When I decided to launch the Palladium Cabaret Series I knew I wanted a big name to kick it off in style. In the cabaret world, it doesn’t get much bigger than Ann Hampton Callaway. A leading champion of the great American Songbook, she’s made her mark as a[…]
This year’s edition of Nate Najar’s Jazz Holiday features a line-up of local and international jazz stars and promises to be one of the best shows of the year at the Palladium. The show is Thursday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m. Nate starts with some of our favorite local[…]
I’m grateful to be included along with other St. Pete arts folks who shared wishes and hopes for our town in 2020 in the St. Pete Catalyst. You can connect with Catalyst and read my article and others by following this link. Thanks to Joe Hamilton and Bill[…]
WE’VE GONE CRAZY! That’s right, for one day only, YOU CAN SAVE BIG! We’re selling out to the walls! Everything must go!! The boss is away so we’re having a sale!!! We’re overstocked so you can save big!!! Pick any sales cliche you like but don’t miss out on[…]
For the last few years our pal Damon Fowler has been kicking off our Thanksgiving weekend with an all-star blues show on Wednesday. It’s on Wednesday because Wednesday is actually a Friday since Thursday is a holiday. Right? Anyway, it’s a great night to celebrate the start of[…]
Pianist Matthew Graybil appears in concert tonight (11-25 at 7:30 p.m.) at the Palladium. This is his return concert as part of The Chopin Project. In a review published this week by the Bradenton Herald, the reviewer praised Graybil as a “fine pianist” with ‘flashy finger work and operatic[…]
I’m so excited to again partner with The Chopin Project for a series of piano concerts by some of the finest artists in the world. The 2019-20 series kicks off next Monday, Nov. 25, with the return of a young artist who is already a favorite with Palladium audiences. […]
In case you haven’t heard, two rock icons are visiting the Palladium’s intimate Side Door Cabaret Wednesday night for an evening of acoustic songs and stories. Peter Asher, who rocketed to fame in the ’60s as half of Peter & Gordon, went on to be a Grammy-winning producer of[…]
After a sold-out visit last December, Jason Marsalis is returning to the Palladium Side Door on Thursday, Nov. 21st at 7:30 p.m. The drummer and vibes master will have his Vibes Quartet with him for this show and you can expect this outfit to be absolutely swinging. Veteran[…]
Our buddy Bill DeYoung, the music writer and author of books like Skyway and I Need To Know: The Lost Music Interviews, has penned a story about the long-strange history of the Mad Beach Band. These stars of the 1980s Beach and Buffett scene, are returning to the Side[…]
Mike Cornette, the big daddy of WUSF’s All Night Jazz at 89.7, is airing his interview with Jason Marsalis tonight (Thursday, 11-14) between 9 and 10. Tune in to hear Jason talk about the vibe quartet he’s bringing to the Palladium Side Door next Thursday (11-21) and more. Jason[…]
Consider yourself warned. if you are a fan of the Mad Beach Band, be sure and get your tickets for the band’s Saturday night reunion concert in the Side Door. Mad Beach sells out the Side Door every time they visit and this show will be no exception. Less[…]
After a sold-out visit last December, Jason Marsalis is returning to the Palladium Side Door on Thursday, Nov. 21st at 7:30 p.m. The drummer and vibe master will have his Vibe Quartet with him for this show and you can expect this outfit to be absolutely swinging. Veteran[…]
This summer my family and I visited the Franklin Roosevelt house in Hyde Park, N.Y. and one of the highlights was seeing video of Marian Anderson’s performance on the national mall. Eleanor Roosevelt was instrumental in organizing that concert after Anderson, a black soprano, was denied permission to perform in[…]
We are partnering with the Warehouse Arts District for a celebration of the work of Toni Morrison next Tuesday evening at 7. The free event is on Nov. 12 in Hough Hall and will feature readings from Morrison’s work and a documentary about the groundbreaking author who died[…]
I was thrilled that Tampa City Ballet chose the Palladium for its first foray across the bridge to St. Pete earlier this year. That show focused on historic Ybor City in the days when the cigar industry flourished. This Friday at 8 p.m., Paula Nunez is bringing her young[…]
The Funniest Man Alive is coming back to the Side Door this Saturday night (11-02) at 8 p.m. and this time, I’ll be in the audience to laugh along with everyone else. The last time G. David Howard played the Side Door I was on vacation and missed the[…]
