MAD announces fall artist lineup
Artists include Beach Boys, Dennis Quaid & the Sharks and Chinese acrobats
The Murphy Arts District has announced its fall lineup for October through December, featuring singers and bands from a variety of genres, from country to funk.
In a news release, the district, which is gearing up for its grand opening week at the end of September, announced several new artists coming to the area, as well non-musical performances, including being a venue for the fourth year of the El Dorado Film Festival.
“I work with artist management teams around the country” said Mark Givens, vice president of entertainment and talent relations for the district. “We’re looking for acts and headliners that people will respond to and may not have had the opportunity to see.”
While ticket prices have not yet been announced, the fall schedule is as follows:
• Oct. 5 - World Vision Presents: Your Love is Unbreakable Tour featuring Selah, a contemporary Christian vocal trio, and Jason Crabb, a Grammy winner and former lead singer of the Crabb Family.
• Oct. 20 - Jerry Douglas presents the Earls of Leicester, a bluegrass group featuring Arkansas-native Shawn Camp, Charlie Cushman, Jeff White and Barry Bales.
• Oct. 21 - South Arkansas Orchestra presents Abbey Road featuring Jeans & Classics, Canadian rockers who will assist the orchestra in playing the Beatles’ iconic album.
• Oct. 28 - Legends of Funk featuring Zapp, known as the forefathers of G-Funk and West Coast rap, with special guest Dazz & Brie.
• Nov. 1 - The Beach Boys on the 2017 Wild Honey World Tour.
• Nov. 4 - The Molly Ringwalds, one of the premier ’80s tribute bands.
• Nov. 9 - An Evening with Barrett Baber, an Arkansas native who finished third in the ninth season of NBC’s “The Voice.”
• Nov. 9-Nov. 12 - El Dorado Film Festival, with more than 50 films from all over the world being shown in the district and at the South Arkansas Arts Center.
• Nov. 10 - Sonny Burgess & The Legendary Pacers, a band from Newport, Arkansas, that has traveled with Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Patsy Cline, among others.
• Nov. 11 - Dennis Quaid & The Sharks, the band of the famed actor known for roles in films such as “The Rookie” and “The Day After Tomorrow.”
• Nov. 17 - Incredibly! Acrobats of China featuring the new Shanghai Circus, a group known
for daring feats of performance art and acrobatic
skill.
• Nov. 18 - The 2017 Rockin’ Roadtrip Tour featuring Fuel with special guest Dishwalla & Marcy Playground, who will provide an evening of post-grunge ’90s rock.
• Dec. 9 - Phil Vasser & Killie Pickler - A Christmas Tour.
• Dec. 17 - A Home Free Christmas, featuring the country group that won NBC’s “The Sing-Off” in 2013.
• Dec. 31 - A MAD New Year’s Eve with Windstorm, a Louisianabased group that plays soul, blues and R&B infused with pop, hip-hop and old school funk.
According to the release,
show and ticket information will be available at eldoMAD.com in the next few weeks.
In addition to the lineup announcements, the release notes the district is hiring for a variety of positions
in concessions, food service, security and other areas. Anyone interested in either full or part-time work, visit eldoMAD.com and click on career opportunities on the bottom left to fill out an application.