Tahoe Onstage photos by Conrad Buedel
Northern Nevada’s outdoor concert season concludes where it began: TJ’s Corral at the Carson Valley Inn in Minden.
Classic Southern rock band 38 Special will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, the last day of summer. CVI’s fifth summer concert series opened on May 25 with rock and roll crooners The Righteous Brothers.
Typically, summertime concerts are booked in winter and springtime. But 38 Special was added to the CVI series on Aug. 1, unusually late for the entertainment industry.
“We’re not sure how we lucked out, but 38 Special just landed in our lap!” CVI spokesman Bill Henderson said when he announced the concert.
The band had a slew of radio hits in the 1980s, many that reached No. 1. It was formed in 1974 by Jacksonville, Florida, neighbors Don Barnes and Donnie Van Zant, the younger brother of Lynyrd Skynrd’s founding lead singer, Ronnie Van Zandt.
Barnes became the top gun on vocals when Donnie Van Zandt retired in 2013. He also is the only original member still with the group. The newest members are Danny Chauncey on guitar, Bobby Capps on keyboards, Gary Moffatt on drums and Barry Dunaway laying down the bass.
The band’s best known hits are “Hold On Loosely,” “Caught Up In You,” “Second Chance,” “Wild Eyed Southern Boys,” “If I’d Been the One,” “Back Where You Belong,” “Teacher Teacher, “Chain Lightnin’ ” and “Somebody Like You.”
This will be 38 Special’s second appearance in TJ’s Corral. In a review of the show in 2015, Tahoe Onstage wrote :“Don Barnes brings a genuine love of performing to the stage and it is contagious. … He keeps the music true and pure. The band members enjoy jamming with each other and engaging the fans. Barnes encouraged the enthusiastic crowd to sing along and many knew every word. A dance party broke out in front of the stage. It was a good night to reminisce about the wonderful memories associated with great music now three decades old.
“The sound was tight. Chauncey and Barnes traded guitar licks seamlessly. Moffatt wowed the fans with a stirring drum solo. Capps showed his versatility on keyboards and also played an inspiring solo. Dunaway was steady and solid with on bass guitar.”
Tickets are $49 and $59, and parking at CVI is reminiscent of the good-old days, too: It’s free.
The first show at TJ’s Corral was Collin Raye in 2013. In its five years, notable concerts were performed by Merle Haggard, Tanya Tucker, Kenny Logins, Marshall Tucker Band, Gary Allan, Eddie Money, Oak Ridge Boys, The Spinners and Travis Tritt.
— Tim Parsons