The highlight of our Side Door Summer series was the debut performance by Gloria West and the Gents in July. Gloria leads a swinging, old-school jazz ensemble that makes people get out of their seat and dance. I’m excited to bring them back this Friday night at 8 p.m.[…]
You always knew when Dale Mackenzie Gross was in the building. He’d usually start in the Palladium box office to find out why we hadn’t sold all the tickets two weeks in advance for the trio of Scottish singers or Newfoundland step dancers or bluegrass pickers he was bringing[…]
While a lot of stand-up comedy today seems aimed at twenty-somethings, I know lots of people 40 and older who like to laugh – especially at themselves. We’ve got two stand-up comedy shows coming up aimed squarely at the demographic that didn’t leave the crib with a smart phone[…]
This week’s issue of Creative Pinellas’ Arts Coast Journal, the online arts magazine, has a story from veteran music writer Eric Snider about Little Jake Mitchell and Charles Steadham. They are appearing together this Saturday in the Side Door with Little Jake and the Soul Searchers. The Soul Searchers[…]
You can now ignore my earlier blog about how few tickets we had left for Thursday’s Miles Davis tribute by James Suggs. THE SHOW IS SOLD OUT!! I’m hoping you didn’t ignore my blog earlier and you got your tickets to this show. If so, I’ll see you there![…]
Little Jake Mitchell is returning to the Side Door after two sold-out shows that had our audiences singing, swaying and clapping along. He’s bringing back the Soul Searchers, a big band that now includes guitar, bass, two drummers, grand piano, Hammond B3, a full horn section and some surprise guests.[…]
St. Petersburg Opera, which has its performance home at the Palladium, kicks off its 2019-20 season with one of the most popular operettas in history – The Merry Widow. Kurt Loft, the music writer who provides notes for our Palladium Chamber Series and the Florida Orchestra, has done a[…]
To me, the best blues voice coming out of Tampa Bay belongs to Betty Fox. I’ve been a fan since I first caught a set at the Ringside Cafe maybe six or seven years ago. She’s sold-out the Side Door, she’s opened for major artists like Mavis Staples at the[…]
Friday night’s tag team piano show, featuring two blues and comic heavyweights – Barry Cuda and the Right Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, promises to shake the Palladium’s Side Door to its foundations. If there was any sanctity left in this old Christian Science Church if will flee in tears at[…]
For me and a lot of my pals, the best band to come out of our area in the ‘80s was The Silver King Band. A trio of talented characters – St. Petey Twig on barrelhouse piano, Flo Mingo on washboard, and Rock Bottom on harmonica. They were an R&B[…]
Two upcoming Palladium shows made the “Top Picks for the Weekend” list in the Tampa Bay Times Weekend section. Crossing The Bay, the musical history of the early days of Tampa and St. Pete, from the same creative team that gave us Webb’s City: The Musical, is on our[…]
Following up last year’s successful revival of Webb’s City: The Musical, we’re bringing back another historic musical by the same creative team. Crossing The Bay, with book by Bill Leavengood and music and lyrics by Lee Ahlin, will take the stage this Friday through Sunday. Crossing The Bay is[…]
Yesterday when I warned procrastinators to hurry and get tickets for Selwyn Birchwood’s Side Door show tonight a lot of you must have listened. We had 30 tickets left for Selwyn’s show on Thursday morning. By this morning they were all gone. If you missed this one, stay tuned.[…]
This is a note to all procrastinators out there – a group to which I belong – there are less than 30 tickets left for the Selwyn Birchwood show in the Side Door this Friday night. Don’t wait any longer. This show WILL be sold out by the time[…]
There’s a lot of excitement around tonight’s show with Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge at the Palladium. They are fronting The Midnight Hour ensemble. Creative Pinellas writer Eric Snider did a preview of the show for CL’s Arts Coast Journal and you can read it below or follow[…]
Every time I try to take a vacation, the Palladium calendar is full of exciting shows I don’t want to miss. So please, while PalladiumPaul is away, don’t be a stranger. Check out one or more of these shows and enjoy them for me! Friday, Aug. 30, 8[…]
We’ve got some hip-hop giants coming to Hough Hall on September 11 at 8 p.m. I’m a fan of the Luke Cage series – in particular the soundtrack and the live performances that mark every show – and this pair did the soundtracks for both seasons. If you[…]
