aient Talent in Action -4 V TOP CONCERT " o- ' GROSSES THE KINKS evening with a brief and commend- Gross Attendance TOMMY SHAW able performance. Shaw mixed a ARTIST(S) Venue Date(s) Ticket Price(s) Capacity Promoter Madison Square Garden few Styx standards with material PRINCE Reunion Arena Dec. 30-Jan. 1 $884,921 53,274 Rainbow Over America New York from his new album, which ranged SHEILA E. Dallas $17.50/$15.50 (54,828) Tickets: $17.50 from rock ballads to borderline met- three shows al, all of it highlighted by the irre- NEIL DIAMOND Market Square Arena Dec. 20 -21 $591,573 35,732 Concerts West NOW IN THEIR 21st year, the sistible hook of his current A &M hit Indianapolis $17/$15 two sellouts Kinks held up like storm troopers "Girl With A Gun." An excellent KENNY ROGERS The Forum Dec. 31 $575,240 16,279 North American Tours sellout Inc./Avalon Attractions WNEW -FM's guitarist, strong vocalist and all- DOLLY PARTON Inglewood, Calif. $50/$30 under "Rock'n'Roll KARAMAZOV BROTHERS Warriors" banner while headlining around appealing performer, Shaw the station's annual Christmas ben- appears to have crossed the Styx NEIL DIAMOND Houston Summit Dec. 10 -11 $514,871 32,769 Concerts West $17/$15 two sellouts efit concert here Dec. 21. Previously river to the frontman shores with live ease. KIM FREEMAN GRATEFUL DEAD San Francisco Civic Center Dec. 28 -29, 31 $467,500 25,500 Bill Graham Presents known as sloppy performers, $25/$15 three sellouts the group has both cleaned up its act musically and retained the spon- PRINCE Rupp Arena Dec. 15 1383,134 22,347 Sunshine Promotions/ SHEILA E. Lexington, Ky. $11.50/$15.50 sellout Rainbow Over America taneity of a fledging, but free- spirit- SHADOWFAX ed, bar band. Lone Star Cafe, New York OAK RIDGE BOYS Holiday Star Theater Dec. 29 -31 $362,619 18,648 In -House MARK GREY Merrillville, Ind. (19,944) Ray Davies, the group's lead Tickets: $10 $23.95/$16.95 singer, songwriter and rhythm gui- NEIL DIAMOND Baton Rouge Centroplex Dec. 13 -14 $356,057 21,742 Concerts West $17/$15 two sellouts tarist, has a footloose stage appeal FOR A GROUP that at once sounds while delivering his enigmatic rep- like it's from a jungle not far from HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS Oakland (Calif.) Coliseum Dec. 31 $289,945 11,927 Bill Graham Presents TOWER OF POWER $25/$20 sellout ertoire. From the dark whimsy of Bombay and a remote knoll in the LOS LOBOS "Lola" to the joyous pop pulse of Scottish highlands, Shadowfax is a EDDIE & THE TIDE "Come Dancing," Davies' ability to truly satisfying rock band. BARRY MANILOW Reunion Arena Dec. 12 $278,870 16,148 Beaver Prods. mix sympathetic wit with insightful Assembled sardine -fashion on the Dallas $17.50/$15 sellout social commentary remains the sta- Lone Star's smallish stage, the six KENNY ROGERS San Diego Sports Arena Jan. 4 $276,492 14,681 North American Tours Inc. ple of any Kinks performance. members delivered a set that kept DOLLY PARTON $19.50/$17.50 sellout Davies' material has often taken the crowd pushed up around the SAWYER BROWN the form of an aural mindscape, and stage with smiles on. Ambient per- KENNY ROGERS Oakland (Calif.) Coliseum Dec. 28 $274,663 14,457 North American Tours Inc. noises grew into open- DOLLY PARTON $19.50/$17.50 sellout tracks from the Kinks' latest Arista cussive the KARAMAZOV BROTHERS album, "Word Of Mouth," made ing tune, "Shadowdance." Wood- introspective ap- wind player Chuck Greenberg led NEIL DIAMOND Freedom Hall Dec. 19 $270,475 19,166 Concerts West further use of this Louisville $17/$15 sellout proach to good effect. Glossy and the way on lyricon, neatly doubled melodic, tunes like "Missing Per- with violin by newest member Steve KENNY ROGERS Cow Palace Dec. 29 $269,804 14,368 North American Tours Inc. DOLLY PARTON San Francisco $19.50/$17.50 sellout sons" and "Return To Waterloo" re- Kindler. A melodic piece, "Shadow - KARAMAZOV BROTHERS flected Davies' fascination with out- dance" in concert had twice the NIGHT RANGER Cow Palace Dec. 31 $234,340 11,717 Bill Graham Presents ward calm and inner calamity with- punch of the recorded version. With Y & T San Francisco $20 (12,500) out crossing the borders of arty artfully spaced snare "thwacks" MICHAEL FURLONG rock into the avant -garde. commanding the crowd's attention, HUEY LEWIS & THE. NEWS The Forum Dec. 28 $232,825 15,662 Avalon Attractions And if Davies' material and per- Stuart Nevitt inspired rhythmic TOWER OF POWER Inglewood, Calif. $15/$13.50 sellout formance served as food for communication between the group's LOS LOBOS thought to any intellectuals