4/26/1986 Doc Severinsen & Friends Gala Benefit, Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, Pointe Tapatio Cliffs, Phoenix, AZ


 35 years ago today...

April 26, 1986 - Phoenix, AZ

Doc Severinsen, the trumpet-playing band leader on the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, brought some friends for a concert benefitting the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra in an outdoor setting at Pointe Tapatio Cliffs resort.
Doc was named principal POPS Conductor of Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, using his celebrity status in promoting symphony tickets to a broader audience. Rather than play in Symphony Hall, this special event was the first to be held in a new outdoor amphitheater at a resort hotel. There was cabaret-style table seating for 1,020, and another 2,600 general admission bleacher seats.
Billed as the Doc & Friends Gala Event, the conductor enlisted a group of celebrities that would feel at home sitting next to Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show couch.
Christopher Cross, fresh off a Grammy win for his self-titled debut album, fronted the orchestra and performed his hits "Sailing" and "Arthur's Theme." Tommy Newsom from the Tonight Show band and actor Richard Dreyfuss both conducted the orchestra for a number. Garry Shandling did stand-up comedy. Phoenix Suns guard Jay Humphries made a pitch for donations and season tickets. Nancy Dussault from "Too Close For Comfort" and Miss Arizona 1986 Diane Martin were both vocalists with the orchestra. John Ritter of "Three's Company" recited Casey at the Bat for an unknown reason.
I attended as a guest of a client who was a major sponsor and symphony donor. The new venue appeared to be a hit, but wasn't used again after six other performances previously scheduled here for this season.



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