Brandon is the place to be this weekend to get barbecue sauce on yer face, swill beer and let that mullet breathe, baby! Pony up to the Brandon Bar-B-Q Fest if it's classic rock and ribs you hanker for. The lineup features bad boys from the 1970s and 1980s and local favorites. Check it out:
Friday:
5 p.m. popular Tampa band Urbane Cowboys
6:40 p.m. Likeshine
8 p.m. Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad
Saturday:
Noon: Ronnie Setser's Classic Car Show (cars!)
1 p.m. McCartney Tribute Band
3 p.m. Molly Hatchet - womp bomp bomp, yeah!
5 p.m. Blue Oyster Cult
8 p.m. Paul Rodgers of Bad Company
SUNDAY:
Noon: Born to Ride Bike Show (motorcycles!)
1 p.m. Trunk Band (Allman Brothers Tribute)
4 p.m. John Kay & Steppenwolf
6 p.m. Vince Neil of Motley Crue
The Brandon BBQ Fest is on the grass field next to Sears at Westfield Shoppingtown Brandon, I-75 and State Road 60, Brandon. $6 advance; $10 at the gate. 813 786-6878 or www.bbqfest.org
Chances are he'll woo you over
If it's timeless crooning, romantic favorites and a nice pompadour you crave, you could do worse than Johnny Mathis. Mathis, 68, above, will forever be known for suave hits such as Chances Are; Wonderful, Wonderful and It's Not For Me to Say, on which his silky, voluptuous vibrato could make your knees weak.
During the early 1950s, Mathis' rival in popularity was Sinatra. Then rock 'n' roll hit and the two, who trucked in standards, saw demand for their elegant delivery and classy stage presence fade.
Mathis struck it big again in 1978 with Too Much, Too Little, Too Late, a blockbuster duet with Deniece Williams. More recently, Mathis recorded a collection of show tunes, Mathis on Broadway (2000).
Johnny Mathis performs at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. $49-$55. (727) 791-7400, (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100..
Will Gill deliver?
Of all the male recording stars who emerged during Nashville's commercial resurgence in the late '80s and early '90s, perhaps none has the God-given talent of Vince Gill. His is one of those classic voices that could sing the proverbial phone book and move you to tears. He's no slouch on guitar either: Mark Knopfler was so impressed that he once tried to draft Gill into Dire Straits.
Alas, none of this means that Gill's two concerts this Sunday at Ruth Eckerd Hall are sure bets. Like a gifted school kid who gets straight B's without ever studying, he opts all too often to coast on his prodigious gifts instead of challenging himself. During a concert last April at the King Center for the Performing Arts in Melbourne, Gill received a rafter-rattling welcome when he stepped out on stage. He proceeded to phone in most of his performance, spending much of the time between numbers chatting about his golf game.
There is no doubt Gill can deliver the goods. The question is whether he'll bother to.
Vince Gill performs Sunday at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater at 4 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $45.75-$70, plus service charges. (727) 791-7400.
