Layton's Kenley amphitheater plans summer of music

A Broadway musical, 1960s music stars and comedy from the Smothers Brothers highlight the 2005 summer-concert roster at the Kenley Centennial Amphitheater in Layton.

The 11-concert season includes a couple of returning acts, plus some that are making their Davis County debut.

Audience response is taken seriously when it comes to planning the summer season, said Charlene Nelson, who books the acts for the amphitheater. "People don't hesitate to give us feedback," Nelson said. "We listen, and we take requests."

Lucky for her, the response she gets is overwhelmingly positive. "Ninety-nine per cent of the time people will say, 'This was a great concert.' "

There are a few complaints, she added, but those mostly deal with noise level. "Sometimes people say it's too loud, because you sit so close to the stage. But usually people love what we do."

Nelson, who besides doing the booking is also the executive director of the Davis Arts Council, said the new season will have something for everyone. "We're doing different things and a lot of favorite stuff. I think it represents a cross-section of our community."

Dominating the season are groups that have been around for the past 30 years or more, including the Temptations, the Charlie Daniels Band and the Lovin' Spoonful. "These old groups still have an audience," Nelson said. "People still love to come out and see them."

But there are also quite a few young people who come to hear them as well. "What's fun, too, is that there is a whole generation of teenagers who like these groups."

The season also includes appearances by the bluegrass band Gypsy Soul, which opens the summer series on June 10; guitar and blues legend Bo Diddley; crossover violinist and Grammy Award-winner Charlie Bisharat, who has performed with Kurt Bestor; Three Dog Night's Chuck Negron; and a return visit by the Smothers Brothers.

Two local groups are also featured: Mid-Life Crisis, singing chart-topping songs from the '60s and '70s, and Utah County's own bluegrass band Gift Horse, which closes out the season on Sept. 17.

"Annie," this summer's Broadway offering, will feature local community-theater regulars. "We have a few people auditioning from Weber County and Salt Lake, but most of the people are from Davis County," Nelson said.

She added that the arts council decided on "Annie" since it hadn't been done locally for a number of years. "It seems like everyone does 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,' but no one puts on 'Annie.' And it's really a great show with some great music."

---

If you go

What: Kenley concert season

Where: Kenley Centennial Amphitheater, 403 N. Wasatch Dr., Layton

When: 8 p.m.

How much: $8-$55 (season passes also available)

Phone: 546-857

Web: www.davisarts.org

Schedule

June 10: Gypsy Soul

June 17: Bo Diddley

June 20: Charlie Bisharat

June 24: The Temptations

June 28: The Charlie Daniels Band

July 9: Chuck Negron

July 15: The Lovin' Spoonful

Aug. 5, 6, and 8-13: "Annie"

Aug. 15: Mid-Life Crisis

Aug. 20: The Smothers Brothers

Sept. 17: Gift Horse

---

E-MAIL: ereichel@desnews.com