15 upcoming winter shows in Iowa bring Don McLean, Maddie Poppe, Lewis Black, 'Rent' and 'Tootsie'
Though the bitter cold of winter is setting in, entertainment and events are still in full swing across the state. Listed here are a smattering of noteworthy Iowa events scheduled from now to the start of spring. Tickets for all shows are available via ticketsmarter.com.
More: From 'Hamilton' to Hinterland, here are 17 of the biggest Des Moines area events of 2022
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Date: Jan. 19
The 12-piece soul and blues band Tedeschi Trucks Band that's been performing for more than a decade brings songs such as "Everybody's Talkin' " and "They Don't Shine" to the Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St.
The show is scheduled for Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. with tickets starting at $29.50.
More: Guitar icon Derek Trucks talks self-producing new album
Maddie Poppe
Date: Jan. 21
Maddie Poppe became an Iowa sweetheart when she won season 16 of "American Idol" with her performances that include singing and playing the guitar, piano and ukulele.
Since her victory on "American Idol," Poppe released her album "Whirlwind" in 2019, the same year she played the Iowa State Fair. A year later she released her holiday EP "Christmas from Home."
Poppe also performed in Johnston Town Center for the opening of The Yard last year, appearing at several central Iowa venues since then.
The Clarksville-native folk singer performs at Bridge View Center Theater, 102 Church St., in Ottumwa on Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m. during the 50th annual Cornbelt Cow-Calf Conference according to the release announcing her appearance. Tickets for this upcoming event start at $16.50.
Winter Jam
Date: Jan. 22
Winter Jam brings an annual tour of Christian musicians with performers such as Skillet, Tauren Wells, KB, Colton Dixon and others on Jan. 22 to Des Moines' Wells Fargo Arena, 233 Center St.
Doors open for the show at 5 p.m. that day with tickets running $10 at the door.
'American Pie' 51st anniversary
Date: Feb. 3
It's been nearly 63 years Buddy Holly, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and Ritchie Valens died in a plane crash a few minutes after takeoff from Mason City — a moment alluded to as "the day the music died," a reference to Holly's death, in Don McLean's "American Pie" — and just over a half-century since McLean's landmark song was released. With that latter anniversary in mind, McLean gets back on the road, and his Iowa show at the Surfside Ballroom in Clear Lake already sold out.
A news release notes that his latest tour celebrates 51 years since "American Pie" snagged a No. 1 spot on the Billboard chart and, clocking in at more than eight minutes, was the song with the longest run time to hold that spot up until "All Too Well (Taylor's Version)" last year.
“After spending the past 18 months at home, I am thrilled to be getting back on the road with my band,” McLean said in the release. "... We will be performing all the songs from the 'American Pie' album plus many of the other hits that fans will be expecting to hear.”
McLean's show at the Surf Ballroom, 460 N. Shore Drive, takes place on Feb. 3 at 7 p.m., part of the Winter Dance Party, which takes its name from the tour Holly, Valens and Richardson played in 1959 and is now an annual tribute to the legacies of the three performers. Killer Vees and Friends play the Winter Dance Party on Feb. 4 followed by Los Lobos on Feb. 5.
Step Afrika!
Date: Feb. 5
Step Afrika! features a group of performers based out of Washington, D.C., who showcase a form of step dance, a percussive dance derived from traditional African dance, modernized by African-American college students in the early 1900s.
The troupe appears at the Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St., at 11 a.m. on Feb. 5 with tickets starting at $12.
More: Hancher Auditorium hosts Step Afrika online while preparing for way forward
'Tootsie'
Date: Feb. 8-13
A 2018 musical based on the 1982 comedy film of the same name, "Tootsie" follows Michael Dorsey, a struggling actor who is only able to successfully land a role when he adopts the female persona of Dorothy Michaels.
The show took home a pair of Tony Awards in 2019, including Best Book of a Musical.
Tickets for "Tootsie," which arrives at the Des Moines Civic Center — 221 Walnut St. — on Feb. 8, start at $40.
Lewis Black
Date: Feb. 10
Comedian Lewis Black brings his "Off The Rails" tour to Des Moines' Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., at 8 p.m. on Feb. 10. Black started his career as a stand-up comedian in the 1980s, becoming famous for his comedic rants, and went on to win two Grammy Awards for his material. His career also includes film and television appearances on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" and in Pixar's "Inside Out."
Tickets for the show are on sale now with prices ranging from $49.50-$69.50.
