Concerts

The popularity and success of the Monday concerts in 1960, led Mr. Terrell to realized the tastes of his audience were changing. He began, over the next couple years, to experiment by presenting different genres. The first was Folk, which was very popular in the 1960s. The first to be booked at the Music Circus was the American Folk Song Festival on Monday, August 21, 1961

But Mr. Terrell did not stop at Jazz bands and Folk singers; he booked artists like Lena Horne, and Showmen, like Liberace. In 1962 and up to 1970, the range of acts broadened to include more Folk, Rock, and Contemporary groups such as "The Supremes," "Chicago Transit Authority," "Gladys Knight and the Pips," "Simon and Garfunkel," and "Jefferson Airplane," and Comedians like Woody Allen.

Mr. Terrell realized his audiences were eager to see more of their favorite musicians, singers, and comedians in person, on stage. To accommodate, he expanded the concert scheduling to Sunday afternoons too, usually at four o'clock. He booked the Comedian, Jackie Mason to perform on Sunday, June 24, 1962. Eventually he would also book more Folk Groups, Rock Groups, Contemporary/Pop Singers, and other Comedians.

In the mid-to-late sixties, the Circus relied less and less on Musicals and Plays and more and more on concert performers to fill its summer schedule until finally in 1970, The Music Circus' last season, only concerts were presented.

It might be of interest to some to see what sort of pay some of these acts garnered in a 2200 seat arena theater. Here is a typed schedule of the pay negotiated for some of the performers in 1969 courtesy of Ken Scheetz.