Picnic with the Pops pays tribute to two music legends

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Some personalities are just larger than life.

This summer, Picnic with the Pops patrons will have the opportunity to live the experience of two legendary performers when the Columbus Symphony Orchestra pays tribute to Prince and Elton John.

The concert series hosts A Symphonic Tribute to the Music of Prince June 17 and Remember When Rock Was Young, featuring Craig A. Meyers as “Almost Elton John,” July 8.

Both concerts pair classic songs by each artist with the backing of the orchestra. Fans can expect to hear hits from “Purple Rain” and “Raspberry Beret” to “Bennie and the Jets” and “Crocodile Rock.”

“You don’t realize it until you’re hearing it,” says Rich Corsi, vice president of programming for CAPA, which handles operations for the orchestra. “People will come out and they will start realizing, ‘Oh, I know that song.”

Just over a year after Prince passed away, the tribute will gain an extra layer of realism by featuring former members of his band, the New Power Generation.

“Being on stage with people who actually were on stage with Prince just brings a little bit more of his essence to the show,” says vocalist Mackenzie Green, who will front the Prince tribute concert.

Prince’s recorded output dates back to the 1970s, and Green, a lifelong fan of the Purple One, says fans continue to connect to the music today.

“What people love about Prince’s music is that it was very candid, it was very honest,” he says. “We can relate. We can see ourselves in his music.”

Though he has a voice and style similar to those of Prince, Green’s performance at the show later this month won’t find him attempting to pull off costumes or imitations of the artist. Myers’ Elton John will be a different story.

“He’s dead on,” Corsi says. “You’re watching him and, as you get in a couple songs, you’re thinking, ‘That’s a young Elton John.’”

Attendees can expect Myers to match Elton John from his looks to his stage presence. The only difference will be the symphony backing the music.

The symphony adds an extra element, bringing hits by both artists to what Corsi calls a new level.

“It’s the same songs, it’s the same music, but it’s a different product because you have this incredibly talented orchestra behind the band and the music,” he says.

The larger ensemble of musicians allows the performers to bring out elements of the recordings that a conventional band can’t bring out on its own. Green says the symphony proves especially helpful with the heavily produced music of Prince.

“Having a full orchestra at your disposal to play all the little things that (Prince) put in the track really makes his music come alive in a way that I had never experienced before,” he says. “It’s been incredible to experience that way.”

Both shows will start at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.columbussymphony.com starting at $25 for adults and $10 for children.

Cameron Carr is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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