Five for Fighting with String Quartet

The only way for a story to progress is to turn the page. John Ondrasik — the songwriter and performer known as the platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated, Five For Fighting — knows this well. In the two decades since his first major single, “Superman (It’s Not Easy),” hit the stratosphere, the artist has both evolved and come back ’round …

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The Greatest Piano Men

THE GREATEST PIANO MEN: Billy, Elton, Stevie, Ray & More A live Rock & Roll celebration of the greatest piano icons in music from Jeff Davis (Executive Producer of Broadway’s ‘Rock of Ages’). This electrifying production, which debuted to rave reviews at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, celebrates the world’s greatest pianists and showmen – …

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Hedwig and the Angry Inch

REVIEW: Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Harlequin Productions

The rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, with text by John Cameron Mitchell and music and lyrics by Stephen Trask, started as a performance in drag clubs and became an international phenomenon. It’s now playing at the State Theater of Olympia’s Harlequin Productions, starring Adam Rennie as Hedwig and Mandy Rose Nichøls as Hedwig’s husband and assistant, Yitzhak.

Lido Pimienta

Ain’t No Party Like a South Sound Block Party

With COVID cases on the decline, it’s time for something new. That’s where Christen Greene saw an opportunity. She’s the programmer of a new summer music festival in Olympia, the South Sound Block Party on Port Plaza this August.

The British Invasion - Live on Stage

The British Are Coming, the British Are Coming

Coming soon to The Washington Center for the Performing Arts is a touring tribute show, The British Invasion — Live on Stage, which includes Shannon McEldowney on keyboards and vocals alongside six other onstage performers.

Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour

Farewell to the Wizard

By CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL There’s probably some parallel universe in which one might feel comfortable reviewing a Tacoma Dome performance by the man born Reginald Dwight in London, England. He’s 72 now, so it’s perfectly understandable the guy’s singing his swan song after half a century of touring and worldwide notoriety. There is, however, not a …

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Rock Against Trump, a Youth-Led Benefit Concert

by Tom Simpson for OLY ARTS In early June, the Capitol Theater in Olympia will see notable Pacific Northwest bands join forces in a benefit concern entitled “Rock against Trump.” According to organizers, the concert is intended to promote community unity. Funds raised will benefit the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, a nonprofit organization that promotes advocacy and …

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A Night With Janis Joplin

A Night With Janis Joplin — CANCELED

by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Adapted from a press release dated September 27: The Washington Center for the Performing Arts regretfully announces that the Northwest tour of A Night with Janis Joplin has been canceled, including the performance scheduled at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, October 12. “We were so …

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Dave Mason, photo by Chris Jensen

Alone Together With Dave Mason

by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS Some musicians have managed to Zelig themselves throughout the history of rock, placing themselves alongside legends at such perfectly opportune times that it’s astonishing to consider. One person who’s justifiably ubiquitous in rock is Dave Mason. Starting with his work in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Traffic, …

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