Summer Shows Comin’ Right Up!

by | Jul 1, 2024 | Jim Curry Music News, Stories From The Road

Summer concerts can be challenging for musicians.  

As the hot months quickly approach, I think back on some of the awesome summer concerts we have done in the past.  This picture is from Dana Point, California in 2017.  Dana Point is right next to the ocean, so the scene was picturesque from every angle!

But, as all summer concerts tend to be…IT WAS HOT!!  Some people do okay out in the sun, I am not one of those people.  

When attending an outdoor concert, most people don’t realize that  by the time they start showing up for the concert, the musicians and the sound people have already been out in the heat for hours – setting up our gear and sound checking.  By the time the afternoon is cooling, and the crowd is arriving ……the performers are like wet rags, trying to get up the gumption to smile and play after standing up all afternoon hugging the walls for the only available shade!  

I remember a HOT show in Apple Valley, California (the closest I’ve ever come to passing out from heat)  a HOT show in Indiana (with a bonus hornet’s nest behind the drummer) a HOT show in Arizona (we all got sunburned…not prepared).  I remember shows so hot I couldn’t touch the microphone and shows so hot we had to hang tablecloths for makeshift shade so our instruments wouldn’t melt. 

But then, the fun begins!  We get back on stage as the afternoon cools down and we play!! 

So, with all of the HOT show memories in mind, I am very pleased to say that we are doing ZERO outdoor concerts this summer!  All Jim Curry summer shows are in indoor, AIR-CONDITIONED comfort!!  Bonus:  NO MOSQUITOES!

Check out our website home page for details:

July 5 – Pinetop, Arizona at the Hon Dah Casino

July 13 – Rancho Cucamonga, California at the Lewis Family Playhouse

August 3 – Franklin, North Carolina at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts

August 7 – Berlin, Ohio at the Amish Country Theater

August 10 – LaCrosse, Wisconsin at the Weber Center for the Arts

August 13 – St. Cloud, Minnesota at the Paramount Center for the Arts

August 18 – Oakmont, Pennsylvania – at the Oak Theatre

August 21 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – at the World Café

August 23 – Boonsboro, Maryland – at the Vanish Hall Brewery

September 11 thru 15 – Laughlin, Nevada at Don Laughlin’s Resort and Casino

Anne Gets a New Job…..

by | Jan 26, 2024 | Jim Curry Music News

Don’t panic!  I am still singing harmony and playing backup in Jim Curry’s John Denver Tribute Show!

What I meant to say is that I have taken on a new responsibility in our shows,

Here’s why:

Many of you already know that our wonderful flautist and business partner, Diane Ireland, just retired and is managing her arthritis more comfortably at home rather than in a bouncy van.  What many of you DON’T know is that Diane, in addition to playing the flute during our shows, also pushed the button that started the videos we show during each song.

This button-pushing job sounds easy…heck…what could be hard about pushing a button? 

Let me tell you that what Diane did flawlessly for so many years comes off a little less polished when I’m in charge!  I must REMEMBER to push the button at the beginning of the song or I will mess up the timing of the images.  For instance, when we are singing about eagles, we want to see eagles!  When the dolphin jumps out of the water and spins, it should be at the exact moment the music swells……if he’s late, it’s MY fault.

The button must be pushed when the song begins, not two seconds before or after.  IF I FORGET…….. I can’t skip ahead or fast-forward.  If I forget to push the button at the beginning of a song, the video will lag behind.  The eagles will be late, the horses will be late and the dolphin…….well, he will be jumping out of the water and giving me a dirty look!

One of My Many Tasks on Stage: Making Jim Laugh!

This is a LOT of pressure!  Let me tell you that in the history of doing our shows for the past 25 years, I have learned how to perform every single song in every single show by NOT PUSHING A BUTTON AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY SONG!!  Let me also tell you that I have other things to think about and other buttons to push (mute button, tuner button, etc), not to mention remembering lyrics and chords and smiling and not falling down and all the other important stuff!

As old dogs go, I’m pretty much out of tricks.  I think the saying goes that old dogs CAN learn new tricks, but it takes them longer to learn. 

Soooooo….. Here’s to learning, and here’s to my new button-pushing future!