What did you expect? A dubstep after-party sponsored by Red Bull?
"A Prairie Home Companion" announced the details of its 39th annual season kickoff, and it's pretty much the same scenario as all the other recent years. The opening broadcast will take place at the Fitzgerald Theater on Sept. 15, and afterward Garrison Keillor & Co. will host the usual -- and popular -- free street dance and $5 meatloaf supper outside the theater from 7-10 p.m. Music at the after-party will once again be provided by Texas honky-tonk purists the Derailers (whose roots are actually in Oregon, but even most Texans have gotten over that).
After that, "APHC" has five more broadcasts scheduled at the Fitz: Sept. 22 and 29, and then Oct. 6, 13, and 20. Tickets go on sale Tuesday at noon through Ticketmaster or (to avoid fees) in person at the Fitzgerald box office for $48, $38 and $32. Guest performers for each show have not yet been announced.
For the Oct. 20 broadcast, the merry "Prairie" crew is going to host a vocal-duet contest and is asking for submissions through Sept. 21. Click here for details. The winner will likely get to sing with Keillor. If you can call that winning.
Seriously, though, what with ongoing rumors of Garrison retiring and last year's passing of the late, great cast member Tom Keith, let's not take this local institution for granted. Especially since it remains as funny as ever and provides a high-profile public-radio outlet to a lot of amazing Americana acts lost on the playlists of hipped-up stations such as 89.3 the Current.
