WEEKLY ENTERTAINMENT
Open Mic Nights | Wednesday | 6PM
at The Backstage
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Get up on stage or just grab a seat and listen. Join us for open mic nights every Wednesday at Big Top's new year-round venue The Backstage! Every week we will be joined by special guest hosts, including some of your favorite Blue Canvas Orchestra musicians! Enjoy live entertainment and drinks during a unique night out.

​No tickets. No cover. No reservations. ​Open Mic Nights are FREE and open to the public.
Live In The Lounge | Thursday | 7PM
at StageNorth
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Live In The Lounge is Washburn’s one-of-a-kind concert series—bringing a new band every week to our small town stage. It’s loud, it’s raw, and it’s built on community. Donation-based entry keeps it accessible, and every show is different. 
NOVEMBER 2025
NOV 21 | 5:30PM
Swiftie Night w/ Celebrity DJ & Stylist Jacqueline Rezak
at StageNorth

Come dance the night away with celebrity DJ Jacqueline Rezak while shopping Taylor Swift themed merch designed by Jacqueline - including glasses she designed for Taylor herself! Jacqueline Rezak will be creating the ultimate Swiftie atmosphere for the Northwoods! Jacqueline will be spinning Taylor tracks and other fun girly pop from 6-8 . Her Rad and Refined Taylor Swift pop up shop will be shoppable during the entire event - this includes t-shirts, sweatshirts, jewelry, purses, sunglasses, miscellaneous accessories. There will be a friendship bracelet making station and other fun surprises! There will also be door prizes and fun glittery Life of a Showgirl themed drinks and NA cocktails for kids.
NOV 22 | 7PM
Blue Canvas Songwriters and Their Orchestra
at The Backstage

Out of the imagination of a songwriter, the Big Top began and has remained a haven for the art form ever since. The Blue Canvas Orchestra is lucky enough to have many great songwriters in its ranks and on this November night we’ll hear from the pens of three of them. The songs of Ed Willett, Danielle Diamond and James Shafstall will come alive with their collaboration with each other and with the backing of Tom Mitchell on percussion and Vince Osborn on bass. With energetic and “off the cuff” repartee these writers will be shedding some light on an often asked question: How can you pull these melodies and poetry out of thin air? Willett, Diamond and Shafstall will share stories of how the songs they’ll be showcasing came into the world in a night of originality that promises to be intimate, intriguing, joyful and one that will include at least one world premiere.
DECEMBER 2025
DEC 4 | 7:30PM
Spring Fed
Live in the Lounge at StageNorth
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Spring Fed is a cooperation of the chillest musicians on the shores of Lake Superior. Funk, Reggae, Blues. Join us for an evening of Funk, Reggae, and Blues.
DEC 5 | 7PM
Yazmin & Beat Zero w/ Special Guests
at StageNorth
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Washburn-born BCO member Yazmin takes the stage with her very own band Beat Zero. The show will feature the Havana Quartet, a group of young Cuban string players based in Minneapolis, and the one and only, fellow BCO member Scott Kirby. Together they create a riveting fusion of Latin-jazz, Funk, Folk/Rock, and Cuban rhythms, driven by the heartfelt bilingual songwriting of Yazmin: vocalist, pianist and composer of the group. Yazmin grew up in Washburn and was drawn to Cuban music at an early age, leading her to live and study in Cuba for years to come. Beat Zero is made up of Grammy-nominated Álvaro Benavides from New York City on bass and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Gillespie from Minneapolis, MN on drums. Scott Kirby, a beloved performer from Rhinelander, Wisconsin, will add his dynamic vocal and guitar performance to the fusion. Hold onto your seats (or don't, cause there will be dancing!) and get ready for a night to remember, full of classical, Cuban and American sounds that defy genre. The show will be followed by a Salsa dance class and dance party in the bar.
DEC 11 | 7PM
DEC 12 | 7PM
DEC 13 | 2PM
Here's A Health To The Holidays
at The Backstage

The presentation of a holiday show in December is a tradition that the Big Top and their BCO began some fifteen years ago. The night has always delivered music that is heartwarming, thought provoking, humorous and unexpected, and this year will be no different. In years past the group has effortlessly navigated a spellbindingly wide array of musical genres and they plan to do it again. From the traditional tunes in surprising ways to classical pieces with a Celtic flare, from Jackson Browne to the Kinks. Come raise a health to the holidays with the Blue Canvas Orchestra’s Molly Otis, Danielle Diamond, Tom Mitchell, Nate Bean, Billy Knoblauch, and Ed Willett.
DEC 18 | 7:30PM
Joy Scout
Live in the Lounge at StageNorth
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​A polyjamorous mash-up of eclectic tunes and dance-able grooves.
Featuring: Scott Griffiths, Dustin Long, Michael McKenna, Kellie Pederson & Tom Undine
An eclectic mash-up of danceable tunes. Be prepared to groove.
JANUARY 2026
JAN 24 | 7PM
Northern New Year's Rockin' Good Time Show
at The Backstage

