Summer has officially made its way to Walt Disney World and with that brings another great opportunity for some rockin’ live entertainment. Every summer the American Gardens Theater plays hosts to several great tribute bands. Before you think this isn’t for you since they aren’t the real artists, let me give you some background information. Every band that performs is officially endorsed by the original artist for their quality. As well as sounding just like the “real thing” many of the bands bear a striking resemblance to the band or artist they are portraying. The bands that perform each year cover a wide array of music from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Because of the diverse offering almost everyone is sure to find a group they will love.
Each group in the series will play for a total of 7 nights. Each night they perform, on average, a 30 minute set. The show times every night at the America Gardens Theatre are 5:45, 7:00 and 8:15. On the busy 4th of July there will be four shows to help with the higher crowds. The show times that day are 5:15, 6:30, 7:45 and 9:00 pm. On the weekends the concerts can draw quite a crowd, so if you are looking to get a seat up front I would recommend lining up and hour before show time. That said, all of the seats in the theater offer good views. Even if you don’t want to wait in line for a show you can still enjoy the music from the courtyard at the American Adventure. Some people prefer to be out there because it offers them the freedom to dance along to many of their favorite songs.
Here is this year’s concert line up:
June 12-18: Hotel California – A Salute to the Eagles
June 19-25: Stayin’ Alive – A Tribute to the Bee Gees
June 26-July 2: Slippery When Wet – The Ultimate Bon Jovi Tribute
July 3-9: Little Queen – The Music of Heart
July 10-16: Frontiers – A Tribute to Journey
July 17-23: Karin Lawson – A Tribute to Janet Jackson
July 24-30: 2U – A Tribute to U2
As with any live entertainment show times can change so make sure to grab a times guide when you enter Epcot to confirm which band will be playing that day and what their show times are.
Contributed by: Shalon Given (NDI#167) Shalon is the DDL Music Blogger.
Shalon was born and raised in West Virginia. Because she was so far away from the magic she only was able to visit the Magic Kingdom once as a child. Her love of Disney grew through movies and the Disney Channel. After college she relocated to Melbourne Florida almost by accident for her career. Knowing that she was only 1.5 hours away from Disney was exciting and within a few months she became a pass holder. After several years of visiting once a month she relocated to Orlando to be closer to the magic. Being so close to the magic has allowed Shalon to meet so many wonderful Disney enthusiasts like herself during her weekly trips to the World. Because of her love and knowledge of Disney Shalon receives phone calls and emails frequently from friends and family seeking advice on planning upcoming trips to Walt Disney World. She hopes to continue to share the magic and wonderment of Disney with people for years to come.
We saw 2U last year and thought they were really good. Unfortunately, we’ll miss the entire series this year.
I can’t believe I’m missing this! I visited with my son for three weeks and when I go home I find out the Bee Gees (sound a likes) are there!! That might have been my only chance to see someone even remotely close to the REAL people! UGH!! Hi Shalon! I’m Joey’s Mom!!