Here at the Palladium, where jazz is part of our musical DNA, we’ve had a long and successful relationship with the Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association. Sunday’s concert, featuring two of our favorite singers, Synia Carroll and Theo Valentin, is a perfect example. Working with the Downing organization,[…]
Both Tampa Bay Times and Creative Loafing are recommending tonight’s program by Elizabeth A. Baker, Intersect, which premiers in the Side Door at 7:30. Baker will be joined by local pianist John O’Leary, Tampa Bay native turned Oakland-based composer/improvisor Nathan Corder, Oakland-based saxophonist Tom Weeks, and Toronto-based saxophonist Robert[…]
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock festival we’re bringing back a band our audience raved about last year – Peace of Woodstock. The band recreates the feeling of being at the festival, covering some of the best performances by multiple bands. Despite some threats to do[…]
What is iberian jazz? Singer Ona Kirei, who is making her Palladium debut tonight, is happy to tell you. She does it beautifully on a video she’s posted to her Facebook page. I loved it. Check it out at this link or just visit Ona’s Facebook page. Here’s[…]
Friday night in the Side Door one of my favorite shows is making a comeback. The great trio La Lucha returns with a night of ’80s hits revised and jazzified. Last time they did an “80s Jazz Party” singer was Whitney James. This time, they are bringing another Palladium favorite,[…]
Thanks to Creative Pinellas and my former St. Pete Times colleague Eric Snider for a great profile of our Saturday night soul man – Latimore. Latimore and his band from Chicago are the headliners of a big Soul Celebration this Saturday at the Palladium. The St. Pete Florida Blues[…]
We’re excited to welcome Bob Burr and Steve Marshall for a night of magic and comedy this Friday in the Side Door. The comic/magicians have told me the show will be very family friendly. If it got a rating, it would be PG. National headlining comic Marshall and[…]
Tickets are almost gone for Saturday night’s Bossa Nova Guitars show featuring Nate Najar and Phill Fest in the Side Door. It’s a chance to hear two of the best acoustic guitarists in jazz on the same stage. Phill is the son of renowned Brazilian pianist Manfredo Fest. […]
Our pal, Jerry Notaro, posted his review of our Joni Hearts Nick show by the Florida Bjorkestra to the Joni Mitchell website – Jonimitchell.com. Jerry knows music as well as anyone in bay area, and he was impressed with the Bjorkestra’s take on both Joni and Nick. His review[…]
One of the joys of being part of the Palladium was getting to spend lots of time with two of our founders – Bill and Hazel Hough. I am saddened to write that Hazel has left us. I can’t believe I won’t be seeing her in her favorite seat,[…]
Here’s another preview of Saturday’s Joni Hearts Nick (The music of Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake) show by The Florida Bjorkestra. This one comes from the on-line magazine St. Pete Catalyst, which has become a go-to spot for local arts coverage. Tickets are going fast for this special evening[…]
Thanks to Creative Pinellas for featuring our upcoming Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake show by The Florida Bjorkestra in the current edition of its on-line magazine. The show is Saturday night, Aug. 3, at 8 p.m. in the intimate Side Door Cabaret and features a 12-piece version of the[…]
The Palladium was the backdrop for a clean energy event focused on electric vehicles on Monday that included Mayor Rick Kriseman and Congressman Charlie Crist. Here’s a Tampa Bay Times story about the event. Note the great photo of our theater!! To read the full story follow this link[…]
Two great comedy shows are about to hit our Side Door stage, ushering in the first of several big yuks in our Summer House series. Both shows feature the return of a very VERY funny lady – Aniria Turney. This Saturday, 7/27, Ward Smith & Friends brings Aniria, the[…]
Summer is such a fun season at the Palladium. I get to bring lots of great bands into the Side Door – where the A/C is always set on “stun” – and our audiences get to discover new favorites they may not have heard before. We’re calling the season[…]
I caught Ella Jet and Future Soul at the Gasparilla Arts Festival main stage this past March and knew I had to have them on our Summer House concert series. Ella’s been a musical force since she was 12 years old, and I’m thrilled we are finally getting this[…]
