As I mentioned in last year’s article, as much as I am a fan of all things Disney, I absolutely love music. I take pride in knowing a lot of songs from the time of Elvis up to about 1995ish so I’ll call myself a classic rock fan. Thankfully, for people like me, there is a perfect mixture of Disney and rock music and it is found during the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot.
Welcome to Believe Vacation’s Top Ten where today, we’ll look at the Top 10 Garden Rocks Concerts for 2018. For this list, I looked at the entire line-up throughout the festival and have ranked them based on shows I would expect my wife and kids to enjoy and thus, your family as well. So let’s get rockin and rollin and kick it off with:
Photo Courtesy of DonFelder.com
10)Don Felder, formerly of The Eagles (May 13-14)
That Song: Hotel California
New to the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is the former guitarist for the Eagles, Don Felder. While you will not get the entire group that has been cranking out hit after hit since the 70s, you hear definitely HEAR those songs. To some people, it matters that it is not the originals. To others, it doesn’t matter. Adults will love to hear the opening riffs of Take It Easy and Life in the Fast Lane.
Photo Courtesy of Facebook.com/SurvivorTheBand
9) Survivor (April 8-9)
That Song: Eye of the Tiger
Another new act to the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is the group who burned the songs of Rocky and its sequels into our memories forever. Anytime Survivor cranked out a hit from the franchise, it soared up the charts. Unfortunately like all bands, time has added new members due to the loss of others, in this case, incredible front man Jimi Johnson. So while you may not get the entire soundtrack, you can be sure you’ll hear Eye of the Tiger and for some families, that’s all you need.
Photo Courtesy of @StarshipControl
8) STARSHIP starring Mickey Thomas (March 9-12)
That Song: We Built This City
Performing at the festival for many years now, fans of this group know there was no bigger hit for the band, maybe even the entire 80s, than THAT SONG. First they were the hippies of Jefferson Airplane, then the psychedelic spin off of Jefferson Starship and now have settled on the pop rock of STARSHIP. Regardless of names of the band or era, the entire family will remember classic songs throughout the entire show.
Photo Courtesy of @SmashMouth
7) Smash Mouth (April 13-14)
That Song: All Star
The final new act this year to make our top 10, we have reached the point where Millennials can now call themselves old! It seems like just the other day Smash Mouth was touring with their new hit All-Star. Nope, that would be 20 years ago. The group still sounds great, kids will recognize the songs from Shrek and younger adults will feel like they’ve traveled back in time….only a few years ago really.
Photo Courtesy of @OfficialVillagePeople
6) Village People (May 11-12)
That Song: “Y.M.C.A.”
Being from Alabama, I always say that I get slightly tired of hearing Sweet Home Alabama as it’s over-used in our state and at our sporting events. Multiply that 18 times over for YMCA. It’s just overdone at sporting events. But I’ve also realized that when you are at a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert, you can not wait to lose your mind to their hit. Same with the Village People. Who doesn’t want to see the costumes, the characters and disco dance to the songs? And don’t tell me you wouldn’t have the time of your life doing the YMCA with them?
Photo Courtesy of @TheMightySpinners
5) The Spinners (May 25-28)
That Song: “Working My Way Back to You”
Closing out this year’s Garden Rocks concert series, is a group that was the quintessential Motown group from the 60s and 70s. This popular quintet will provide the beats, the vocals, the moves, the grooves and the funk while you provide some love back. And don’t be surprised if they play some cover songs from other artists of their genre and age that you may know.
Photo Courtesy of @LittleRiverBand
4) Little River Band (March 23-26)
That Song: Reminiscing
A popular act from Australia, LRB cranked out some of the biggest hits of the 70s and 80s. Soft rock, pop rock and folk rock ballads and ditties personify this group of talented musicians. With some famous vocal and instrumental intros, don’t be surprised if you see much of the crowd hop to their feet when a popular song begins.
3) The Orchestra starring former members of ELO (March 30-April 2)
Photo Courtesy of @TheOrchestrastarringELOFormerMembers
That Song: Evil Woman
Electric Light Orchestra was the epitome of all things 70s and 80s classic rock. Distorted guitars, strings and synths, killer harmonies, over the top production quality and light shows with a touch of pop. Even though the big players are not with this version of the band, the hits remain and that means the Garden will rock this Spring!
Photo Courtesy of @HermansHermitsStarringPeterNoone
2) Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone (May 4-7)
That Song: I am Henry VIII I Am
The clean-cut British alternative to the shaggy-haired Beatles, Herman’s Hermits had a tremendous amount of success in their native country as well as the United States. In 1965, they had four top 3 hits while appearing on all the major TV shows at the time like The Ed Sullivan Show. For a pop group going strong even after 50 years of performing, Herman’s Hermits and their hits are a show you can not afford to miss.
Honorable Mention:
Blood Sweat and Tears (April 27-30) – THAT SONG – Spinning Wheel
Lonestar (April 22-23) – THAT SONG – Amazed
Foghat (April 6-7) – THAT SONG – Slow Ride
Photo Courtesy of @TheGuessWho
1) The Guess Who (May 18-21)
That Song: American Woman
Ah, yes. One of the greatest American rock songs ever written by….CANADIANS?! Throughout the 70s, the Guess Who had a number of hits you will hear all day on classic rock stations all throughout the country. And with most of those songs carrying over into younger generations through movie and TV soundtracks, it would be impossible to go the entire concert with everyone knowing at least one song to rock out to! They are number one this year due to the fact I saw them in September 2017with my kids. Not only did they sound amazing but my kids instantly fell in love with the songs. The New Generation is truly taking over!
Rest of the lineup
- March 2-5: Night Ranger “Sister Christian”
- March 16-19: Simple Plan “Welcome to My Life”
- April 15-16: Rick Springfield (NEW to Garden Rocks!) “Jessie’s Girl”
- April 20-21: Jo Dee Messina (NEW to Garden Rocks!) “Stand Beside Me”
Did I miss anyone? Are you planning on going to one of these shows at Epcot this spring? Leave your comments below and as always, there’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!