pre- members that seemed to intensify TONY ORLANDO Fox Theater Dec. 27 -Jan. 2 $229,205 30,626 Ray Shepardson sent, younger brother Dave sated as the show progressed. DELLA REESE St. Louis $17.90/04.90 (31,096) Presents the crowd's appetite for rough- "Watercourse Way" slowed the HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS Oakland (Calif.) Coliseum Dec. 30 $228,760 13,372 Bill Graham Presents a high- TOWER OF POWER $11.50/$15 sellout hewn rock'n'roll with a series of pace a bit and turned into LOS LOBOS piercing lead guitar riffs. Dave's light of the evening. This piece seems to have been composed with RATT Long Beach (Calif.) Arena Dec. 31 $201,295 13,538 Avalon Attractions work provided a tenacious rock LITA FORD $15/$13.50 sellout edge to Ray's milder, and mostly the idea that instruments should acoustic, guitar contributions. share parts, and share they did, REO SPEEDWAGON Market Square Arena Dec. 31 $189,200 16,542 Sunshine Promotions SURVIVOR Indianapolis $12.50 (18,154) In a tribute to the Kinks' past, trading back and forth with the mel- ody and rhythm between G.E. Stin- NEIL DIAMOND Oral Roberts Univ. Dec. 17 $185,889 11,519 Concerts West present and future, the young Tulsa $17/$15 sellout crowd received 1964's "You Really son's guitar, Greenberg's lyricon, Me" and 1984's On A Phil Maggini's bass and Dave Lew- RONNIE JAMES DIO Veterans' Memorial Coliseum Dec. 27 $178,426 13,919 Evening Star Prods. Got "Living DOKKEN Phoenix (15,800) Thin Line" with equal enthusiasm is' impressive keyboard setup. 513/112.50 IRON MAIDEN Joe Louis Arena Jan. 4 12,859 Brass Ring Prods. and reverence. As for many The night continued with Shadow - $173,596 the TWISTED SISTER Detroit $13.50 (15,900) Kinks classics written between fax displaying plenty of versatility those years, Ray Davies treated with the dark and moody "Vajra," RODNEY DANGERFIELD Front Row Theater Dec. 7 -8 $173,046 11,350 In -House each as if he'd written them that the romantically sad "1000 Tear- Cleveland $15.75 (12,700) morning. Responding to the crowd's drops," the ultra- dramatic "The Big HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS San Diego Sports Arena Dec. 18 $161,700 11,347 Southland Concerts TOWER OF POWER $14.50/$12.50 (14,643) loyalty, the five -piece band came Song" and the beautifully composed DR. GONZO back for three encores, bringing the "Snowline." Most of the set was up- AEROSMITH Providence (R.I.) Civic Center Dec. 27 $153,151 13,028 Frank J. Russo party to a neat two hours in length beat, high- energy and well- commu- DAVID JOHANSEN $12.50/$11.50 sellout and leaving the crazed warriors in nicated. The audience, ranging in BARRY MANILOW Kansas Coliseum Jan. 5 $142,812 9,715 Beaver Prods. perfect spirits for the holidays. age from "minimum drinking" to Wichita $15/$13.50 sellout Opening act and former Styx gui- just shy of the golden years, re- REO SPEEDWAGON Freedom Hall Dec. 28 $139,200 11,326 Sunshine Promotions tarist Tommy Shaw kicked off the mained enthusiastic and apprecia- SURVIVOR Louisville $12.50 (12,900) tive throughout. The energized fina- AEROSMITH Springfield (Mass.) Coliseum Jan. 6 $129,576 10,102 Cross Country Concerts le, "Brown Rice " / "Karmapa POISON DOLLIES $13.50/$12.50 sellout Chenno," paid homage to jazz great AEROSMITH New Haven (Conn.) Coliseum Dec. 29 $120,882 9,945 Cross Country Concerts Don Cherry and had the band really DAVID JOHANSEN $12.50 /$10.50 sellout cutting loose for the first time in the REO SPEEDWAGON Reunion Arena Jan. 6 $118,329 9,663 Beaver Prods. set, showing off a heavily jazz -influ- SURVIVOR Dallas $13.50 sellout enced alter ego. TRIUMPH Cincinnati Gardens Dec. 28 $100,712 8,057 .Sunshine Promotions Shadowfax has real presence live. MOLLY HATCHET $12.50 (9,186) They radiate enjoyment in what BARRY MANILOW The Civic Center Jan. 6 $99,973 6,059 Beaver Prods. they're doing, with members fre- Amarillo, Tex. $16.50 sellout quently beaming at each other and AEROSMITH Baltimore Civic Center Jan. 7 $97,486 7,962 First Class Promotions into the audience which, at this POISON DOLLIES $13.50/$12.50 (13,500) show, was rightfully held AEROSMITH The Orpheum Dec. 30 -31 $89,958 5,600 Don Law Co. captive. GRACE WHITNEY- KOLINS POISON DOLLIES Boston $17.50/$15.50 two sellouts RONNIE JAMES DIO Tucson Community Center Dec. 28 $89,950 7,196 Evening Star Prods. $12.50 (9,713) CHICK COREA OINGO BOINGO Universal Amphitheater Jan. 4 $86,997 6,218 In -House Blue Note, New York WHAT IS THIS? Universal City, Cali!. $15/$13.50 sellout Tickets: $17.50 REO SPEEDWAGON Tulsa Convention Center Arena Jan.