JOPLIN, Mo. —
I admit, I didn’t really know too much about Bill Haley or The Comets until last week. I was in Branson for the weekend and decided to catch their show.
After a couple of drinks at Moon River Grill, I caught the Comets over at Andy Williams’ theater. The Comets fill the first act of the show and Paul Revere and The Raiders rounds out the evening.
I forgot what an impressive theater Andy owns. It’s huge and the interior is decorated with pieces from his art collection: Japanese kimonos hang on one wall and a collection of BIG works of modern art hang on the sides of the auditorium. The proscenium, which frames the stage, is a work of art itself.
A short video introduced the Comets and offered up a short rock ’n’ roll history lesson. Then, suddenly the video stops, the curtain rises and the original Comets -- as they are billed -- take the stage belting out their hit song “Shake Rattle and Roll.”
I admit, the first thing that entered my mind was, “Damn, they are old.”
Don’t start dialing me up yet. They are old. The lead singer and front man of the legendary group is 72, and he’s the young one.
Old or not, the show was great. Dick Richards and Joey D'Ambrosio are only original members of the classic group who remain in this production. Bill Haley passed many years ago and several different versions of the group have toured under the Comets’ name throughout the years. The group sold more than 80 million records during their half-century careers.
D’Ambrosio, 72, plays a mean saxophone and handles many of the vocals. Dick Richards, 86, beats the drums like a hyper kid on a sugar high. Both impress.
The crowd at Moon River clapped, danced and sang along the entire show. Veteran performers on standup bass, guitar and keyboards support the original members on-stage.
I didn't realize how many tunes the Comets made famous. “Rock around the Clock,” “Mombo Rock,” “Crazy Man, Crazy,” “Shake, Rattle and Roll” and “See You Later, Alligator” are just a few of the band’s long-loved hits.
Throughout the hour-long show the band reminded the audience of simpler times when drive-in movie theaters and lovers’ lane were king, and when malt shops and slow dancing reigned supreme. The crowd swayed back and forth in their seats when the band covered Ronnie Milsap’s hit “Lost in the Fifties Tonight.” Old couples placed their heads on their spouse’s shoulders and spooned in their seats.
I love it when old folks hold hands and sneak a kiss or two in the dark. That’s love.
At one point in the short show, Richards launches into a six-minute drum solo. It seemed like he either didn’t know when to quit, or simply couldn’t stop the runaway train that was his percussion solo. The crowd leapt to their feet with a standing ovation for his efforts.
The show ended with the group’s most famous tune, “Rock Around the Clock.” Dick Clark, they inform the audience, called the song “America’s rock and roll anthem.”
Rick Hirst, 61, and his wife, Fern, 60, traveled from North Carolina on a Honda Gold Wing to get to Branson. After the show, the Idaho couple told me they loved the Comets’ trip down memory lane.
“I’m amazed that these guys can still get up and do that stuff,” Rick said as he laughed. “We used to do that kind of shaking when we were younger, when we were kids. You know, dance and wiggle around like that.”
“Our kids would have been so embarrassed for us,” Fern said. “I’m shocked they still have the strength and stamina and breath to do that stuff.”
Rick said he was “worn out just watching them perform.”
Fern and Rick told me they are still big fans of music from the 1950s and ‘60s. It’s the music the couple grew up listening to, they said.
“A show like this lets me remember our younger years and when you graduated from high school,” Fern said. “I can’t help but love it.”
I loved it, too.
Want to go?
Paul Revere and The Raiders and Bill Haley’s Original Comets perform Monday through Saturday at 7 p.m. through August 7 at The Andy Williams Moon River Theatre in Branson.
Details: 800-666-6094, www.andywilliams.com.
Lifestyles
Related Photos
-
Dave Woods
Discussion
Dave Woods: Original Comets’ energetic show fires up crowds
- Lifestyles
-
-
Balloons become everything from giraffes to gateways in Joplin man's hands
Ronald Metz’s fingers fold pinched-off portions of a skinny, blue balloon, wrapping and squeezing them until the balloon ends up looking like a tail-wagging pooch.
-
Frankie Meyer: Tornado stories should be recorded
The Joplin tornado was one of the worst disasters to ever hit our area. Thousands of families were forever changed.
-
Cowboy church offers non-traditional Bible camp
Vacation Bible school gets under way in full force at Joplin area churches next month, but one congregation offers an alternative. How about Horsemanship and Bible camp?
-
David Yount: Christians still await return of Jesus
Unlike ourselves, the earliest Christians lived in imminent expectation of the consummation of history, when Jesus would return to usher in the kingdom of God. They thought heaven was right around the corner. This expectation explains their fervor.
-
Dave Woods: Branson attractions welcome Memorial Day visitors
People ask me the same question time and time again: How are folks in Branson?
-
Lee Duran: Aspiring authors must ‘be tough or be gone’
According to Chila Woychick, most readers will close a book and walk away at page 18. Could anything be more depressing?
-
Jeremiah Tucker: New charting methods help alternative music
Now the Hot 100 is using digital data such as iTunes downloads and plays on streaming sites such as Spotify, in addition to radio play, to determine a song’s ranking. This is likely a big reason why a song like “Somebody That I Used to Know,” which has benefited from high-profile exposure on TV, can be the No. 1 song in the country.
-
'Battleship' shows need for list of summer movie warnings
I like to think that writing these columns does more than just allow me a chance to offer up senseless opinions that are easy to skip over when trying to find the next show time for the latest “Madagascar.”
-
Joe Hadsall: Sherlock Holmes enjoying a renaissance
I was in the first grade when I read my first “Sherlock Holmes” book. It was a young readers edition of “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” Each left-hand page had 14- or 16-point text set in New Century Schoolbook; each right-hand page had a line illustration. One of those was a big, scary-looking dog.
-
Second Restore Fest to feature Jeremy Camp, Mandisa
Jeff Roman, partner relations director at Convoy of Hope, worked with Cox to return Christian recording artists to the stage in the second Restore Fest, which will take place Saturday in Landreth Park.
- More Lifestyles Headlines
-
