Step Back in Time for a Drama-Filled Journey with Folsom Prison Experience!

Prepare for a high-intensity recreation of one of Johnny Cash’s most significant days in his musical career – a day that history now looks back on with amazement. While Johnny was going through a tough period, having just ended his first marriage, the band struggled to get him interested in recording in the studio. Their bold solution? Record LIVE in a prison. But what seemed simple turned into a whirlwind of drama!

Join us for the Folsom Prison Experience, an immersive tribute drama directed by Stephanie Long, taking you back to that extraordinary day. Witness the challenges and triumphs as Johnny Cash and his band, the Tennessee 3, face a captive audience in Folsom Prison. Experience the raw emotions that shaped this iconic performance.

And here’s the best part – YOU get to be a part of it all! Dress in your finest prison inmate attire and become one of THE PRISONERS of Folsom Prison. You’ll feel the intensity of the moment as you immerse yourself in this captivating production.

Starring the incredible Jay Ernest from the Church of Cash, this impressive cast includes the talented Kat Perkins, Ryan Maddux, Dan Hopman, Ryan Nelson, Jonathon TeBeest, Tony Wirth, Nic Johnson, Bronson Bergeson, Poppa Bear Norton, and more!

Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the drama, the music, and the soul of Johnny Cash’s historic Folsom Prison performance. Get ready for a thrilling journey that will leave you spellbound and cheering for more!

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Lead singer Patrick Myers said “It’s been an amazing journey. That first show changed my life. We thought our band would last maybe a summer at the most but it’s a very addictive thing performing these songs. The concerts grew and grew, and we’ve ended up playing and selling out the same arenas that Queen played at their peak. It was quite a surreal ride. Becoming regular performers at Red Rocks Arena in America is another highlight. The Beatles, U2, Springsteen, and Dylan all played on that stage. It’s really got its own kind of magic going on there”

MAGIC YEARS

Killer Queen’s first public shows were at London University, following in the footsteps of the real Queen who had played their first shows there decades earlier.

Killer Queen’s UK popularity grew to such an extent they soon secured a residency in London’s Strand Theatre attracting nationwide BBC coverage – the first tribute to have a show in the West End.

The band’s reputation continued to grow both in the UK and abroad leading to an awards ceremony in Leicester Square, hosted by Suggs from Madness who presented them with the award for “Worldwide Best Tribute Band”. They also scored a number one hit when they were asked to recreate Queen’s harmonies for “The Real Life” with Fatboy Slim.

By now they were in demand in European arenas playing Ahoy and Forest National Arena where Queen filmed the concert set piece videos such as Hammer to Fall and Don’t Stop Me Now.

Killer Queen then joined forces with Bjorn Again and The Bootleg Beatles for a Waverley Stadium show in Edinburgh. It was this performance that led to the band being selected to represent Queen in a re-staged tribute LiveAid concert held by Sir Bob Geldof in Malta. They performed with him at his arena charity concert to raise funds for young homeless people.

Killer Queen set their sights on America including the awe-inspiring Red Rocks Arena in Colorado – one of the country’s most prestigious venues. The Beatles, Springsteen, U2 have all played there and the band is delighted it’s become a regular sell-out fixture on Killer Queen’s tour sheet. 2023 saw the band play packed arenas across Europe: Stavanger in Norway and Cardiff, Nottingham, Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Leeds in the UK. 2024 includes an arena tour of Lithuania, UK arena shows in Liverpool.

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Chip Davis, founder and creator of Mannheim Steamroller, celebrates over 35 Years of his annual Christmas concert tour, making it the longest running concert tour in the entertainment industry!

“I remember when I came out with my first Christmas album in 1984 followed by our first tour. Back then, many in the music industry said focusing on Christmas just wouldn’t work,” said Davis.

“Now, over 35 years later, we are still going strong. I want to thank our fans for making us part of their holiday tradition. Today we often see multi-generational families join us during the holidays each year.”