More: Lewis Black 'Off The Rails' coming to Hoyt Sherman Place in 2022
The Mavericks
Date: Feb. 18
The country band The Mavericks tours with its first Spanish-language album, "En Espa?ol," which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Latin Pop chart in September 2020. The tour makes a Feb. 18 stop at Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the show range from $50 to $70.
More: The Mavericks come to Hoyt Sherman Place on tour behind first Spanish-language album
Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival
Date: Feb. 26
The event that brands itself as world's top bacon festival returns when Blue Ribbon's annual bacon festival returns to Horizon Events Center, 2100 NW 100th St., in Clive on Feb. 26.
The theme will be "Bacon Gras: A Ragin' Cajun Bacon Celebration" and the event features bacon-infused iterations of Cajun-style dishes, local music acts, a silent disco and a bacon-eating contest.
Only 5,000 tickets are available for the 2022 event, starting at $50.
'The Magic Flute'
Date: March 5-6
The Des Moines Metro Opera performs "The Magic Flute," an adaptation of Mozart's two-act opera of the same name, with performances set against an animated backdrop.
"You're not watching a movie," Michael Egel, the general and artistic director of Des Moines Metro Opera, told the Des Moines Register in September. "This is a fully animated, technological marvel. It’s very forward-looking to me because it blends animation and technology with live performance.”
The show takes place at the Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St., on March 5 at 7:30 p.m. and March 6 at 2 p.m. Tickets for the show start at $25.
'Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous'
Date: March 10
As part of Des Moines Performing Arts' National Geographic Live series, Dr. Nizar Ibrahim will discuss his Spinosaurus discoveries during "Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous" at 7:30 p.m. on March 10 over the course of this 90-minute event.
Tickets for "Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous" at the Civic Center, 221 Walnut St., start at $15.
Little Feat: 'Waiting For Columbus' Tour
Date: March 8
The classic rock band Little Feat started in 1969 in Los Angeles and developed a repertoire that ranged from the countryfied trucker anthem "Willin'" to the New Orleans-inspired "Dixie Chicken," the heavy funk of "Spanish Moon" and the straight-ahead rock of "Oh Atlanta" — all part of the extensive "Waiting for Columbus" album tracklist.
Little Feat comes to Des Moines' Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., on March 8 as part of a tour marking 45 years since the shows captured on "Waiting for Columbus." In this latest tour, the band will perform the entire album just as it was recorded — live.
Tickets are on sale for $45-$95.
More: Little Feat bringing 'Waiting for Columbus' tour to Des Moines' Hoyt Sherman Place
'Rent: 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour'
Date: March 11-12
After 25 years of performances, Jonathan Larson's Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical "Rent" is doing one final reprise before the show steps out of the spotlight.
For those who have long loved the show or those who have been waiting 525,600 minutes or more to see a live performance, "Rent" will be at the Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St., for two days and three shows on March 11 and 12.
Late last year, "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda made his directorial debut with the film adaptation of Larson's other musical "Tick, Tick... Boom!" on Netflix.
Tickets for "Rent" start at $40.
Jurassic Quest
Date: March 11-13
Jurassic Quest will bring its Mesozoic menagerie — with more than 100 to-scale animatronic dinosaurs from Apatosaurus to Tyrannosaurus rex to a 50-foot-long Megalodon — to Hy-Vee Hall in the Iowa Events Center, 730 Third St., for three days March 11-13.
The program has a text line, 844-DINO-411, for those who want more fossil facts or want to ask more questions about dinosaurs. Tickets for the event start at $19.
More: Discover 4 of the fossils found in Iowa when Jurassic Quest journeys to Des Moines
Toto: 'Dogz of Oz' Tour
Date: March 17
Toto returns to Des Moines on March 17 with classic rock renditions of "Africa" and "Rosana." Its Dogz of Oz tour comes to Des Moines' Hoyt Sherman Place,1501 Woodland Ave.
This announcement comes as Toto's "Africa" has recently crossed the threshold of one billion streams vi Spotify. Over the course of its existence, the group has won three Grammys.
Toto previously played Des Moines, appearing during the Iowa State Fair with Yes, a progressive English rock band from roughly the same era of music as Toto, in 2015 when the two groups did a collaborative tour.
Tickets for the event go on sale on Jan. 14 at 10 a.m. starting at $59.
Isaac Hamlet covers arts, entertainment and culture at the Des Moines Register. Reach him at ihamlet@gannett.com or 319-600-2124, follow him on Twitter @IsaacHamlet.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: A look at 15 upcoming winter shows to watch in Des Moines in 2022
