Tower Theatre hosts “American Pie” songwriter Don McLean

Published 5:30 am Tuesday, June 4, 2024

If you long for the days when rock ‘n’ roll was the dominant style of popular music in America — think the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s — the Tower Theatre will take you back there this weekend, at least for two nights.

One night features a tribute act to two great rock acts, and the next features the actual guy behind one of the truly ubiquitous songs of the past half-century.

On Saturday night, Dan Hare will bring to Bend his American Rock Legends show, which is split into two parts: Night Moves, a tribute to ‘70s and ‘80s hit-maker Bob Seger, and Centerfield, a tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival, who scored a slew of chart hits between 1969 and 1971. The show’s at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $56.

Then on Sunday night, the Tower will host singer and songwriter Don McLean, who in 1971 recorded and released “American Pie,” his marathon mega-hit song about the significant cultural changes of the 1960s and his generation’s resulting loss of innocence. Since then, it has become one of the more enduring songs of the era, and has been parodied by Weird Al Yankovic, covered by Madonna and selected for preservation by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

McLean has written a bunch of other songs, of course, and you can bet he’ll play them (and “American Pie”) Sunday night in Bend.

Don McLean: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, doors open 6:30 p.m., $61-$81, Tower Theatre, 835 NW Wall Street, Bend, towertheatre.org

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