Davis founded his own record label, American Gramaphone, which went on to become one of the industry’s largest independent record labels. A Grammy Award winner, Mannheim Steamroller has sold more than 41 million albums, with over 31.5 million in the Christmas genre. Their holiday CD’s have become synonymous with Christmas and occupy top positions on Billboard’s Seasonal Chart every year.

MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER CHRISTMAS by Chip Davis has been America’s favorite holiday tradition for more than 35 years! Grammy Award winner Chip Davis has created a show that features Mannheim Steamroller Christmas classics in the distinctive Mannheim sound.

This year’s show will feature classic Christmas hits from the Mannheim Steamroller holiday albums along with multimedia effects in an intimate setting including 15 musicians playing more than 20 instruments against a backdrop of dazzling multimedia effects – capturing the spirit of the season in an immersive yet intimate setting. Davis will direct and co-produce Tour performances with MagicSpace Entertainment.

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis is co-produced by MagicSpace Entertainment. The company is a boutique producing and presenting firm focused on first-class properties and productions. Based in Park City, UT, the company has produced and presented national tours, Broadway shows, concerts, museum exhibits and sporting events worldwide for over 40 years with a powerhouse producing team focused on providing creative, marketing and general management expertise. www.magicspace.net

About Chip Davis and Mannheim Steamroller
From his longtime home in Omaha, Neb., Mannheim Steamroller creator and founder Chip Davis makes innovative music inspired by the sounds of another age. This former teacher and jingle writer founded the music industry’s largest independent recording label, American Gramaphone, in 1974 when industry executives said Davis’ innovative 18th century instrumental rock sound would never sell. In addition to a Grammy Award, Davis is largely credited with establishing the New Age music category.

His first Christmas album in 1984, revolutionized the making and marketing of holiday music, the album’s success made Christmas records a “must do” for all music artists. With more than 31.5 million Christmas albums sold, Davis is the #1-selling Christmas artist of all time. Having 19 gold, 8 multi-platinum and 4 platinum-certified records, Davis is among an elite group of music artists with this number of RIAA records. He is also one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the music industry, offering a rich array of lifestyle products on www.mannheimsteamroller.com including hot chocolate, food, apparel and novelty items. His latest achievement is creating a cutting-edge psychoacoustic technology that is being used in major medical institutions such as Mayo Clinic.

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Burton Cummings is that rare artist who transcends time, genres, and generations with a body of work that continues to resonate with fans both old and new. His voice has been rated among the finest in rock music. Burton continues at the top of his game as a performer, singer, songwriter, and recording artist.

With a Winnipeg Community Centre and Performing Arts Centre named in his honor, Burton is a candidate for Canada’s most beloved rock ‘n’ roll son, yet he also enjoys a level of world-wide stature shared by only a handful of other Canadian artists.

As lead singer and songwriter for Canada’s original rock ‘n’ roll superstars, The Guess Who, Burton scored an unprecedented string of international hit singles and albums including “American Woman,” “These Eyes,” “Laughing,” “No Time,” “Share the Land,” “No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature,” “Clap for the Wolfman”, “Albert Flasher” and others, all written or co-written by Burton. By 1970, The Guess Who had sold more records than the entire Canadian music industry combined before breaking up in 1975.

The group achieved a long list of firsts including first Canadian group to reach #1 on Billboard charts — holding that spot for three weeks — and the first to earn a platinum album for U.S. sales of more than one million copies. Rolling Stone magazine hailed The Guess Who as “one of rock’s most consistently fascinating maverick bands” with a succession of songs “that has few equals among contemporary North American groups.” Dick Clark described the group as rock innovators and ambassadors of Canadian music.

