NORWICH – Those who’ve never had a chance to experience pop-country superstar Garth Brooks live and in concert will have an opportunity to witness the next best thing on Wednesday at the Chenango County Fair, when the Greg Allan Band takes to the stage for a special Garth Brooks Tribute, at 7 p.m. in the grandstands.
Allan, a Sherburne-Earlville graduate, performs 12 to 15 shows each year, backed by a six piece band and offering up some of Brooks’ greatest hits, including chart toppers such as “Thunder Rolls,” “The Dance” and “Friends in Low Places.”
Said the guitarist and singer, “I’m a huge fan of Garth’s and we have a ball with it; it’s a lot of fun and we just have a good time.”
The idea for the tribute show came about purely by accident, said Allan. At a solo acoustic show in Poughkeepsie, performing in front of an audience of more than 5,000, Allan received a standing ovation following his rendition of “The Dance.” The show’s promoter convinced the singer that he looked and sounded so much like Brooks that he should put together a tribute band. The rest, as they say, is history, and the Greg Allan Band has been performing Brooks’ hits ever since.
“He just kept hounding me and that’s kind of how it evolved,” added Allan. “I proceeded to put the band together and it’s a high-energy, in your face show. We just let it all hang out and try to get the crowd involved.”
The tribute’s reviews, said Allan, have been extremely positive, across the board.
“When Garth toured, he toured so big, and he didn’t get to the little towns or the county fairs,” he added. “And most of his shows sold out, so this is a chance to experience Garth Brooks.”
Opening Wednesday’s show will be local favorites – not to mention Norwich’s first-ever rock-n-roll ensemble – The Monarchs, featuring original members Bruce Beadle on lead guitar and vocals, rhythm guitarist and vocalist Gary Beadle, Pep Maiurano on drums, Joe Flores on saxophone and Ron Palmer, of Harry Chapin fame, on bass guitar. Special guest Jeff Rasmussen will also join the band on guitar.
The band – which performs a wide variety of classic rock-n-roll from the 50s and 60s – originally formed in 1960, playing local school dances and graduation parties. Over the course of the next decade, the Beadle brothers, Maiurano, Flores and Palmer would play dozens – if not hundreds – of shows throughout Chenango County and upstate New York.
According to Bruce Beadle, the group has been getting together for an annual reunion show for several years now, playing to packed houses. The band and its members, he added, “really enjoy” performing the songs of their youth and are “still getting a great response” from their fans.
“When the Chenango County Fair offered the prospect of a larger venue ... we accepted the opportunity to play for more people,” said Beadle. “That’s what makes it worthwhile for us.”
Said Maiurano of his fellow musicians, “I’m the luckiest guy in the world to get to perform with such talented and fantastic musicians.”
For more information on Wednesday’s show, visit chenangocountyfair.homestead.com. For information on the Greg Allan Band, visit the group’s Facebook page, facebook.com/pages/Greg-Allan-Band.