University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 27, April 17
Bob Carpenter Center to host galaxy
of singing stars this spring
A parade of stars will be coming to campus this spring
as Music Fair presents concerts for every kind of musical
taste at the Bob Carpenter Center. Acts range from
contemporary Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman to the
unplugged sounds of the Violent Femmes, country stars like
Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and the Statler Brothers, the
latest British invasion by Ringo Starr and His All Starr
Band and the soulful sounds of Gladys Knight and Jeffrey
Osborne.
Steven Curtis Chapman
Tuesday, April 29 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20 and $25
Chapman has achieved unprecedented levels of success in
contemporary Christian music. Critics and fans alike have
poured out a host of awards and accolades, including three
Grammy Awards, 28 Gospel Music Association Dove awards and
an array of songwriting honors. His latest album, Signs of
Life, follows in the wake of three gold albums. It features
a more aggressive edge, both musically and lyrically, than
past projects. It boasts a more modern electric sound-one
that veers from rock to folk and back again. Lyrically, the
new songs are about real people, facing real struggles in a
real world.
The Violent Femmes
Wednesday, April 30
8 p.m.
Tickets: $17.70 to $22.50
Opening Act: Verve Pipe
The Violent Femmes back-to-basics formula of acoustic
guitar, bass and drums was unplugged long before that was
hip and commercial. Discovered by the late James Honeyman of
The Pretenders, the group made its debut album, Violent
Femmes, in 1982. The platinum album spawned at least three
generation-spanning anthems, Blister in the Sun, Kiss Off
and Add It Up.
The band's power and ability to speak to young
audiences has been called nothing short of amazing. Thirteen
years later band members say they haven't changed, but have
expanded. "We started out with a certain idea which we still
have as the nucleus of our sound, but around that we've
gathered a lot of new ideas," band members say.
The Statler Brothers
Thursday, May 1 8 p.m.
Tickets: $22.50 to $27.50
Since 1964, the Statler Brothers have been known as a
group that listeners can rely on for classic down-home
country music. Their patented harmonies, good humor and keen
lyrical sense have highlighted countless hit songs over the
year, including "Bed of Roses," "Pictures." "I'll Go To My
Grave Loving You," "Your Picture in the Paper" and many,
many more. They have won over 500 awards including three
Grammies, nine country music association awards, 46 Music
City News Awards and four Music City News songwriters
awards. They have hosted three own award-winning syndicated
television specials, won American Music Awards and American
Academy of Country Music Awards and People's Choice Awards.
They have nine gold albums and have played to over 15
million people. The group has never had an official fan
club, as they believe no one should have to pay to be a fan.
Two members of the group are biological brothers. The name
was taken from a box of tissues in a hotel room. "We could
just have easily been the Kleenex Brothers," they explain.
Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash
Thursday, May 15 8 p.m.
Tickets: $32.50-$37.50
Although Willie Nelson is one of contemporary music's
few genuine icons, the 63-year-old singer, songwriter,
guitarist and actor remains a restlessly creative soul. He
has continually renewed his artistic vision throughout a
career that spans more than 35 years, 100 albums and
countless miles on the road. His latest album, Spirit
features a new crop of original songs.
Like his monumental Red Headed Stranger album, it's a
song cycle where the deceptively simple setting produces an
even greater depth. Past critically acclaimed albums include
Across the Borderline, Moonlight Becomes You, and Just One
Love. Nelson has appeared in many films, including
Honeysuckle Rose, and The Electric Horseman.
His annual Fourth of July picnics have become the stuff
of legend and his annual Farm Aid Shows have helped call
attention to the plight of the American farmer since 1985.
Johnny Cash, with more than 26 albums on the pop
charts, is one of the few persons in music history to sell
more than 50 million records.
He has won seven Grammy awards, 23 BMI Songwriting
Awards and is the only living entertainer in the he
Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of fame and
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His most recent release,
American Recordings, features original songs by Cash and
others.
A five-star review in Rolling Stone calls it "at once
monumental and viscerally intimate, fiercely true to the
legend of Johnny Cash and entirely contemporary and
unquestionably one of his best albums."
Ringo Starr and His
All Starr Band
Wednesday, May 28
8 p.m. Tickets: $30 to $35
Ringo Starr is back with the latest version of the
British Invasion, Ringo Starr and his Fourth All Starr Band.
With only 25 U.S. engagements, the stellar line-up includes
Peter Frampton on guitar along with Traffic's Dave Mason;
Garry Brooker from Procol Harum on keyboards, Cream's Jack
Bruce on bass, Simon Kirke from Bad Company on drums and
Mark Rivera on horns. Fans can expect to hear "songs they
know and love," Ringo says, including "With a
Little Help From My Friends," "Yellow Submarine," "Whiter
Shade of Pale," "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," "White Room"
and more.
Drummer for the world's most popular band, Ringo has
gone on to record and appear in films and was an important
part of the Beatles reuniting to record two new singles in
1995. Released along with the Beatles Anthology, the
definitive story of the Beatles as told by the Beatles, the
televised version aired over three nights and was seen by
148 million viewers. The series won three Grammies in 1997.
Gladys Knight/Jeffrey Osborne
Sunday, June 8 7 p.m.
Tickets: $32.50 to $37.50
Gladys Knight, celebrating almost 50 years of sharing
her voice and spirit with the world, began performing gospel
music at the age of four. Part of the quartet Gladys Knight
and the Pips from 1962-1989, she was an important voice on
their mega hits, "Every Beat of My Heart," "I Heard It
Through the Grapevine," "Midnight Train to Georgia,"
"Neither One of Us" and more. Since starting her solo career
in the early 1990s she has recorded two albums-Good Woman
and Just for You. Both contain songs Knight has written. She
has appeared numerous times on television shows and sung
duets on albums with Frank Sinatra, Elton John and more. In
1994 she recorded "That's What Friends Are For" with Dionne
Warwick, Elton John and Stevie Wonder to benefit AIDS
research. In 1995 Knight received a star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame and in 1996 Gladys Knight & The Pips were
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Jeffrey Osborne's name is synonymous with romance. The
singer/songwriter is best know for his hit, "On The Wings of
Love." Other hits include "Stay With Me Tonight," "We're
Going All the Way" and "The Last Time I Made Love."
WWF big names at the BCC on May 12
The World Wrestling Federation will present Monday
Night Raw at 7:30 p.m., Monday, May 12, at the Bob Carpenter
Center.
The event features WWF stars Sycho Sid, the
Undertaker, Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ahmed
Johnson and Vader.
Ringside seats, which include souvenir chairs, are $75
each. Floor seats and seats in the elevated center section
are $16 each and other elevated seats are $10 each. For more
information, call UD1-HENS.
-Beth Thomas