By Mike Pound
Globe Staff Writer
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At first I thought I misread the sign.
Surely the sign in front of the Grand Palace Theatre in Branson said “Kelly” — probably another Irish Tenors group, or maybe one of those Lord of the Dance deals. But that’s not what the sign said. The reason I know that is because, after about a block, I asked my wife about the sign.
“Did that sign say ‘Nelly’?” I asked.
“I think so,” my wife said.
“Hmmm,” I said. “Nelly in Branson. Who would have thought?”
Evidently my wife and I weren’t the only people to be a bit — shall I say — surprised to see a sign for Nelly in Branson. The next morning, I picked up a copy of USA Today in the hotel lobby. By the way, I understand why hotels pass out free copies of USA Today, but, for my money, the best way to get a feel for wherever it is you’re staying is to read the local papers. Of course, many travelers have no interest in getting a feel for wherever it is they’re staying, so USA Today sort of fits their needs.
Anyway, there is a section in USA Today that contains brief stories from every state in the country, and there, under the Missouri section, was a brief note about Nelly appearing Aug. 21 in Branson. The folks at USA Today insinuated that Nelly is not exactly Branson material.
“Hey,” I yelled to my wife. “It’s true. Nelly is coming to Branson.”
“How do you know?” my wife asked.
“’Cause USA Today says so,” I said.
“Wow,” my wife said.
Wow, indeed. I don’t get to Branson much. I spent almost a week there last summer when our daughter, Emma, had a big dance competition, and then I spent a day or so there this week for another one of Emma’s dance competitions.
I’ve never considered myself much of a Branson guy. But that’s probably my fault more than Branson’s. See, I like to watch sports on TV and drink beer. But before you think I’m some sort of shallow middle-aged guy, I should point out that I also like to read and drink beer. My point is, I figure I can do those things just as well at home. So most of time, the places my wife and Emma drag me to don’t really jump out and grab me.
Well, Key West, Fla., jumped out and grabbed me, but it turns out Key West is the beer drinking and ... well, and whatever ... capital of the nation.
My wife and Emma love Branson. They love the shows (not all of them, of course), and they love the stores (all of them, of course). My wife and Emma have been to Branson several times without me, which tends to be a win-win situation for everyone.
Again, I have nothing against Branson. In fact, in our most recent visits, I’ve found many things I like. The bar at the Hilton, for example. There also is a great Italian restaurant called Rocky’s that I like a lot. The last couple of times we stayed in Branson, we stayed at a Clarion on the strip. I like the Clarion. It’s comfortable, the people at the hotel have always been nothing but nice, and they serve free biscuits and gravy in the morning. I ask you, is there a better breakfast food than biscuits and gravy?
What I don’t like about Branson is the traffic. But traffic tends to be what you get when a place becomes popular. And Branson is popular.
But Branson, at least in my mind, has mostly been popular with a certain demographic. And by “a certain demographic,” I mean middle-age to past-middle-age white people. Now, I know that is an unfair generalization, but I think it’s fair to say the demographics at, say, the Power and Light District in Kansas City and the demographics on the strip in Branson are a bit different.
Or they were until the folks at the Grand Palace decided to bring Nelly to town. If you don’t know, Nelly is a rapper from St. Louis. Again, I don’t mean to generalize, but I’m pretty sure that, until recently, the words “rapper from St. Louis” and “Branson” have never appeared in the same paragraph.
I wonder, for example, how Nelly’s fans will like the Southern Heritage Shop we passed Wednesday on the strip.
But really, I have to give the Branson folks credit. It takes guts to sort of reach outside your comfort zone, and I’m pretty sure bringing Nelly to town is reaching outside Branson’s comfort zone. But I also know that the people in Branson are some of the nicest, friendliest folks you’ll ever want to meet, so I’m pretty sure Nelly and his fans will have a great time in Branson.
And seriously, if you go to see Nelly, you have to grab a bite at Rocky’s.
