Jack Hill
Stories by Jack
Hays got Buffett to chart NLR course
posted: 02/26/2012 3:17 a.m. Discuss
Those who occupy or seek elective office routinely promise to snare industries and bring jobs to their eager constituents, but few are the politicos who promise cultural enrichment, or, at the very least, an exciting rock concert.
Swift plays to packed house in NLR
posted: 10/05/2011 6:28 a.m.
Discuss
For a 21-year-old, Taylor Swift knows a lot about showmanship. She brought her Speak Now Tour to Verizon Arena in North Little Rock Tuesday night and had a packed house screaming as if The Beatles had taken the stage. With elements of a Broadway show, replete with dancers and gymnasts, Swift poured it on for more than two hours.
Music Review: Festival features hours of Johnny Cash
posted: 08/06/2011 2:58 a.m. Discuss
A huge photo of the late Johnny Cash towered over the performers who assembled Thursday night at Arkansas State University’s Convocation Center for the first Johnny Cash Music Festival, which featured Cash family members and friends in a star-studded extravaganza.
MUSIC: Throwdown is like Willie’s picnic on the road
posted: 06/02/2011 2:52 a.m. Discuss
Willie Nelson’s picnics in Texas became legendary in the 1970s, so it was probably just a matter of time before someone came up with a plan to take the shows on the road.
Foo Fighters and pals ready to rock Verizon
posted: 05/15/2011 3:29 a.m. Discuss
Music Foo Fighters Opening acts: Motorhead, Biffy Clyro 7 p.m. Wednesday, Verizon Arena, East Broadway and Interstate 30, North Little Rock $49.50, $37.50, $25, at Ticketmaster outlets or ticketmaster.com. There will be no chairs on the Verizon Arena floor; admission to the floor will be by general admission tickets. (800) 745-3000 Unlike the band’s name, Foo Fighters have proved to be no illusion.
MUSIC REVIEW: Seger ever the showman
posted: 04/27/2011 7:29 a.m. Discuss
Some of us expected it sooner, maybe to open the show, but it was not to be. Rather, Bob Seger held it back until the first song of his encore selections, when we knew he could not, would not omit this song, above all others.
David Byron Bogard
posted: 03/20/2011 1:51 a.m. Discuss
The biblical saying “Judge not, lest ye be judged” has a new meaning these days for former Judge David Bogard. He’s now on the other side of the judging, at least when it comes to film festivals. After retiring as a circuit judge, he began to live out several of his dreams, including making movies.
Rep packages greatest hits, fresh faces
posted: 03/04/2011 11:01 p.m. Discuss
Luckily for lovers of the arts, not all young people are off studying the sciences and mathematics. So it would seem after seeing "Review the Revue," the latest gathering at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre of young folks who are focused on working in theatrical pursuits.
MUSIC: Surging Sugarland returns, this time as headliner
posted: 03/03/2011 4:25 a.m. Discuss
It took a few years of paying their dues, but Sugarland has found its way to the top, where the living is sweeter.
Big gig sweet for Idol finisher
posted: 03/03/2011 4:24 a.m. Comment 1
Finishing third on the famed American Idol competition is not a bad outcome the way Casey James sees it, especially since he had never watched the show before becoming one of its contestants last year.
MUSIC: Annual Winter Jam arrives with new Christian music set
posted: 03/03/2011 4:20 a.m. Discuss
Spring is coming, which brings us to the annual visit by Winter Jam, Christian music’s largest tour.
MUSIC: Surging Sugarland returns, this time as headliner
posted: 03/03/2011 4:19 a.m. Comment 1
It took a few years of paying their dues, but Sugarland has found its way to the top, where the living is sweeter.
Big gig sweet for Idol finisher
posted: 03/03/2011 4:18 a.m. Discuss
Finishing third on the famed American Idol competition is not a bad outcome the way Casey James sees it, especially since he had never watched the show before becoming one of its contestants last year.
THEATER ‘Smitty’ casts return for Revue
posted: 02/27/2011 4:27 a.m. Discuss
To celebrate five years of youthful summer singing and dancing workshops, the Arkansas Repertory Theatre is taking a winter pause for a look back at some of the greatest hits — so to speak — of the Summer Musical Theater Intensive.
REVIEW: Raisin in the Sun still a powerful play
posted: 01/22/2011 2:03 a.m. Discuss
There was a whole lot of fine acting in the Arkansas Repertory Theatre production of A Raisin in the Sun, which opened Friday night to a large, enthusiastic audience almost as excited to hear from director Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj after the show as from the cast during the play.
MUSIC REVIEW Country Paisley rocks arena with wit, wow
posted: 11/21/2010 3:49 a.m. Discuss
It’s easy to understand how Brad Paisley recently won the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award after seeing him in concert Friday night at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock.
REVIEW: Paisley pulls in 9,600-plus to NLR
updated: 11/20/2010 2:13 a.m. Discuss
That Brad Paisley could have been a rock star, judging from the sounds he laid down Friday night at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock. Paisley, however, chose to pursue country stardom, and he has that firmly in his grasp, along with a decent voice, those guitar skills that rival an Eric Clapton or anyone else and a gentle wit that animates many of his songs.
