… and the fans love him!

Short story and photos by Mary Jane Farmer

For many photos, click here

What fun it is to work with people who know how to have fun. That was the case with Pedro Fernandez, Mexico’s premiere singer, movie star, and TV personality, all rolled into one.

Mexico’s super idol Pedro Fernandez played

Choctaw Casino’s Grand Theater

on Saturday, March 18,  2017, to a sold-out and enthusiastic audience, a crowd which could sing along to most of his songs.

Sharing Fernandez‘ stage were five fiddlers, two horn players, and three guitarists. Before Fernandez took to the stage, one of the fiddlers got the crowd well warmed up with his own powerhouse vocals.

All musicians were clad in colorful, traditional Mexican band attire, but those were overshadowed at times by the smiles on each performer’s face. Obviously, they were having as much fun as the crowd, and that kind of fun can be contagious! And those on the lights and sound systems did their jobs well, showcasing the talent on every corner of the massive Grand Theater stage.

Follow all the Choctaw Casino’s entertainment through this link— and respond quickly if interested in a concert because many are selling out quickly, or by keeping up with it here in the Live Music Calendar.

Photos and short review by Mary Jane Farmer — Click on the link below to view more photos

To use Choctaw Casinos’ own slogan, “Welcome To The Wow!” That’s what the Charlie Wilson show brought to the Grand Theater Friday night (Dec. 16, 2016). … Wow! … Bigtime Wow! … Las Vegas style Wow!

Multi-award winner R&B artist Charlie Wilson is actually an Okie by birth, having been born and raised in Tulsa. And it was a combination of Okies and Texans who packed the Grand Theater inside Choctaw Casinos’ Durant facility. And from the first until the last song had resonated across the huge theater-style concert hall, Wilson and his huge band (With all due respect to Lyle Lovett, Wilson’s band is really huge!) kept that crowd on its feet and singing along with all his songs.

The four front-line musicians (guitar, sax, bass and that other one) were a part of the concert, as were the foursome females who donned new costumes before each of their dances and songs.

And then, occasionally, Wilson would go almost acapella, if that’s even possible, on a song, and then, while he changed outfits, those front-line musicians kept the crowd completely entertained.

Click on ChoctawCasinos.com or here on Scene In Town’s Live Music Calendar to keep up with the live music at this and all the Choctaw venues.

Click here for more photos

Photos and very short story by Mary Jane Farmer. For more photos, click on the link below.

He came, he played, he conquered. That about sums up Aaron Watson and his band’s first gig in the Grand Theater, Choctaw Casino, Friday (Dec. 9). It was the first time that a Texas/Red Dirt Band has played in the Grand Theater, which hosts a myriad of musicians of all ages and genres. It won’t be the last.

For this concert, Choctaw producers left the floor in front of the stage empty of its normal seating arrangements, allowing for moshing and close-up views of the band. Aaron, and the guys in the band, interacted quite often with those ‘moshers,’ have had so many friends and fans at this show.

Watch the Live Music Calendar here or go onto ChoctawCasinos.com

and follow links to find future concerts coming to the Grand Theater and other venues in the various Choctaw facilities.

Click here for more photos

Feature and photos by Mary Jane Farmer

Click on the link for more photos

Reba McEntire has to be one of the most gracious ladies in country music — following (or maybe even leading) the old-fashioned footsteps of other classics singers including her peers Tanya Tucker and Emmylou Harris, people who were raised with country values such as kindness, hard work, and honesty. Reba exhibited these plus her own unique sense of humor and incredible music style when she and her 8-piece band took the Grand Theater stage at Choctaw Casino in Durant, Nov.26.

Gracious to the nth-degree, Reba (and it’s just almost impossible to call her by her last name, which would be in better keeping with good journalism.) Reba introduced her mother Jackie, her brother Pake, and her sister Alice, all of whom were in the audience. Sister Susie didn’t make this concert, but had accompanied Reba to a major event in her honor in Denison several weeks before, where the two of them later joined the Thursday night musicians at Loose Wheels Texas for a few songs.

Gilley’s staff, aka Gilley Girls, threw t-shirts out into the sold-out audience before the Reba concert.

Once, Reba commented to a reporter that when she goes to hear her favorite musicians in concerts, she likes to hear their classic hits along with the newer songs they have out. That’s exactly what Reba gave her audience – a good listen to her many, many hits sprinkled with a few destined to also become classics.

The next show in the Grand Theater will be on Dec.9 when regional favorite Aaron Watson takes the stage. Click on the Choctaw Casinos link above to go into that Website, then follow the links to get to the Grand Theater upcoming line-up along with finding how who is performing at Gilley’s and at the Parrot Bar.

Story and photos by Mary Jane Farmer

Kind, sweet, fun, respectful, entertaining, professional, gentleman, charismatic, more-than-just-a-musician, Chris Janson absolutely took the Grand Theater fans by the same passion he threw out there, Nov. 12. He did this with, of all things, only three musicians and very little, comparatively speaking with other Nashville music icons, distracting video behind him.

Janson, known mostly for his “Buy Me A Boat,” which went into the top on most country music charts last year, is also a prolific songwriter, accomplished harmonica player, will also be known now for his having penned “Holdin’ Her” about his wife, Kelly, also his co-manager.

Chris told stories along with singing his songs, and maybe the most famous of those stories is his love for Kelly. He’s very vocal about how marriage to her has changed him 100% for the better, talks about his two ”bonus” kids she brought to the marriage, and about the two they’ve had together. He also said, proudly, that he’s been eight years without a drink, a definite plus in his life and his career. The whole story is in the lyrics to “Holdin’ Her.” It’s real and it’s heartfelt.

Yeah, he writes and sings and performs a lot of today’s Nashville country, but he also cut loose with some very on-point Merle Haggard songs as well as a couple of other classic country. “Do you mind if I sing you a new song?” He played a couple he had just written, and that band was right on with him.

And speaking of eagles, Chris once had his back turned to the crowd when he started waving his arms, slowly and rather tenderly. He turned, talked to the crowd and soon had them flapping their arms, Eagle style. Now, isn’t this fun?, he asked them, and the crowd kept soaring through the song.

Janson called a bevy of kiddos to the stage toward the end of this concert, and had them singing along. Great fun!

The band — a lead guitarist, bassist, and drummer — provided solid and complementary music background to his lyric, voice, and style.

Photos, click here

Chris Janson will be part of the 10-Man Jam at Billy Bob’s Texas on Sunday, Dec. 4, starting around 4 p.m. Joining him will be Granger Smith, Joe Nichols, Casey Donahew, Jon Pardi, and others.

Keep an eye on the Live Music Calendar here on SceneInTown.com and/or also on ChoctawCasinos.com for upcoming concerts at the Grand Theater and Gilley’s at the Durant facility and for live music at all the other Choctaw Casino locations.