The pop goddess with the No. 1 album in the country will hit Shark Beach Burgers for a special double-header concert Saturday.
Sorta.
It’s not Madonna, who’s riding high on her newly released Confessions II. It’s actually PriMadonna, a Dallas-based tribute act who’ll perform with Toxic: The Britney Spears Experience at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the restaurant, 1505 E. Farm-to-Market Road 1151.
I spoke with Adrian Lea Valhalla, the blonde ambition behind the band, ahead of the concert about her love of Madonna, why tribute acts are so popular, and her struggle to pick the Material Girl’s best track. (This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.)
Chip Chandler: So first off, how do you become a Madonna tribute artist?
Adrian Lea Valhalla: How it began for me was I was in another band and we played a Madonna song, and we all kind of looked at each other and realized how much I sounded like her, which made me really happy because I’ve been a huge Madonna fan since I was about 3 years old. So we put two and two together. Tribute bands are so big here in Dallas that I said, hmm, why don’t we start one?
CC: Why are tribute bands big in Dallas? Maybe we’re just getting more up here, but it seems like they’re more and more popular here, too. Why do you think that is?
ALV: The reason I like it is for the nostalgia of it. And for those of us that can’t afford to go see our favorite artists—or if your favorite artist isn’t even around anymore—it makes it so that you can see really top-quality, second-hand versions of musicians and bands that you love.
CC: Do you think for a while it was just the purview of the Elvis tribute artist, and then it’s expanded from there?
ALV: That’s how it all started, right? I was very young and I saw an Elvis impersonator in the mall and was just like, wow, you can do that. Maybe, I don’t know, people got tired of the general party / cover band and wanted to narrow it down to just your favorite artists.
CC: You’ve been a fan of Madonna since you were 3. What’s your earliest memory of Madonna?
ALV: My family is a huge music household. Every night, my dad would put records on while we picked up and did dinner and all that. We were a classic rock family, so mostly men artists. My dad would just pick up CDs and bring them home, and we’d pop them on. I remember when he brought home The Immaculate Collection, Madonna’s first greatest hits compilation. It was the first female voice I think I’d ever really latched onto. It was a completely different style of music than I was used to, and I kind of was in awe. Like, you can use your voice like that?
CC: Do you remember the first song you heard?
ALV: The first song that got me was “Material Girl,” because it’s so cute. And then I saw the video where she’s basically Barbie, which, for a 3 year old, is the coolest thing ever.
CC: This is the most unfair question in the world: What is your favorite Madonna song?
ALV: Hmm, it’s probably something a little more obscure, I’m sure. People always ask me what my favorite one that we play is, and I also can’t answer that. I can tell you my favorite album is Ray of Light. But, I can’t narrow it down to a song.
CC: That’s fair. I have argued this with friends before. I settled on “Like a Prayer” as my favorite overall song.
ALV: Ah, that one’s a good one. You can’t deny it. It truly is an amazing song.
CC: What is your show like if folks haven’t seen you before?
ALV: We kind of feel out what the crowd’s going to be like and put together a set list based on what the people are looking for. Shark Beach sounds like it’s going to be more of a place where people are going to want to dance and have a good time. So we’ll probably leave out the slow songs.
CC: And it’s a double bill with Toxic, right?
ALV: Yes. We always put in “Me Against the Music” that Britney and Madonna did together. And ever since the first time that we shared the stage, everybody was wondering if Britney and Madonna were going to kiss. And you can say, we don’t know. Maybe.
