Two Shows. Two Winners.

Tuesday, 11/02

The rental car arrived at our coach and we were off to explore whatever Branson had to show us.  It may be a bit tacky, but everyone was so friendly, constantly asking with a smile, "How ya'll doin' today?"  Well, just fine thank you.  A little Christmas shopping a killer lunch, and then it was time for an afternoon show, "Legends in Concert" at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theatre.  As with last night, front & center seats for another remarkably enjoyable two hour program.  George Strait, Marilyn Monroe, The Temptations, Patsy Cline, The Blues Brothers, and Elvis!!!  Yes folks, we got them all and all of them were terrific.  OK, so we didn't get the real ones; that would've been great in some cases, and a bit ghoulish in others.  What we DID watch and listen to were impersonators that looked and sounded so much like the real ones that imagination took over and the audience responded like we did, with stand up ovations.  During each presentation were videos of the real people performing, supporting the notion that what we were seeing and hearing were the original entertainers.  Another exceptional show.

Home for dinner, after buying tickets to Mickey Gilleys' show in his own theatre, and then to our THIRD show!

This was, without a doubt, the most emotional show yet.  Seems Mickey was carrying some furniture from his house one day about 16 months ago, and fell backwards, resulting in paralysis from the neck down, due to swelling within the back's nervous system and injury to the neck's C2, 3, 4, 5, 6 vertebrae.  Intense will to return to the stage, sing and play piano, plus therapies that are ongoing, he presented himself, walking with the aid of two of his singers, to sit down in a real office chair ... and began to sing as if nothing had happened.  What a voice!  What a repertoire.  While it was very obvious that he could not play the piano ... yet... he still had entertaining stories of his career, the accident, the future. 

If you don't know Mickey Gilly, rent the movie "Urban Cowboy".  It was his bar/dance hall in Pasadena, Texas used as the movie site, with Mickey being in the movie with Debra Winger and John Travolta.  This was also the first movie Doris saw after coming to the US for college.  Special for was the movie and the music from it.  Special for both of us was getting to know the man who wrote and sang some of the best country music still heard.

And comedy?  Too funny was Mickey as the straight man for his sidekick who kept us all nearly rolling in the aisles.  Our third show, and now we want more.  So, we stay another day, for an even bigger event.

And did I mention that it's Christmas in the Ozarks, especially Branson?  It is, and that's an Ozark tradition that Christmas decorations and music be up and ready by November 1st.  A bit startling for us as we expected it at Walmart, but the whole area??!  As one native told me, they don't place much emphasis on Thanksgiving, thus giving Christmas and religion more prominence.  (Turkeys:  Take note.  It's 50% safer in the Ozarks.)