Willie Nelson tops region’s 2016 entertainment stories

In sports, it was the World Series; in news, it was politics. But 2016 turned out to be a banner year for entertainment, too, globally and around Cape Girardeau.

The year's local top five moments in entertainment:

Ryback pins Rusev at the WWE Live Road to WrestleMania Supershow on Feb. 27 at the Show Me Center.Fred Lynch

5. WWE Wrestling

Area wrestling fans got to see and hear the smack-downs in person in February as the World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. Road to WrestleMania came to town. Stars including Big Show, Ryback and Kane were on hand to showcase their moves and defend their reputations.

Jeremy Camp performs Feb. 13 at the Rock & Worship Roadshow at the Show Me Center.Fred Lynch

4. Rock & Worship Roadshow

When it came to big names in the worship genre, the lineup of this year's Rock & Worship Roadshow delivered, including Audio Adrenaline, the Newsboys and Jeremy Camp.

Thousands packed the Show Me Center in February for a night of inspirational music and even saw a personal touch when Camp took the stage in a "Cape Girardeau MO" T-shirt.

Amari Moore, left, as a steampunk captain poses for a photo with LaKrisha Moore, who later won the costume contest dressed as Goblin Queen, at Cape Comic Con on April 16 at the Osage Centre.Fred Lynch

3. Cape Comic Con

The 11th annual Cape Comic Con brought out the community's super side.

The costume contest, vendors and special guests came together to make the weekend a success. Even Butch Patrick, who played kid-werewolf Eddie Munster on television, had a booth signing autographs and chatting with visitors about the time he missed the Beatles when they visited the set of the Munsters.

Mike ZitoSubmitted photo

2. Mike Zito

Bluesman Mike Zito and his band The Wheel played at The Rude Dog Pub in December, just weeks after his most recent album, "Make Blues Not War," topped the Billboard blues charts, eking out the likes of Joe Bonamassa and Eric Clapton.

1. Willie Nelson

David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen -- in a year marked by high-profile deaths, Merle Haggard's was among the most widely mourned.

Haggard died after dropping out of a tour with fellow country icon Willie Nelson. The pair originally were slated to play the Show Me Center, but news of Haggard's passing came just days before the Cape Girardeau show.

In his first performance since Haggard's death, Nelson paid tribute to Haggard's legacy before a sold-out crowd.

Adam Hellman, left, and Evan Webb, members of Evan Webb and the Rural Route Ramblers, pose for a photo Jan. 10 inside Blue Creek Production in Patton, Missouri. Hellman and Webb were putting the finishing touches on the band's new album, which includes the song "Dry up or Drown," which went viral during the recent flooding in the area.Laura Simon

Honorable Mention: Viral Video

When area residents faced historic flooding in early 2016, many latched onto a song by local country band Evan Webb and the Rural Route Ramblers.

"Dry Up Or Drown" had all the weary faith of classic country and a music video to match, which featured actual footage of the flooding. The band's members were among those sandbagging in preparation for the flooding, and they were rewarded when fans local and beyond took the song as an anthem of sorts.

tgraef@semissourian.com

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