By reading my show reviews, one might think that Branson hosts nothing but impersonators and tribute shows. While there are many, that is far from the truth. After all, we have been home to Andy Williams, Mel Tillis, and Mickey Gilley for twenty-plus years. Tonight, my wife and I enjoyed the incomparable talents of Mickey Gilley.
It’s not news that Mickey is recovering from a 2009 fall that severely injured his spine, so I was not surprised when he performed the majority of the show from a chair. I had to laugh at myself when I thought that it took a pretty good set of lungs to sing from a sitting position… then I remembered that Gilley has performed sitting at the piano for his entire life. Though he still has not recovered the use of his hands enough to play the piano, his voice is unhindered by age or injury. It is as strong and clear as it was when he was at the height of his popularity in the 1980s. During the show, he danced two numbers with his back up singers, the Urbanettes. He is on the mend.
While sitting in a tribute show is a wonderful journey down memory lane, sitting a few feet from the real thing is in itself a memory. Sitting in Gilley’s show creates a memory to be cherished. While many nationally-known performers in Branson keep a distance between themselves and their audience, erecting an invisible fourth wall (to steal a television phrase), Gilley knocks down the barriers. He constantly attributes his success to his fans, as when he calls his many hits, “the number one hits you gave me.” After the show, Gilley drove his car up to a church bus full of fans as it left the parking lot, stopped it, got out of his car, and climbed aboard the bus to thank the fans for coming to his show. Then, as is his habit, Gilley drove next door to Gilley’s Texas Cafe and signed autographs.
While many performers put on great shows, Gilley’s is more than just a show. Sitting in Gilley’s theater is like sitting in his living room, chatting with an old friend. He relays stories of how he got his start in the business. He tells tales of growing up with his two famous cousins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart. He talks about how his first record flopped, yet 50 years later earned him over $50,000 when Yoplait used it in a TV ad in Ireland. He tells how he became “an overnight success” in his late thirties after struggling for nearly 20 years. Yet, somehow, during all his sharing, he manages to perform every one of his 17 number one hits, a couple of songs by his buddy Johnny Lee, show us a couple clips from TV appearances in the 80s, and sing us a couple of his favorite tunes that did not make it to the top spot on the chart.
Gilley is an every-man, longing to play golf again, truly enjoying his fans, and working hard to once again do what he does best, sit at the piano, playing and singing. He moves his hands when he sings, playing the piano in his mind, fingering the chords. Even without the piano, though, an afternoon at Gilley’s is a true joy.
2012 Branson Passport Rating for the Mickey Gilley Show (out of 5):
Family Friendly – 5
Entertaining – 5
Musical Abilities – 5 (rating the band and back up singers in this case)
Vocal Abilities – 5
Professionalism – 5
Total Score – 5
Gilley performs four shows per week at the Mickey Gilley Theater . For a complete schedule, go to http://www.gilleys.com/theatre/showtimes.cfm