Prophet rides wave of raves to his first show in Arkansas
posted: 10/24/2010 4:23 a.m. Discuss
It’s not often you can watch a prophet at work, especially on a Monday night. Well, make that a Prophet, Chuck Prophet, to be exact, an esteemed singer-songwriter-guitarist with roots that go way back.
B.B. rules
posted: 10/03/2010 3:30 a.m. Discuss
Blues fans know just as well as students of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
A politician, a preacher and Vino’s back room
posted: 09/19/2010 4:19 a.m. Discuss
It sounds like the start of a well-worn joke: A congressman meets a Methodist minister in a beer hall. ... But that was the case with Vic Snyder and Betsy Singleton a decade ago at Vino’s.
REVIEW: Evita kicks off 35th season at Rep
posted: 09/11/2010 12:36 a.m. Discuss
To start off its 35th season, the Arkansas Repertory Theatre brought back Evita, a play that needs no introduction, along with a director, Cliff Fannin Baker, who also needs no introduction. Baker did the show some 20 years ago, when he was the Rep's founder and producing artistic director.
ENTERTAINMENT NOTES: TobyMac, Chris Tomlin bringing tour to Verizon
posted: 06/17/2010 3:26 a.m. Discuss
Fans of contemporary Christian music, the exuberant, rockin’ kind, have had various opportunities through the years to see and hear TobyMac and Chris Tomlin, but never together.
MUSIC: Sexton returns with friends
posted: 04/29/2010 2:49 a.m. Discuss
After twice packing Sticky Fingerz as a solo act, singer-songwriter-guitarist Martin Sexton is returning Sunday with a band. Sexton began his tour April 15 and last week did a two-night gig in New Orleans, appearing at the House of Blues and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. He has a June 13 slot at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee.
THEATER REVIEW: Frost/Nixon adds color to dark political period
posted: 04/25/2010 3:25 a.m. Discuss
Watergate was a place, a time and a crime that marked the beginning, for many Americans, of their season of discontent with their government and politicians.
THEATER: The Rep’s Frost/Nixon: 2 bulls doing the tango?
posted: 04/22/2010 3:34 a.m. Discuss
As solemn radio announcers used to say, “Return with us now to the days of.... ” And here we would be tempted to change the wording to “people not shouting at each other, but instead talking in measured tones, making thoughtful replies and not interrupting each other.”
MUSIC REVIEW: Cheers for McGraw, but not for his stories
posted: 04/11/2010 3:12 a.m. Discuss
Country singer Tim Mc-Graw had nearly 11,000 fans in the palm of his hand Friday night at Verizon Arena, but he almost lost them when he dared to bring up the touchy subject of football.
McGraw hears cheers, jeers
posted: 04/10/2010 1:20 a.m. Discuss
Country singer Tim McGraw had more than 10,000 fans in the palm of his hand Friday night at Verizon Arena, but then he had to bring up football. He was trying to tell a story about going to college in northeastern Louisiana, and the mere mention of our neighboring state to the south brought out the “boos.”
MUSIC: Tim McGraw polishes Southern Voice for tour
posted: 04/08/2010 3:03 a.m. Discuss
Tim McGraw has been hearing Southern voices all his life, and now he’s saluting them with his latest CD, Southern Voice, released in October. It’s his first studio album in 2 1 /2 years.
Sykes and songster pals to gather in Hot Springs
posted: 03/25/2010 3:51 a.m. Discuss
Memphis singer-songwriter Keith Sykes has become fond of visiting Hot Springs, whether the horses are running at Oaklawn or not. So he has combined his affection for the Spa City with his love of performing.
MUSIC: Christian rock’s $10 megatour arriving at Verizon
posted: 03/18/2010 3:17 a.m. Discuss
Of all the varied musical tours that have attempted to establish an annual following, none have been around as long as Winter Jam, a shifting lineup of Christian rock acts in its 15th year.
THEATER: Glorious! is about one of opera’s all-time grates
posted: 03/11/2010 3:43 a.m. Discuss
Time was, back before reality TV changed things, performers were expected to be talented when it came to singing, acting, dancing and so on.
MUSIC REVIEW: Strait, McEntire thrill NLR crowd
posted: 03/08/2010 4:23 a.m. Discuss
Watching George Strait sing carries the same kind of sweet vibe as seeing John Wayne act when he was in his prime. Those among the 15,597 who saw Strait on Saturday night at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock should consider themselves fortunate indeed.
REVIEW: Strait draws 16,000 at Verizon Arena
posted: 03/07/2010 6:40 a.m. Discuss
George Strait put on a show Saturday night at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock that wowed a fired-up crowd that was three short of 16,000.
MUSIC: Strait tunes up Twang ’twixt McEntire and Womack
posted: 03/04/2010 3:41 a.m. Discuss
Every now and then, George Strait gets off his horse, ambles over to his truck, goes off to meet with his fellow musicians and then he and his Ace in the Hole Band hit the road again, like they have been doing for nearly 35 years.
