Bob Dylan, Kevin Hart? Whoa. Fayetteville’s Crown Complex on a roll with big-name shows

I enjoy live music. I enjoy it when Fayetteville can attract big-time artists.

So I am mildly annoyed at myself for managing to somehow miss some of the biggest past shows at the Crown Complex. 

With weather warming, the venues of the complex, whose centerpiece is the Crown Coliseum, appear to be readying for a big spring with a strong, diverse lineup of big names, including in March and April, Bob Dylan, comedians Kevin Hart and Wanda Sykes and rocker John Mellencamp.

The Crown has had big shows before, if a little more spread out.

When Elton John sold out the coliseum, a rare happening, in 2015, I was not there. He nearly sold out the Crown in 2000, too. Where was I? I don’t remember what I was doing. My brother saw the first show and said it was among the best he’d seen. My wife and one of her best friends, Allison, saw the second show.

I was similarly not in attendance for J. Cole in 2015 and missed not only Cole but surprise guest appearances from his buddies, JAY-Z  and Drake, who were about as big a names as you can get in hip-hop. Some co-workers went and had the time of their lives.

As recently as last year, I made tentative plans but somehow didn’t go to Gladys Knight or Boyz II Men — R&B and soul greats who performed at the Crown Theatre. Hey, by the way, who went to Gladys Knight? Did she do, “Save the Overtime for Me?” What a song.

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Another chance

That is not to say I have not seen big shows in the 'Ville. I saw Def Leppard, '80s pop icons, perform at a Walmart in Hope Mills. Yeah, that happened.

I saw Hootie & the Blowfish, the multimillion-selling college rock band headed by Darius Rucker, now a country star, near the Market House on a crowded Green Street for the 2006 Dogwood Festival. It still holds the record for the most unalike two venues I have seen the same band. The other time was when I covered them for a previous publication in a balmy evening show in a Vermont field, where I am not kidding, I sincerely believe Rucker and myself were the only Black guys in the place. But it was a great time.

Of course, when children came along, shows, movies — at least when it comes to non-kid movies — and such get thinner. What becomes a “justified expense”  changes significantly. When I was single, a married friend of mine told me such would happen and I did not believe her at the time. 

 But the Crown Complex is giving me another chance to catch some big shows, as it appears to be on a roll.

This streak is no accident, if you let Seth Benalt, general manager of the Crown, tell it. He said he does his best to build relationships with tour promoters and artists’ agents, but then it is out of his hands. Community response is the key, he said.

“It’s really exciting that we’re getting to do these top-tier shows,” he said. “We’re getting these shows now because last year, when we had shows with some of these promoters and agents in the market, they performed well. And the market showed up; we did really good attendance numbers, and the audiences were happy.

“So they go back and they talk amongst their agency, and the agents talk among themselves. And so it’s great that we have these shows, but the community has to support them.” 

Not just singers but entertainers

When news of Dylan’s appearance began making the rounds recently, it caught my attention. The singer, troubadour, American icon and Nobel Prize winner is scheduled to bring his Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour to the Crown Theatre on March 18. Tickets are not a “cheap date” in Fayetteville terms, starting at $77.50. But the show is also not priced out for a star of his stature. 

The Crown Complex continues its notable streak of solid soul shows with an Old School Concert on March 30, featuring the O’Jays, with tributes to Eddie Levert and Walter Williams, and with special guest Johnny Gill, scheduled for the Crown Coliseum.

The Crown’s long-standing connection to top-tier gospel acts continues as well, with a scheduled show on March 6 by CeCe Winans, who hails from gospel’s first family and is the best-selling gospel artist of all time.

The thing about most of these artists who are a bit long in the tooth is that, while their huge hit-making days are behind them, their shows tend to be very fun because these old heads understand that they are not just singers but entertainers. It’s a lesson a lot of the young artists could stand to learn, to be honest.

I say to this day that the late Eddie Money’s two-hour show in Festival Park in 2015 is one of the best shows I’ve seen, and the “Take Me Home Tonight” singer had that enthusiastic crowd in the palm of his hands.

John Mellencamp bringing his American songbook

Speaking of entertainment on top of music, consider how the Minneapolis Star Tribune describes John Mellencamp’s Live and In Person Tour, scheduled to stop at the Crown Theatre (“One Night Only!” we are reminded) on April 17: “His two-hour effort — part concert, part theater, part stand-up comedy, part social commentary, part self-help lecture and part confessional — added up to a solid evening of entertainment by a beloved '80s and '90s rock hero.”

Whether you think of him more as John Cougar or John Mellencamp (call him the latter by the way; he reclaimed his given name years ago) it’s easy to see why he resides in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with songs that are equal slices of Americana and loss: “Pink Houses,” “Cherry Bomb,” “Jack & Diane” and such.

Here come the comedians, some with multiple dates

Now when it comes to comedy, I did catch a big name, Jerry Seinfeld, when, after his hit TV show ended, he did a stand-up tour at smaller venues and appeared at the Crown Theatre. He apparently had such a good experience, he came back for another show in 2005. That speaks well of the venue and the folks here.

We have some other big-time comics to welcome, including actor and comedian Kevin Hart, who sold out his first date on April 6 at the Crown, prompting the venue to add a second night on April 7. 

Hart is on the top tier of comics, with an estimated worth of $450 million; he is the face of advertising everything from his own tequila brand, as well as recent Super Bowl ads for gambling site DraftKings.

He is also funny and promising “brand new material” in Fayetteville. My advice is not to wait any longer if you plan on going; tickets start at $69.50 for the remaining show.

Even before we get to Hart’s show, there is Wanda Sykes, whose comedic takes are acerbic, spot-on and yes, even educational. The Emmy-winning comic and actress is scheduled to bring her Please & Thank You tour to the theater on March 17.

Also on the docket: Leanne Morgan, star of the Netflix special “I’m Every Woman” and whose tour has sold out more than 100 venues across the country. The up-and-comer’s “Just Getting Started” tour has scheduled dates for April 25 and April 26 at the theater. 

‘Old head’ going out with a bang

Benalt, the Crown manager, said the Fayetteville audience's response to the lineup has been encouraging.

“Dylan is one that caught me off guard. I’m so happy that that show is doing well as it is, basically sold out at this point," he said. “I didn’t expect that from this market. That is phenomenal. With that same promoter I’m doing the Mellencamp show which is a little slower than we’d like it at this point.” 

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There is a poignant aspect to this whole run of shows, most of them set for the 2,400-seat Crown Theatre, which is scheduled to close In November of next year along with the Crown Arena because neither will comply anymore with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The county is working on a new downtown event center that will replace the two venues, but due to delays, it does not appear to be on track for completion next year. What happens then? That could be a problem, it seems.

The theater, like the arena, is an old head itself. It predates the Crown Coliseum and the “crown” branding, since that venue was completed in 2007, and the theater dates to the 1960s when it was the Memorial Auditorium.

In that guise, it entertained acts like Boston, Kiss and the King himself, Elvis. Good to see the venue — an old head — going out on a strong note.

Opinion Editor Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559,