The title says it all and they have the lineup to make it happen. Join the BCO as they “release the hounds” in an unrestrained night of music designed to make you dance, dance, dance. In addition to “Rockin’ Molly Otis”, “Shredding James Shafstall”, “Groove master Nate Bean”, Thundering Tom Mitchell and the Hendrix style cello player Ed Willett, they’ll be “spiking the already strong punch” with the “Godchild of Soul” himself, Scott Kirby. If you haven’t heard Scott, get ready to be blown away.
FEBRUARY 2026
FEB 14 | 7PM
Love Is
at The Backstage

Join members of the BCO for a lyrical night of beauty, romance and unabashed love wrapped in a heart shaped musicbox. With songstresses Yazmin Bowers and Danielle Diamond filling the cold of this February night with song, you best be ready to melt into a puddle right then and there. Joining them will be the familiar trio of hopeless romantics, Tom Mitchell, Nate Bean and Ed Willett.
MARCH 2026
MAR 13 | 7PM
MAR 13 | 2PM
St. Paddy's Day
at The Backstage

What are the chances we’d have a real Irishman here in the Northwoods to lead our St. Paddy’s Day concerts? Our bard from Belfast, our balladeer of the Bodhran, our master of ceremonies Stevie Matier will charm the pants off us all with a party from Ireland you’ll not soon forget. Andy Noyes, Stevie’s partner in sublime together with Ed Willett will light the strings of their Bouzouki and cello on fire with blazing solos and beautiful Irish Aires. If all this weren’t enough to turn your Guiness to steam, we’ve got some very hot Irish musicians planning to stop in for the session as well. Be there for the unveiling of an amazing band, you won’t regret it.
APRIL 2026
APR 18 | 7PM
John Muir - University of the Wilderness
​at The Backstage

Members of the BCO invite you to celebrate Earth Day by taking a walk in the woods with the words of John Muir. A musical landscape will surround you, excite you to follow around the next bend, and deliver you to a deep appreciation for one of our country’s most influential naturalists. The program created by Ed Willett and Cheryl Leah for the centennial of the National Park Service enjoyed 32 performances in that centennial year for 17 of our national parks. They describe the program as a coming together of music and theater, and one that features their own “nature-forged” chamber music intertwined with Muir’s writings. They describe the musical landscape of the program as a place where Classical, Celtic and New Music beautifully collide.
MAY 2026
JUNE 2026
JUN 19 | 7:30PM
Chase & Ovation
at The Big Top
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The World’s “Paramount Prince Tribute Show” based out of Prince’s beloved hometown of Minneapolis, MN. Chase has been traveling North America performing exclusively the music of Prince (live in concert) for the past 16 years including their monthly residency at the world-famous Bunkers Music Bar in Minneapolis, made famous by Prince himself. Fans of the show include many of Prince’s former bandmates and family members who all give Chase & Ovation the highest marks for reproducing Prince’s music “the way it is meant to be played, heard and felt.”
“In the decade before his passing, Prince allowed me to travel the world and perform in tribute and in reverence to his music. I have always done this with Prince’s knowledge under the name ‘Chase & Ovation.’ I wake up filled with gratitude every day and give thanks in prayer for the gift of music that Prince has given to me, but MORE importantly the gift that he has given to the world!” -Tommy Chase

Let us always remember to celebrate love, life, and the music of PRINCE!
JULY 2026
JUL 17 | 7:30PM
The Jayhawks
at The Big Top
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​The Jayhawks and their rootsy sound were definitely swimming against the tide when they emerged from a crowded Minnesota music scene in 1985. Over the course of almost 4 decades, 11 albums, countless memorable live shows and enough personal drama to fill a couple of Behind the Music episodes, this beloved band soared to heights few ever achieve while winning the hearts and minds of numerous critics, fans and peers in the process. After releasing two Indie albums in the 80s The Jayhawks signed with American Recordings in 1991 and over the next decade released 5 challenging, at times groundbreaking, albums, toured the world to widespread acclaim and even survived the departure of founding member Mark Olson in 1995. After a hiatus in the mid 2000s, the “classic” 1994 lineup reunited for another new studio album in 2011 and 2 years of solid touring, reacquainting audiences old and new with the band's timeless musical vision. 2014 saw a late 90s version of the band led by Gary Louris hitting the road to support the reissues of the 3 Jayhawks albums released from 1997-2003. This lineup released the band's 9th studio album in 2016, recorded in Portland, OR with producers Peter Buck and Tucker Martine. The band's next studio album, Back Roads And Abandoned Motels, was released in the summer of 2018, featuring Jayhawks versions of songs Gary Louris had previously written with other artists plus 2 new compositions. Recording for a new Jayhawks album was completed in Minnesota in late 2019 and in July 2020 the band released their 11th studio album, XOXO.
JUL 18 | 7:30PM
Killer Queen | A Tribute To Queen
at The Big Top

​Awarded "Worldwide Best Tribute Band" Killer Queen blew the roof off The Tent in 2023 and they want to do it again for our fortieth season! We can't wait to have them back.
Killer Queen is a British Queen tribute band founded in 1993 by Patrick Myers while at London University—the same venue where Queen first played. Renowned for their authentic sound, stagecraft, and uncanny recreation of Queen, they've won numerous awards and sold out arenas, leading them to a collaboration with Fatboy Slim on a chart-topping single. Their international tours have included high-profile performances such as a Live Aid tribute and shows at iconic venues like the West End and Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Learn More Here!