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Fans of hitmakers are happy this weekend, with Olivia Newton-John's sold-out show and a much-anticipated concert in the park headlined by Kenny Rogers.
By EILEEN SCHULTE
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 7, 2001
CLEARWATER -- It was 1978. Grease was the word.
And The Gambler was tryin' to figure out whether to hold 'em or fold 'em, when to walk away and when to run.
At a time when Cameros were really hot, Olivia Newton-John and Kenny Rogers ruled the airwaves.
And now, for one night only, both will be in Clearwater, singing those same songs from 23 years ago.
Ruth Eckerd Hall had been trying to land Newton-John for three years, and now it has her. On Saturday, she'll put on her Grease jacket and perform Hopelessly Devoted to You during her first Florida concert before jetting off to shows in Melbourne and Miami.
At about the same time, her former competition on the late 1970s hit charts, Kenny Rogers -- a.k.a. The Gambler -- will climb up on stage across town at Coachman Park and do the HubbaDaHula country show.
Both are getting on in age and haven't had major hits in years -- Newton-John released a CD earlier this year called Sordid Lives, and Rogers' Dreamcatcher Records reissued The Gambler on Rogers' 63rd birthday Aug. 21 -- but their fans are still rabid.
Toni Steele, 30, is in the Newton-John camp, and won't be at the Rogers show. She's such a die-hard ONJ fan (fans tend to abbreviate) she's member of an ONJ club called onlyolivia.com. She was so excited about the concert she contacted Ruth Eckerd Hall in February from her home in Anchorage, Alaska, and became a member there in an effort to get better seats.
She was able to get two seats in the ninth row -- known as row K -- for her and her mom, but is asking the Ruth Eckerd staff daily to get moved to the A row.
"Ever since I was a little girl I idolized her," said Steele, who moved to Sanford in northeast Florida last week -- not because of the concert. "I've seen her twice in concert and met her backstage in Vegas. She's very, very sweet. I can't wait to see her."
Newton-John, 53, attracts "kind of an adult fanatic following," said Bobby Rossi, entertainment and promotions director at Ruth Eckerd.
Is he worried about the competition from across town?
What's better, he asked: "100-degree temperatures and flies, or cushioned seats in air-conditioning? You decide."
Anyway, he said, "We do Kenny once a year."
"It won't affect us," he said.
The Newton-John show sold out days ago. But at least 15,000 seats will be available at Coachman Park.
Country station WRBQ-FM 104.7 went to the city of Clearwater and asked if the station could put on the HubbaDaHula concert at Coachman Park.
"It's a beautiful venue with a beautiful view," said Mike Culatta, WRBQ promotions and marketing director.
With the names involved, "it was a no-brainer" for the city to say yes, said Bob Barry, Clearwater's recreation supervisor. "Everybody (on the ticket) has had one hit or several."
He called the $20 admission fee "a great price for the artists performing."
Culatta agreed.
"There's a lot of big names you'd know whether you're country or not," he said. "Lee Ann Womack, she has a song I Hope You Dance which is a crossover. Keith Urban is an Australian guy, he is award-winning. The Rascal Flatts, a lot of people like them, they do great harmonies. The rest are baby acts, up and coming (acts)."
The Olivia Newton-John concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall Saturday is sold out. But you can still get tickets to the HubbaDaHula end-of-summer country music concert from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday at Coachman Park, downtown Clearwater. The event will start at 5:30 p.m. with a performance by Jamie O'Neal, followed by the Rascal Flatts at 6:15 p.m., a guitar jam by Keith Urban, Andy Griggs and Darryl Worley at 7 p.m., a performance by Lee Ann Womack at 7:50 p.m., and Kenny Rogers at 8:55 p.m. Tickets cost $20. No coolers or umbrellas. Tickets will be sold beginning at 3 p.m. Gates open at 4 p.m.