Turn back the clock tonight when Styx and REO Speedwagon roll out their rock classics at the Puyallup Fair, followed in the coming days by Bill Cosby, Reba McEntire, Weird Al Yankovic, Audio Adrenaline and Jeremy Camp, and Maroon5.
Think 60 million records led by Styx’s “Come Sail Away,” “Babe,” “Blue Collar Man,” “Lady” and “The Best of Times,” and REO Speedwagon’s “Ridin’ the Storm Out,” “Take It on the Run,” “Our Time is Gonna Come,” and “Can’t Fight This Feeling.”
In May, Chicago-based Styx released “Come Sail Away: The Styx Anthology,” covering more than 30 years of music with full-blown arrangements and right-on harmonies.
REO Speedwagon has landed two albums in Billboards’ top slot and contributed 13 Top 40 singles in 37 years.
The list of accolades for Reba McEntire, who performs Sunday, continues to grow.
This spring she hosted the Academy of Country Music Awards for the third consecutive time. McEntire has won two Grammies, is a 10-time winner of the American Music Awards’ favorite female country artist award and four-time winner of Country Music Association’s female vocalist of the year.
Although her music stretches beyond country, McEntire has stayed true to her roots.
She’s also played Annie Oakley in a Broadway stage production of “Annie Get Your Gun,” starred in Warner Brothers’ TV series “Reba,” and was the first country artist to earn a Golden Globe nomination.
Her hits included “I’m Gonna Take That Mountain,” “Somebody,” “I’m a Survivor,” “Fancy” and “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia.”
Audio Adrenalin’s concert is Tuesday, sharing stage time with Jeremy Camp, recent winner of the Gospel Music Association’s male vocalist of the year award.
After 17 No. 1 hits (including “Ocean Floor”), multiple Dove awards and several Grammy nominations, Audio Adrenaline continues to score with fans on Christian radio charts, with “Big House” named the song of the decade for the 1990s.
Camp’s hits include “I Still Believe,” “Revive Me” and “Walk by Faith.” His path was made harder by the loss of his young wife to cancer.
Maroon5 has earned MTV and VH-1 airplay with “Harder to Breathe” and “This Love” and its platinum-selling CD, “Songs About Jane.” The band performs Wednesday, backed by crossover success on several different charts.
From a comedy standpoint, Bill Cosby and Weird Al Yankovic are worlds apart, but if you’re not tickled by one’s humor, you’re likely to enjoy the other’s.
Cosby creates laughs Saturday. His humor and voice finds its way into animated series, best-selling books, commercials, stages and television specials.
More than any other comedian, the man who before the success of “The Cosby Show,” (NBC, 1984-91) once was part of the TV series “I Spy.” Cosby throughout his career crossed the boundaries of race and age, and his skills and wisdom were rewarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The Grammy winner’s success, in part, is because he’s capable of touching our hearts, not just tickling our funny bone.
Yankovic, also a Grammy winner, wields the parody stick on Monday. His 2003 album, “Poodle Hat,” parodies Eminem, Nelly, Backstreet Boys and Billy Joel’s hits, among a long list of take-offs.
Weird Al began 25 years ago as a college DJ who recorded “My Bologna,” a parody of “My Sharona,” in a bathroom. It turned into a hit when it appeared on the “Dr. Demento” radio show.
His parodies include “I Love Rocky Road,” “Eat It,” “I Lost on Jeopardy,” “Smells Like Nirvana.”
Who: Styx-REO Speedwagon, Bill Cosby, Reba McEntire, Weird Al Yankovic, Audio Adrenaline and Jeremy Camp, Maroon5
When: Tonight through Wednesday
Where: Puyallup Fair
Admission: $15-$49.50, some prices include admission
Tickets: 206-628-0888.
Information: www.puyallupfair.com.
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