“The Piano Men” is a musical celebration of the 1970s year by year, hit by hit, from the songs of Billy Joel and Elton John. Dove Award and Canadian Juno Award nominees and recording artist Jim Witter and his band lead an expertly crafted tour of an entire decade that begins with “Your Song” and winds along on a musical time machine, saluting two of the century’s most popular contemporary songwriters.
Utilizing rear-screen projection, the audience returns to the newspaper headlines, the automobiles, the people, the events, the toys and even the TV shows that shaped a decade.
Along the way, the sounds of “My Life,” “Candle in the Wind,” “Rocket Man,” “Just the Way You Are” and many more classic hits create an evening of music, fun, and nostalgia. With Witter at the grand piano and his musicians on keyboards, guitar, bass, flute, sax and drums, the music is not an attempt to “recreate” or “mimic” the long list of familiar hits. Instead, Witter unleashes his golden tenor on hit after hit to recreate fully-formed mental and emotional return visits to specific landmarks in a pop culture timeline.
Advance tickets for “The Piano Men” are $18 for adults, $8 for students. Day-of-show prices are $20 and $10 respectively. Tickets may be purchased on line at www.athensartscouncil.org or by phone at 423-745-8781, or at The Arts Center, 320 N. White St., Athens, Tennessee. The final performance in the Big Time/Small Town Performance Season is Franc D’Ambrosio’s Broadway on March 10.
