A great summer of live events

It is a summertime full of live entertainment right here in the entertainment capital of the world Orlando, Florida and the surrounding area. Since our last update I attended the Lindsey Buckingham concert at the Plaza Live last week and it was a fantastic show by a very talented musician. I attended the event with a life-long friend that is an accomplished guitarist and it was great to see his reaction as Buckingham wowed the audience with some of his recent material and took many of us back in time with his Grammy Awarding hits from the ‘70s. One of my friend’s most memorable comments was, “this guy is a musician’s musician”. I guess that’s about the highest compliment you can pay a professional musician.

Speaking of the Plaza Live, I was checking their website looking for this weekend’s lineup and noted with pleasure that the Plaza Live will be temporarily closed beginning Monday, 8/20 for long awaited roof repairs to the sixty year old former movie theater. Their final concert before the renovation is a free gig this Sunday night. Plaza Live is a great venue offering a wide variety of live events that is building a loyal following among the locals. The Plaza Live will reopen in mid-September with what is sure to be a great rap-up to the summer of 2012.

In searching for activities for the weekend I stumbled upon what looks like my calendar entry for Saturday afternoon. Another local landmark, the Orlando Museum of Art is presenting the, ‘Southernmost Art and Literary Portraits’ photography exhibition by Orlando resident Jimm Roberts. The Orlando Sentinel reports Roberts’s presentation this way, “It’s an unparalleled collection of black-and-white photographic portraits by Jimm Roberts, the longtime Orlando resident who from behind his camera has created an archive of Florida’s cultural royalty.” Whether you are a Florida native, a transplant resident, or a first time visitor, this walk through a piece of Florida history sounds rewarding. General admission tickets are $8 with discounts provided to students and seniors and the exhibition runs through October 28^th.

On a related note, the Orlando Museum of Art is located just south of downtown Orlando at Loch Haven Park. Along with OMA the park is home to many other cultural attractions including, the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Orlando Science Center, Orlando Repertory Theatre, Orlando Fire Museum, and the Mennello Museum of American Art. With this one stop you can spend all weekend enjoying live entertainment.

Take a look around and get out there and enjoy a live event this weekend.

Great events in Central Florida in August

It has been a great couple of weeks for live entertainment in the area and as the summer continues there are more great events to come. Although I did not have the opportunity to catch The Heart and Soul Tour last night at the Amway Center, several members of the production crew worked the show and the early morning report today was all good news. According to the crew, the show was almost sold out and one observer said that the audience was a great mix of parents with their adult children. Excellent marketing mix on this one!

In an ironic display of scheduling, happening this Tuesday night in the intimate surroundings of the Plaza Live for one night only, one show only is the truly remarkable talent of Lindsey Buckingham. For those not in the know, Lindsey Buckingham is the former lead guitarist for Fleetwood Mac who along with last night’s The Heart and Soul Tour opener Stevie Nicks, created some of the best sounds of the 1970s. The unorthodox playing style and dynamic vocals of Lindsey Buckingham will surely rock the house down in Orlando on Tuesday. Unlike the high ticket and concession prices at last night’s gig, Tuesday at the Plaza Live offers very reasonable prices, an intimate atmosphere, free parking, and a great little coffee house directly across the street named the Drunken Monkey for some refreshment before or after the show. Makes a perfect summer night out.

Like me, if waiting until Tuesday for some live entertainment is too long, tomorrow I’m checking out something I just heard of, Nerdapalooza 2012. They’re celebrating their 5^th anniversary this year and the event runs this weekend in downtown Orlando. According to a preview in the Orlando Sentinel, “Since conceiving the notion of a Nerdapalooza festival in 2007, founder John “Hex” Carter has taken the event to California and London, but seems to have established permanent roots in Orlando.” The event is three days and is located at the Beacham and Social clubs on Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando. I’m not really sure what to expect from a festival that is ‘everything nerd’ but one thing is for sure, almost any live event beats any virtual event any time, any day.

Now, get out there and enjoy some live entertainment.