Bakersfield Life

All > Entertainment
2007 Arts and Entertainment Review
Topics:
Posted by Chris Fri Dec 14, 2007 09:22:22 PST
Viewed 526 times
0 responses 0 comments THE YEAR IN ENTERTAINMENT

From Akon to Ozzy, Local Fans Feast On Fun

By
Lisa Kimble

                       Bakersfield is accustomed to being criticized for a lack of this or that in the shadow of our big city neighbors, but entertainment is no longer a subject to be debated.  Judging from the ticket stubs and event programs, Bakersfield was entertained by some of the biggest names and productions around this year.  From the Harlem Globetrotters to Morrissey and Man of La Mancha, this year provided mega wattage star power.
                       Bakersfield’s largest venue, Rabobank Arena, hosted Disney Channel’s ambitious franchise queens, the Cheetah Girls, whose hit songs and nonstop dancing, brought tweens to their feet. Speaking of tweens and dancing, Gwen Stefani paid another visit to Bakersfield, this time on her Sweet Escape Tour. Stefani, with her six-pack post-partum abs, was joined by her Harajuku Girls and brought down the house. The crowd was equally excited by Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Akon, who opened for Stefani.
                    The Family Values Tour brought back hometown boys KORN, along with Evanescence.  Troubadour James Taylor returned to Bakersfield to promote his latest album “One Man Band.”  Rabobank was also a pit stop for legendary rocker Ozzy Osbourne, country music favorite Brad Paisley, and Morrissey – the former ’80s front man for the English band The Smiths – graced the stages of the arena as well.
              But it wasn’t just song and dance that brought fans into the Rabobank arena this year. Comedians Carlos Mencia and George Lopez and professional wrestlers with the WWE Smackdown also filled seats.  The ever-entertaining Harlem Globetrotters dribbled their way back to Bakersfield, and the Los Angeles Lakers treated local sports fans to NBA action in a matchup with the Seattle Supersonics.
              From Down Under, the biggest name in children’s entertainment, The Wiggles wormed their way into the hearts of local fans. The Disney Channel’s wildly successful High School Musicals One and Two took to the ice for the Disney on Ice franchise’s latest production. Touring versions of Broadway’s top shows, sponsored by Tejon Ranch, received strong community support.  Some of Broadway’s best known shows, like Jesus Christ Superstar, Aida, The Producers and Lord of the Dance gave local theater lovers a booster shot of Broadway.
             The Tony Award-winning musical Man of La Mancha was based on Miguel de Cervantes’ “Don Quixote de la Mancha.” Jesus Christ Superstar featured actor Ted Neeley, who reprised his film role for the touring production. The Producers, based on Mel Brooks’ Oscar-winning movie, is one of the most acclaimed musicals of all time. Forever Tango showcased top-notch dancers from Argentina performing the hot Latin dance.  Perhaps the most rousing production, Stomp had pulses racing with its hit percussion show. The performers rely on anything and everything except conventional instruments to create music and sound.  The result was rhythmic, melodious madness with trashcans, tools and cans.
             Las Vegas’ popular Blue Man Group brought their innovative style of performance to the theater, as did Academy Award-winner and comedian, Jamie Foxx and crooner/actor Harry Connick Jr.   Even the traveling Sesame Street gang amused audiences in the auditorium’s more intimate setting.
            The Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, 76 years young, which calls the arena’s auditorium home, joined Civic Dance Center in celebrating their 30th anniversary of performing Tchaikovsky’s beloved “The Nutcracker Ballet” together.  Earlier in the year the orchestra staged a musical celebration of master filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, with his muse, actress Tippi Hedren serving as mistress of ceremonies against the backdrop of some of Hitchcock’s most famous films.
            At the Majestic Fox Theater, which houses 1,500 seats, sold out shows including jazz legend B.B. King, blues and pop vocalist Kat Williams, the Mariachi Festival, country music icon Merle Haggard, and the Bob and Tom Comedy All Stars show, which ushered in the new year. “I thought it was a really good year,” says Fox Theater manager Marcus Johnson.  He adds that community support was strong for   Southern Gospel and the FLICS film series, which is in its 26th season of showcasing oft-overlooked international films.  “We have been facilitating a lot of small to medium size theater acts that fit our niche well,” Johnson says.  The 95.3 FM KELLY Lounge event, not open to the general public, brought popular artists such as Five for Fighting, Brandi Carlile and Vanessa Carlton into the Fox’s cozy, intimate setting.   Hip-Hop group Wu-Tang Clan, country music songstress Trisha Yearwood, and Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham all found their way to warm receptions on the Fox stage.  Soul Diva Patti LaBelle made an appearance for a black-tie benefit for San Joaquin Community Hospital.

       While big name country music stars found their way to Rabobank and the Fox, others felt right at home on the stage of Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace.  Pam Tillis performed and stayed true to her royal country roots, while former American Idol contestants Bo Bice and Gary Nichols wooed fans up close and personal.
         Not all the big-name acts performed indoors.  Nostalgia took center stage under the summer stars at The Brighthouse Networks Amphitheater where ’70s feel-good group Earth, Wind and Fire belted out their famous hits like “September” and “That’s The Way of the World” for a midsummer night of fun. Fellow ’70s chart-toppers Peter Frampton and The Doobie Brothers, and actor-turned-musician John Corbett and his southern rock band made themselves at home on the amphitheater stage.
         The annual Bakersfield Jazz Festival again this year rolled out first-rate jazz entertainment.  Guitarist Lee Ritenour opened the event at CSUB’s Amphitheater.

    Art also made a large impact on the out-and-about crowd.  Bakersfield’s Museum of Art hosted Guys Cooking, an innovative fundraiser in the museum’s gardens.  In the fall, the museum’s Via Arte, Italian Street Painting at the Marketplace awed and inspired art lovers. 
              A number of collections were showcased in 2007 at Bakersfield Museum of Art, including Rebirth of the Classical Past:  Master Drawings and Etchings from the Renaissance to Baroque.  Santos, Saints and Santa is a colorful exhibit of Southwestern historical and contemporary art.  The depictions of saints tell rich stories of the subject’s life and traditions.

          Downtown Bakersfield’s hippest art gallery, Metro Galleries, reopened in early spring on 19th Street under the direction of Don Martin, featuring works by Los Angeles artist Veronika Constantine.  Metro’s move was just around the corner, yet a world away, into the echelons where local art, artists, movers and shakers rub elbows.
         Of course, not all of Bakersfield’s entertainment in 2007 was in traditional venues.  Some, like “Brews in the Village” were couched in premier community fundraisers.  “Brews in the Village” is consistently ranked by Bakersfield Life readers as the best local annual event. The event raises money for local children’s charities such as C.A.R.E. (Children’s Advocates Resource Endowment).  Microbreweries and musicians were the stars of the night.  The American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life, the second largest and most successful event of its kind in the country, also provided musical relief while raking in a lot of green in the fight against cancer.

So the next time you hear someone say there’s nothing to do in Bakersfield, tell them to take a closer look.



10 Events for 2008

January 10, 2008
Jeff Dunham at The Fox Theater

February 3, 2008
Playhouse Disney Live at Rabobank Arena

February 5, 2008
Hairspray at Rabobank Theater

February 14, 2008
Harlem Globetrotters at Rabobank Arena

February 15, 2008
Smucker’s Stars On Ice at Rabobank Arena

February 19, 2008
Peter Pan at Rabobank Theater

April 17
Bakersfield Women’s Business Conference

June 14, 2008
Wine Fest at The Kern County Museum

September 17-28, 2008
Kern Count Fair – “Best in the West”

Send to a Friend

Report a Violation