Tickets are $20 and up, plus fees. Call 806-335-5644
This week’s other can’t-miss options:
Starlight Theater with Pocket Break and Ezekiel Johnston: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday; Sam Houston Park, 4101 Line Ave.; free; 806-378-3036
Much Ado About Nothing: 8 p.m. Tuesday; Pioneer Amphitheatre in Palo Duro Canyon State Park; tickets $25; 806-651-2181
High Noon on the Square with Big G & The Tradewinds: 11:45 a.m. Wednesday; 501 S. Fillmore St.; lunch $12; 806-372-6744
Texas Outdoor Musical: 8:15 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays through Aug. 1; Pioneer Amphitheatre in Palo Duro Canyon State Park; ticket prices vary; 806-655-2181
The Band Chandler: 5 p.m. Thursday; The Food Park on 25ninety, 13130 Soncy Road; 806-420-05
Bomb-Ass Happy Hour: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday; Bomb City Distillery; 306 S. Cleveland St.; 806-220-2662
Guidi & Friends: 7 p.m. Thursday; Georgia Street Taphouse, 2001 S. Georgia St.; 806-803-7000
Music in the Gardens featuring Old Dog Trey: 7 p.m. Thursday; Amarillo Botanical Gardens, 1400 Streit Drive; admission $10 nonmembers, $5 members; 806-352-6513
Forrest and Margaret McCurren: 7 p.m. Friday; Buffalo Grass Music Hall, 123 Main St. in Panhandle; $20 suggested donation; 806-236-2933
Summerween with Kenzie Crabtree, Micaela Robinson and Chrissie Dailing: 7 p.m. Friday; Old Tascosa Taproom and Brewery, 3100 S.W. Sixth Ave.; 806-681-4050
Tennessee Tuckness & Friends: 7:30 p.m. Friday; Shark Beach Burgers, 1505 E. Farm-to-Market Road 1151; 806-335-5644
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown: 7:30 p.m. Friday, 10:30 a.m., 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday; tickets $22 for adults, $18 for children, plus fees; 806-355-9991
Boss 420: 8 p.m. Friday; Smokey Joe’s, 2903 S.W. Sixth Ave.; 806-331-6698
Movie on the Lawn featuring National Treasure: 8:30 p.m. Friday; Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, 2503 Fourth Ave. in Canyon; free; 806-651-2244
The Buster Bledsoe Band: 9 p.m. Friday; Western Horseman Club, 2501 E. Interstate 40; cover; 806-379-6555, Ext. 2999
The Electric Gypsies: 9 p.m. Friday; Blind Pig, 609 S. Independence St.; cover $25 to $45; 806-412-4251
Hot Rod Hillbillies with Rio Grand Trio: 9 p.m. Friday; Golden Light Cantina, 2906 S.W. Sixth Ave.; cover; 806-374-9237
Red Dirt Rockers: 9 p.m. Friday; Hoots Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road; cover
Skeleton Drive: 9 p.m. Friday; The 806 Coffee + Café, 2812 S.W. Sixth Ave.; no cover, donations accepted; 806-322-1806
Canyon Farmers Market: 8 a.m. to noon Saturday; continues through Sept. 26; Fourth Avenue and 15th Street in Canyon; 806-567-0746
Sunset Marketown: 8 a.m. to noon Saturday; continues through Sept. 19; Arts in the Sunset, 3701 Plains Blvd.; 806-354-8802
Helium Heights Community Bargain Bash: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; 10001 W. Amarillo Blvd.; heliumheightsamarillo@gmail.
Las Fiestas de Amarillo: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday; Our Lady of Guadalupe, 1210 S.E. 11th Ave.; 806-372-1128
Summer Nights on 6th: 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday; Texas Route 66 Visitors Center, 1900 S.W. Sixth Ave.; 806-310-9503
Valor in the Pit: 5:30 p.m. Saturday; Sunset Underground, 3701 Plains Blvd.; cover $15; atomicyellowict@gmail.com
Next Stop Comedy: 8 p.m. Saturday; Old Tascosa Taproom and Brewery, 3100 S.W. Sixth Ave.; cover $27; 806-681-4050
The Chad Feemster Band: 8 p.m. Saturday; Smokey Joe’s, 2903 S.W. Sixth Ave.; 806-331-6698
Jack Mustard: 8 p.m. Saturday; Zombiez Bar & Grill, 711 S. 10th Ave.; cover; 806-331-7305
Boss Texas Band: 9 p.m. Saturday; Broken Spoke Lounge, 3101 S.W. Sixth Ave.; no cover; 806-373-9149
Casey Berry: 9 p.m. Saturday; Western Horseman Club, 2501 E. Interstate 40; cover; 806-379-6555, Ext. 2999
The Obvious Few: 9 p.m. Saturday; Blind Pig, 609 S. Independence St.; cover $5; 806-412-4251
Logan Samford: 9 p.m. Saturday; Hoots Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road; cover
Summerween Market: 7 p.m. Sunday; Idol Art Studio, 1201 S. Polk St.; 806-236-4128
Brandon Trey Borup: 6 p.m. June 21; 575 Pizzeria, 2803 Civic Circle; 806-322-5575
Starlight Theater with Big G & The Tradewinds with The Repeat Offenders with Hank Vincent: 6:30 p.m. June 21; Sam Houston Park, 4101 Line Ave.; free; 806-378-3036
Much Ado About Nothing: 8 p.m. June 21; Pioneer Amphitheatre in Palo Duro Canyon State Park; tickets $25; 806-651-2181
The Maggie Valley Band: 6:30 p.m. June 21; Stoex Design Gallery, 723 S. Georgia St.
Email submissions to info@brickandelm.com.
Movie options:
Opening Wednesday: epic adventure The Odyssey (Cinemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive, and Cinergy, 9201 Cinergy Square)
Special engagements: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (Tuesday and Thursday, Cinergy); Kung Fu Panda (Tuesday through Thursday, Cinergy); My Neighbor Totoro (Wednesday, Hollywood 16); Dog Man (Wednesday and Thursday, Hollywood 16); Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Monday to July 23, Cinergy); How to Train Your Dragon (Monday and July 22 to 23, Hollywood 16); Candyman (July 21 and 23, Cinergy)
