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Greetings, Springfieldians. Welcome to another
preview of the terribly exciting musical happenings in our prairie capital.
Speaking of that moniker for our city, remember the
Prairie Capital Convention Center? It’s that big brownish building of
concrete and steel, covering blocks of real estate in the eastern part of
downtown. I remember when the community was invited to participate in a
write-in contest to name the esteemed edifice. That’s where the
catchy name came from. Whenever I think of the PCCC, I refuse to bemoan the
fact that all our downtown theaters are destroyed and the only large
live-music venue left is a building designed to house rodeos, sports
events, conventions, and monster trucks yet be acoustically attractive for
concerts, too. I said I refuse, didn’t I? For years the PCCC was responsible for the flashing
sign on the corner of Ninth and Adams that looked more like a work of
abstract performance art than the informative signage it was intended to
be. Ah, the guessing games that sign encouraged. Standing tall among the
building’s highlights must be the infamous 1980s Aerosmith show that
sent lead singer and eternal partier Steven Tyler tumbling off the stage
and straight into rehab, where he cleaned up and from which he led the
group to its status as a top-selling band. Moving into the present, there is good news. The
Center, as the PCCC staff has taken to calling the venue, is making a
concert comeback. In the last few weeks major national acts the Blue Man
Group, Soulja Boy, and Casting Crowns have all made appearances. Cool
country star Dierks Bentley is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 16. Welcome back,
PCCC! Here’s to many more successful and eventful concerts. Keep you
and yours updated at www.springfield-pccc.com. The bluegrass craze that swept the nation in the wake
of O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the 2000 film by those clever Coen brothers, has subsided
somewhat, but the genre is still going strong. Need you any more proof,
check out the 21st annual Greater Downstate Indoor Bluegrass Music Festival
and Guitar Trade Show next weekend, Nov. 9-11, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
The surest sign of an event’s success is the
caliber of the acts it draws, and the GDIBMF & GTS (whew!) books the
top tier. Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, J.D. Crowe and the New South, the
Grascals, Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, and the Dale Ann Bradley Band
have all been the recipients of awards from the prestigious International
Bluegrass Music Association. It’s really a fabulous event, astounding
in range and character. Find out more at www.bluegrassmidwest.com. Hasta la vista, prairie
capitalites.
Contact Tom Irwin at tirwin@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Oct 25-31, 2007.
