From John Philip Sousa to Tina Turner, performers have streamed to the region

Over the years, Cape Girardeau has hosted some big names in entertainment. Whether it was John Philip Sousa stopping by the city on a cross-country tour in 1929, or Elvis rockin' and rollin' at the now-A.C. Brase Arena in 1955 or Bob Hope hitting a golf ball off the roof of the Show Me Center at the 1987 grand opening ceremonies, the Southeast Missourian has been there.

While the Show Me Center has brought famous entertainers to Cape Girardeau on a regular basis for the last 17 years, for 25 years the Southeast Missouri District Fair has attracted country musicians such as Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings and The Judds.

Sousa is now best known for writing "The Stars and Stripes Forever," but at the time of his Cape Girardeau visit he was a star called "The March King" because of the success of the marches he composed.

Upon arriving at the Frisco passenger station, Sousa was greeted by members of the public and three local bands, including the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band. Sousa was also presented to a key to the city by then-Mayor James Barks.

Sousa and his band performed before a crowd of between 7,000 and 10,000 people at an afternoon concert at the campus of the then-Teachers College. Later that night, 1,500 packed into Academic Auditorium for a concert.

Opera singer Ernestine Schumann-Heink was another eminent musical performer who performed in Cape Girardeau in the 1920s. Her visit was closely covered by the Southeast Missourian.

Originally scheduled to perform in Cape Girardeau on May 17, 1920, Schumann-Heink canceled the performance due to an illness and rescheduled for May 25.

When May 25 came and Schumann-Heink did not appear, the Southeast Missourian's headline read: "Schumann-Heink not here; her absence is an unsolved mystery." It was a mystery the paper was intent on solving.

A representative from the newspaper traveled to St. Louis, where the opera star was scheduled to perform, to confront her about the missed Cape Girardeau appearance and possibly bring a lawsuit against her for damages.

It turned out that Schumann-Heink canceled the May 25 performance because of illness but her New York management failed to notify the people of Cape Girardeau.

Schumann-Heink again returned to the good graces of the Southeast Missourian and Cape Girardeau residents when she delivered on her promise to perform at Academic Auditorium on June 16.

More recently, the SEMO District Fair has brought a number of well-known musicians to Cape Girardeau.

"I would like to think we've taken the lead in bringing [big] names to Cape," said 2004 fair committee president Pete Poe.

Prior to the opening of the Show Me Center, Poe says, the SEMO District Fair was the main venue for national entertainers performing in the city.

Although the fair had brought in musicians and other entertainers since the 1960s, it didn't start featuring nationally known acts until the late 1970s.

One of the first was Ray Stevens, best known for the song "Everything is Beautiful" and comedy songs like "Gitarzan." A Southeast Missourian article from June 16, 1977, reads: "Known for his ability to write successfully in every area of contemporary music makes Mr. Stevens a musical rarity."

The following year, the Oak Ridge Boys made an appearance at the fair, and in 1981 Johnny and June Cash performed. Earl W. James, 1981 fair board president, said in a July 16, 1981, Southeast Missourian article, "We're doing something that I've always dreamed about. We're bringing in quality entertainment, and we can compete with any of the other fairs around, even the state fair."

On the day of Cash's performance, the Southeast Missourian ran an article announcing, "This is it. ... The night that thousands of country and western fans have been waiting for."

Entertainers made occasional stops in Cape Girardeau outside of the fair though. Most memorably, Elvis Presley played the Arena Building on July 20, 1955, before he was a big star.

When the band Paul Revere and the Raiders also played at the arena on Feb. 14, 1968, more than 3,500 fans turned out, and the building sustained some damage.

According to a Southeast Missourian article published Feb. 15, the crowd started gathering around 3:30 p.m. for a show that did not open until 7 p.m. The glass in three of the front doors was pushed out. One concert attendee cut his leg on broken glass when the crowd pushed forward to gain entry to the inside of the arena.

"It was probably the biggest push in the history of Cape Girardeau," an unidentified adult at the concert told the newspaper.

Since opening in 1987, the Show Me Center has presented performers as well-known and diverse as George Jones, Sheryl Crow, Guns 'N Roses, Hank Williams Jr., Bob Dylan, Wayne Newton, Kiss, Aerosmith and Kenny Rogers. The Southeast Missourian has been there to chronicle the events.

The performer who pulled in the biggest audience at the Show Me Center is magician David Copperfield. He performed there in April 1999 before 7,568 people.

Tina Turner's October 1987 performance attracted 7,251 people and meant extra work for Show Me Center employees.

According to an Oct. 16, 1987, Southeast Missourian article, the Show Me Center had to build a new dressing room just for Turner. In addition, seven tractor-trailers delivered her equipment and stage show. Her performance contract was 55 pages long.