Poway OnStage announces 2019-20 season: Melissa Etheridge, Rosanne Cash and more
Poway OnStage has announced the lineup for its 2019-20 Professional Performance series, and the new season will include Rosanne Cash, Melissa Etheridge and Jake Shimabukuro.
Oct. 4: Jake Shimabukuro
The season will begin with ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro, performing at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4. Hawaiian-born Shimabukuro has been called the “Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele.” He previously performed at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts (PCPA) in 2012. Shimabukuro’s eclectic musical repertoire includes jazz, blues, funk and rock, as well as classical, bluegrass, folk and flamenco. His October concert will feature selections from his recent album, “The Greatest Day.” $55-$75
Oct. 12: Back to the Garden
Poway OnStage favorite Back to the Garden, who have performed a number of shows at the PCPA, including “Beatles: Alone/Together” and “Sounds of Laurel Canyon,” return at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, with “Monterey ’67 Revisited.” The band will pay homage to the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, which introduced musical legends like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, the Grateful Dead, the Mamas and the Papas, Simon and Garfunkel and others to the American public. $30-$60
Nov. 2: Steve Poltz with Jack Tempchin
Steve Poltz and special guest Jack Tempchin will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2. Alternative folk singer and songwriter Poltz will showcase his storytelling talents and songs from throughout his career, including his latest release, “Shine On.” Tempchin, a 2019 Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee who wrote the Eagles hits “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “Already Gone,” will open the show. $30-$50
Nov. 15: Melissa Etheridge
Grammy Award winner Melissa Etheridge will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15. Known for songs like “I’m the Only One” and “Come to my Window,” the rock legend has throughout her career conquered the charts, won an Academy Award, appeared on Broadway in “American Idiot” and become a philanthropist. Etheridge will perform songs from her career as well as her newest release, “The Medicine Show.” $90-$110
Dec. 7: “John Tesh: an Acoustic Christmas”
Celebrate the holidays with “John Tesh: an Acoustic Christmas,” at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. Tesh has spent more than three decades as an international performer, earning six musical Emmy Awards, two Grammy nominations, three gold records, seven public television specials and sold 8 million records. This special holiday performance will include holiday classics, as well as all-new big band arrangements. $30-$60
Feb. 15: Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite
Blues Hall of Fame inductees guitarist Elvin Bishop and harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15. Bishop, who began his career performing with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band before going solo, is best known for his song “Fooled Around and Fell in Love.” Musselwhite, a 13-time Grammy Award nominee and 33-time Blues Music Award winner, has been touring and performing for over 50 years. $45-$75
Feb. 29: John Mueller’s “Winter Dance Party: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper”
John Mueller’s “Winter Dance Party: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper” will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29. This is the only official live and authentic re-creation of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper’s final tour as is endorsed by the musicians’ families, according to the release. The performance includes over two hours of ‘50s hits, including “That’ll Be the Day, “Peggy Sue,” “Oh, Boy,” “Rave On,” “La Bamba,” “Chantilly Lace” and many more. Mueller appears as Holly, Linwood Sasser as the Big Bopper and Ray Anthony as Valens. $25-$55
March 7: Rosanne Cash
Rosanne Cash, a country singer-songwriter and daughter of Johnny Cash, will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 7. Cash is a four-time Grammy Award winner and 11-time nominee who has released 15 albums spanning folk, pop, rock, blues and Americana. She was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 2015. $35-$65
March 27: Catapult Shadow Dance Company
Catapult Shadow Dance Company will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, March 27. An “America’s Got Talent” finalist from season 8, the dance company features dancers who work behind a screen to create shadow silhouettes of shapes. The show is family-friendly. $30-$60
April 10: Drum Tao 2020
Drum Tao 2020, which performed at the PCPA in 2018, returns with its latest production at 8 p.m. Friday, April 10. The group combines contemporary costumes, precise choreography and innovative visuals with the ancient art of Taiko drumming, according to the release. $45-$75
May 17: Leahy
The final performer in the 2019-20 series will be award-winning Canadian progressive folk-roots band Leahy, performing at 8 p.m. Sunday, May 17. The group emerged onto the Canadian music scene in the late 1990s with their chart-topping instrumental single “Call to Dance,” according to the release. The band combines traditional Celtic elements with piano, bass, contemporary drumming and rhythm guitar. $35-$65
Subscription packages of five or more show are available now through the Poway OnStage eClub, with individual tickets available to the public at noon Friday, Aug. 9. Tickets may be purchased at the box office, by calling the (858) 748-0505 or by going online at powayonstage.org. The box office is open from noon to 5 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and two hours before curtain. Discounts are available for all shows, including half-off GEICO youth tickets for ages 12 and under. Discounts are also available for active-duty military, seniors ages 65 and up and students ages 13 to 22. Group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more by calling (858) 668-4797.
Sorensen writes for the U-T Community Press.