Lots of good news for Palladium fans as we move into our summer season

So much news as the Palladium heads toward our summer season that it takes a list to get it all in:

 

1. Our Side Door Cabaret has been quiet in May and June – community shows on our main stage have taken all potential Side Door dates. It’s a good problem to have. But Side Door will come roaring back starting July 15 and running most weekends through the end of September. Check out our website for new listings. We’ve got blues, jazz, comedy, world music and even an Aretha Franklin stage show.
2. One reason for the quiet Side Door is our friends at St. Petersburg Opera. They are producing the classic Puccini opera La Boheme in June and then coming right back with six performances of South Pacific in early July.
3. The theater was featured in a beautiful magazine created by our friends at Visit St. Pete-Clearwater. Along with a photo from the Side Door, the editors said: “The Palladium is home to an array of opera, orchesral, rock and comedy shows. Its lounge3-like Side Door Cabaret is a top jazz and blues venue; look for performances by jazz guitarist Nate Najar and blues singer Selwyn Birchwood, internationally reknowed artists who call Tampa Bay home. Thanks for that!
4. Our theater picked up another “best of” award – this time from Tampa Bay Metro. The Palladium was recognized as “The Best Showcase of Musical Variety.” That just about sums us up.
5. I joined  patio full of blues fans Wednesday night at the Ale and the Witch. It was a benefit for James McKnight, who played with Damon Fowler and others as “Big Country,” who is recovering from a accident that left him unable to work. Got to hear Damon Fowler, Mike Zito, Selwyn Birchwood, Betty Fox and others play and pitch for donations. And saw lots of Suncoast Blues Society folks and Side Door regulars. So far, the benefit has raised almost $2,000 with a gofundme campaign site still pushing for me.