Once again, the Bowlus Fine Arts Center proved its value Friday night as it played host to Liverpool Legends, a tribute show to The Beatles.
More than 500 attended the show that brought many to their feet and even out into the aisles and down in the orchestra pit as they danced to the music of yesterday.
The Bowlus is unparalleled in this neck of the woods in its ability to host anything so large in such a professional manner. The sound, lighting and stage remain top-notch. And the plush seating is always appreciated.
After a 15-year standing gig, Liverpool Legends no longer calls Branson home. The band last performed in Iola in 2015.
“They called us,’’ Daniel Kays, Bowlus director, said of Friday’s performance, which occurred outside of the Bowlus’s standard season.
That the band contacted Kays “is the only way we could afford them,” because it allowed the fine arts center to forego any scheduling fees.
In 2015, the group’s booking fee was $9,000. Today, they charge $20,000 to schedule a show.
The band set the cost of tickets, which at $40 apiece for downstairs and $30 for the balcony, were too steep for many, Kays said.
The band’s Branson show charged $90 a ticket.
“It was a risk on their part to come to Iola,” in terms of sales, Kays said.
“But they were very pleased. When all was said and done, we were able to cut them a check for $15,000,” Kays said.
The group and its entourage spent Friday night in Iola hotels, Kays said.
On Saturday, they were headed to perform on a cruise liner bound for Alaska.
The 2022-23 Bowlus season was a disappointment in terms of single ticket sales, Kays said, but reassuring in season ticket sales at a 75 percent renewal rate.
A side note: Season tickets are a bargain. For every four shows, one is free.
