out of anything any of the three of us wrote? Oh wait - I forgot about how raucous those Lincoln Theater Jazz group shows can get. Jeeze - they’d better move that one to the Pavilion and hire extra cops.
If any of us want rowdy, we know where to get it (and it ain’t in Charlottesville), and I for one don’t expect it at the Paramount. On the flip side, when they DO book acts that generate music worth moving one’s feet to, it is an absolute insult to have an usher bust you for dancing IN THE BACK OF THE BALCONY BEHIND ALL OF THE SEATS.
Acts they would consider if they were interested in something different (for them) might include Joan Osborne, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Nick Lowe, Shemekia Copeland, Hiroshima, Tower of Power, Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women, Nils Lofgren, some killer Classical music, Dr. John, Ahmad Jamal, Corey Harris, Tori Amos, Karrin Allyson, John McLaughlin, Richard Thompson, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Madeleine Peyroux, Bela Fleck, and for God’s sake will somebody please book Keb’ freaking Mo’ into Charlottesville????
All of the above acts are appearing during the fall and winter in DC or Roanoke - two hours away. Too far to drive for a show.
The Paramount schedule is unimaginative and predictable. Where are the emerging artists? Where are the blues and jazz masters? Of course, if their goal is to sell subscriptions I guess they need to cater to the bland and vanilla. If their goal is to enrich our culture and introduce people to entertainment that DIDN’T perform on the Ed Sullivan Show or Lawrence Welk, they might want to consider alternatives to what they are doing now. Hopefully the new director will take them someplace more interesting.
I’m glad my comment provoked more sensible comments that could be considered constructive. Please keep up the good work. I enjoyed reading your last.
Hmm, I can’t decide between the North Carolina Dance Theatre and the Elvis impersonator. It’s a shame that, having waited 20 years for the place to be rehabbed, we can’t find entertainment with a pulse. On the other hand, the Jeff Tweedy show this year was amazing, and I’m sure the Ryan Adams show will be good. So maybe there’s hope, but they need to do a better job, I think. They could show classic foreign films on nights when the theater is not otherwise booked–or something. Let ‘em show midnight madness stuff (Rocky Horror, The Wall, Stop Making Sense) on Friday and Saturday nights. Too much of Cville is geared to the 60-year-old with a jag and a vineyard. The rest of us have spending cash, too!