Songs like Seasons in the Sun, To Sir With Love and Play That Funky Music all have their places in music history.
For Rann Berry it is in the one hit wonder catalogue. He is returning to Penticton with the One Hit Wonders show on Sept. 28 at the Cleland Theatre.
Berry said last year they had such a great turnout for the show, which again will be a fundraiser for the Penticton Secondary School music department, that they couldn’t wait to come back and do it all over again.
In the past few months they have sold out two shows in Winfield and one in Kelowna.
“The show is a lot bigger this year and has come a really long way. It has evolved and we are tackling some really great songs and hard songs like McArthur Park, Venus by Shocking Blue. They are really challenging the band and myself as a singer but they are great songs that get a huge response from the audience,” said Berry. “It really is a trip down memory lane and it is a nostalgic show. People who grew up in the 60s and 70s will recognize every single song because they are all big, big hits.”
Joining Berry for the ultimate 60s and 70s musical flashback is an eight-piece band, including a four-piece horn section that delivers serious punch, and Go Go dancers who come out in a number of different costumes.
Berry has given this show the tagline of the 45s of Our Lives, which he says conveys what the show is all about.
“We have some really big opportunities on the horizon with cross-Canada touring, but it is tough because the members of the band do have full-time jobs. Right now we are travelling with about 14 people. This is not only a great show musically but it is a big show visually. We get compared to it all the time, this is a full blown Las Vegas spectacle,” said Berry. “This is not just a concert, it is a show. We have one manager who is determined to get us down to Vegas.”
Berry said as opposed to a lot of “baby boomer shows” that tour around,his is a tribute to the era.
“That is why it works so well because we hit on a lot of different bands and styles. It has been going over amazingly well,” said Berry.
Opening the show at the Cleland Theatre will be a student ensemble from the Pen High music department, directed by Justin Glibbery, who also is the music director of The One Hit Wonders Show.
A portion of the proceeds of this show will go to the high school music department.
Glibbery won’t be the only local face the audience might recognize. Dean Bates is playing tenor sax, Chris Manuel is on the trombone, both from Penticton. The rest of the members of the show are spread from the Okanagan Valley and in Vancouver.
“We are really looking forward to playing the Cleland because it is laid out so well and for anyone who came last year, expect to see a different show with new songs and surprises,” said Berry
Rann Berry and The One Hit Wonders Show are at the Cleland Theatre on Sept. 28. Tickets are $29 and available at the Penticton Community Centre or by phone at 250-490-2426.