MUSIC: Canadian rockers bring one night’s showcase
posted: 03/04/2010 3:40 a.m. Discuss
Three Days Grace should not be confused with 3 Doors Down or Matchbox Twenty or other rock group names that include numbers. Three Days Grace, a Canadian outfit, is from Toronto; 3 Doors Down is from Mississippi; and Matchbox Twenty (first it was Matchbox 20) is from Orlando, Fla.
MUSIC REVIEW: Willie shows no pain in Hot Springs show
posted: 02/22/2010 4:49 a.m. Discuss
There were no signs that Willie Nelson was feeling any pain as he performed in concert Sunday night at the Summit Arena in the Spa City, despite recent reports of his having to cancel some shows because of pain from a past carpal tunnel problem that resulted in surgery.
MUSIC: Willie Nelson again reaches for the Summit
posted: 02/18/2010 4:13 a.m. Discuss
Willie Nelson isn’t lost. Nor is he looking for the road to retirement and relaxation.
LECTURE/MUSIC: All the way from Amsterdam, John Sinclair
posted: 02/18/2010 4:12 a.m. Comment 1
Not everyone who got arrested for a drug offense in the late 1960s got “immortalized” by former Beatle John Lennon in a song.
THEATER: Family conflict, lies, sex: ItÏs a Williams drama
posted: 02/04/2010 3:18 a.m. Discuss
Tennessee Williams wrote many a play that focused on family dynamics, especially in Southern settings. Carrying a nickname taken from Arkansas’ border state to the east, he set two of his most famous plays
MUSIC: Delta bluesman Davis to sing Friday at tavern, pool hall
posted: 12/17/2009 4:58 a.m. Discuss
Polio slowed CeDell Davis early in life, as did the injuries he suffered in a stampede inside a club while he played the blues. The broken legs he sustained when the club patrons fled from a police raid put him in a wheelchair, but he kept playing the blues.
MUSIC REVIEW: Energetic Christian rockers give set that thrills, inspires
posted: 12/06/2009 4:10 a.m. Discuss
If there were ever a Super Bowl between the hardest rocking of all Christian rockers, it would surely come down to Third Day and Casting Crowns, a couple of bands that have gradually built up their followings in central Arkansas in recent years.
THEATER: Technicolor Dreamcoat returns to dazzle at Rep
posted: 12/03/2009 5:08 a.m. Discuss
It sounds like a timeless soap opera plotline: The favorite son in a family of 12 boys gets a special gift from the father. The gift, a colorful coat, enrages the brothers who decide to get rid of their lucky loved one. At least one of the 11 brothers can’t bring himself to take part in a killing, however, and instead decides to sell the brother, Joseph, into slavery.
‘Strange’ guitarist Gilewitz quits Skype for live shows
posted: 11/01/2009 4:54 a.m. Discuss
Some musicians communicate with their audience through their instrumental skills and their song lyrics. Not Richard Gilewitz, who instead relies on a combination of his guitar abilities and the stories and jokes he tells between his songs, which are instrumentals.
Shocked a traveler again in Arkansas
posted: 10/18/2009 6:11 a.m. Discuss
It’s not entirely a coincidence that singer-songwriter Michelle Shocked is booked for a show in Hot Springs during the city’s 18th annual Documentary Film Festival.
Stiff upper lips to get tickled in murder mystery at Murry’s
posted: 10/11/2009 5:36 a.m. Discuss
If Agatha Christie had dipped her pen into the comedy genre, the result could have been Murdered to Death, which opens this week at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse. The actual author was Peter Gordon, who set the show in the lounge of a country manor house in England in the 1930s.
THEATER: The Second City returns to improvise at the Rep
posted: 10/08/2009 3:49 a.m. Discuss
In its 50 years as the nation’s premier improvisational comedy troupe, Chicago’s Second City has helped launch the careers of Alan Arkin, Joan Rivers, John Belushi, John Candy, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Chris Farley, Stephen Colbert and Tina Fey.
Taking the plunge
posted: 08/29/2009 4:45 a.m. Discuss
Blue sky with no clouds, Hot afternoons can get you down and make you sweaty, Midsummer sun bake, I know exactly what we should do and I think you're ready, Gonna stay cool, cool, cool at the swimming pool.
A pig in the pool is worth ...
posted: 08/29/2009 2:49 a.m. Discuss
Even finding a pig in your pool is not enough to dissuade a homeowner from its enjoyment, central Arkansans recently learned.
MUSIC REVIEW Keith Urban's skill, charisma enthrall crowd at NLR arena
posted: 08/08/2009 1:53 a.m. Discuss
It's obvious that Keith Urban loves his work. That's no myth, urban or rural.
Urban mythology
posted: 08/02/2009 4:46 a.m. Discuss
Keith Urban is such a family man these days that he named his current jaunt around the country the Escape Together World Tour.