The vast Guess Who catalog endures today with staples of classic rock and oldies radio as well as in feature films including American Beauty, Almost Famous, Cable Guy, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and Jackie Brown. “When I think back on having five million-selling records in the Top 10, one after the other, I can hardly believe it,” says Burton with justifiable pride, “I was just twenty years old and every time I turned around, I was getting a gold record. The scope and magnitude of our success escaped all of us. It really didn’t sink in until years later.”

Beginning his career as a solo artist in 1976, Burton continued his winning streak with a gold record for his solo debut single “Stand Tall,” produced by legendary hitmaker Richard Perry who numbered among his clients Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon, and Ringo Starr. The choice of producer was evidence of Burton’s star power in the music industry. He followed his inaugural solo success with more than a dozen hit singles and albums including “I’m Scared,” “My Own Way to Rock,” “I Will Play a Rhapsody,” “Timeless Love,” “Break It to Them Gently,” “Dream of a Child,” and “You Saved My Soul.” Sold-out tours across Canada and the United States solidified Burton’s stature as a top entertainer. He starred in several highly rated television specials and, between 1977 and 1980, earned five Juno Awards for Best Male Vocalist and Best Album, serving as host of the annual Juno gala a record four times. Burton’s 1978 album Dream of a Child became the first quadruple platinum-selling album by a Canadian artist.

Through the ‘80s and ‘90s, Burton continued to tour and joined Beatles drummer Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band. In 1980, a starring role in the feature film Melanie with Miami Vice star Don Johnson earned Burton a Genie Award for Best Original Song as well as praise for his acting ability.

He also launched his acclaimed Up Close and Alone solo concert series featuring Burton alone onstage recounting stories behind his best-known songs and sharing personal moments from his career. A live album of the same name followed. The success of Lenny Kravitz’ cover of “American Woman” in the hit feature film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me brought renewed attention to the original Guess Who. The group reunited in 1999 for the closing ceremonies of the Pan-American Games with a television audience numbering in the tens of millions. Several high-profile North American tours followed.

As the VOICE of all the classic Guess Who hit songs, Burton has toured with his long-time band, for the past twenty-three years across North America as well as joining Randy Bachman onstage as Bachman Cummings, performing the songs from the original The Guess Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Burton’s solo career.

Described as Canadian rock ‘n’ roll royalty, a national treasure, and a living legend, for Burton Cummings, there has always been one constant: he remains true to himself and his own way to rock…and continuing to perform the songs the way they were originally conceived by the artist who sang and wrote/co-wrote them.

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A Motown Christmas features a world-class vocal group assembled from past and present members of three of Motown’s most legendary groups: The Temptations, The Miracles, and The Contours. A Motown Christmas is a powerful show combining Motown’s greatest hits with everyone’s favorite, holiday classics. The show features Motown’s trademark dazzling choreography, and unforgettable harmonies performed in that memorable, soulful Motown style.

The show here in Joliet is part of the group’s annual Holiday Tour that includes 25 shows scheduled in 10 states.

Over the course of their career, the Temptations have released four Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and 14 Billboard R&B number-one singles. Their material has earned them three Grammy Awards. Like its “sister” female group, the Supremes, the Temptations’ singer lineup has changed frequently over the years.

The Miracles have charted over 50 Billboard hit singles between 1959 and 1978, including 26 Top Ten Billboard R&B Hits, with four R&B # 1’s. Sixteen of their songs reached the Top Twenty of the Billboard Hot 100, with seven songs reaching the Top Ten, and two, 1970’s “The Tears of A Clown” and 1975’s “Love Machine”, reaching number one, with a third song, “Shop Around”, reaching #1 on the Cash Box magazine Top 100 pop chart.

In the 1960s, The Contours charted eight hits, including Motown’s first million-seller and its fastest-rising hit of all time, “Do You Love Me.” In 1988, after the release of the movie, “Dirty Dancing”, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, “Do You Love Me,” which was a featured song in the movie roared back on the charts, outselling its original performance many times over.

Tickets for A Motown Christmas are available online at rialtosquare.com, or by visiting the Rialto Box Office.

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