Memphis - Orpheum Theater, Beale Street

February 17, 2008
by suacoustic

Since my early college days (many, many moons ago) I've spent loads of time in Memphis, Tennessee.  Most of the trips in those days were not nearly as enriching or as much fun by definition as my Valentine's Day trip to Memphis this year with my wife and daughter.  My wife and I took our 16 year old daughter to see The Wedding Singer at the Orpheum Theater in Downtown Memphis as a surprise Valentine's Day gift.  Of course, for those of you that haven't been to Memphis or to a theater production at the Orpheum before, keep reading...

Dan McGuiness

I'm typically not the type of person that likes to spend money on tickets for an event and be late, so we arrived in Memphis a few hours before the show was scheduled to start.  Of course, the first thing that you should be inclined to do (especially in Memphis) is find a local bar or tavern - Memphis is full of them - to have a quick drink and a bite to eat.  Although my daughter could probably pass for 21, I'm not in the habit of taking my kids into the local bar - so we searched for someplace where we could all go to get a quick snack before the show.  We did find a happy medium at Dan McGuiness at Peabody Place.  Dan McGuiness is a traditional Irish Pub that features good, old fashioned cold beer and many authentic Irish dishes.  They had seating outside the main pub so wasn't struck with the guilt that should be associated with bringing your 16 year old daughter into the bar with you.  We had dinner plans later so we only got appetizers, but I can highly recommend trying the following dishes:  Beer Cheese Soup and the Sausage N Batter.  Although I wasn't carrying mine with me on this trip, there were several customers quietly pecking away on their laptops over a cup of java or a tall, clear pilsner of some beer I wish I would have ordered  - so I would imagine that they offer wireless internet as well.

Peabody Place

Peabody Place in Downtown Memphis is a described on their website as a retail outlet and Entertainment Center.  It's not quite your standard retail outlet mall, but there are nough places to keep you busy if you like to shop till you drop.  More exciting is the 'entertainment' part of the description.  For the most part this includes Jillians: the ultimate entertainment experience with food, a video arcade, bowling alley and pool tables - Jillians could serve as a good 'one-stop' night out with the family.  Being like many other typical male shoppers:  In most cases, I know what I want before I ever set foot in the store, hit the door, proceed directly to the item I came to purchase, checkout and then leave so I can further enjoy the spoils of my latest purchase.  That proved a bit more difficult with my wife and daughter with me, but after I escaped for a couple of double espressos from the Starbucks, I held my own with them popping in and out of every store in the place. My gentle reminders of the upcoming show were helpful in us getting out of Peabody Place - we left in plenty of time to enjoy a nice walk down to the Orpheum via Beale Street.  

Beale Street

Endless paragraphs could be written about the adventures to be had on Beale Street in Memphis, but I'll just point out a few of the places that I stopped and snapped a quick picture or have some relevance to this adventure (or my past ones).  It is only a few blocks from Peabody Place to the Orpheum, but we skipped a block over so we could hit Beale Street.  I haven't spent any considerable time there in the past several years, so it was interesting to see how some things had changed - as well as many that had not. 

First stop: Tater Red's Lucky Mojos - I absolutely love this place with all of the rock and roll clothing, signed music memorabilia hanging on the walls and quite diverse music selection.  I would normally spend a couple of hours in this place going checking out the music they have for sale.  Lots of old jazz and blues artists, as well as very talented local musicians that most of the free world has never heard of.  There are legendary musicians walking the streets of Memphis that will never know success - but you can find much of their music here and nowhere else.  My recommendation, pick up a cassette - yes, I said a cassette - of some no-named artist just to get a feel for the kind of talent that is evident in the live venues on Beale.  It won't set you back that much money, and you'll have your souvenir from Tater Red's. 

Check out the pic of the storefront, as well as the conveniently located ATM machine on the street to lure your precious dollars from your wallet to the many vendors on this historic street.

I missed it as we walked down to Tater Red's, but turned around to snap a quick shot of the Rum Boogie Cafe.  I frequented this fine establishment many, many weekends while still in college.  I've heard many talented bands play here.  As most of the places on Beale, the service can be quite slow as they are usually busy, but they have a great selection of food here: try the BBQ, you won't be disappointed.

Be sure to check out the picture on the side of the building in the gallery, this was new since the last time I had been on Beale, but I love the graphic - great advertising for the King of Beers and very appropriate for Beale Street.  They have an outdoor patio just below this graphic where live bands will play as the weather permits. 

Again, there is too much to say about the next place: BB Kings Blues Club.  BB King is one of the biggest names in the Blues and this establishment and the entertainment provided there offers the same excellence that one would expect from the "King of the Blues".  After I graduated college and had been working for several years, my current employer rented out BB Kings for an evening of entertainment on Beale Street.  At that event, I had the opportunity to perform on the main stage at BB Kings with Ruby Wilson.  Many of my co-workers didn't know that I sang, but after two songs that I sang with Ruby, I had convinced both her and my co-workers of my hidden talent. I've been back to BB Kings Blues Club several times since that time, but have never had the chance to perform again - still this place is one of my favorites on Beale.  If you have the opportunity to spend some time in here, don't pass it up.  

A trip to Memphis would not be complete without some mention of the King.  What can I say? I'm a big Elvis Fan - take the time to visit Graceland if you have the opportunity - otherwise just check out the picture of the statue of the King in the gallery.  Take the time for a photo at the statue of Elvis. 

Orpheum Theater - The Wedding Singer

Pretty good show - not as good as other musicals that I've attended at the Orpheum, but still worth attending.   I did some theater performances myself while still in high school and had the opportunity to attend many performances at the Orpheum, so I felt quite at home here.  I liked Cats, Les Miserables, and Grease better - but the show was still fantastic.  Even if you are not a fan of the theater, if you are in Memphis and there is a show going on, it is worth the admission price to see this theater to appreciate the history of the beautiful building.

Texas De Brazil

This was most certainly the highlight of the trip because... well, my family and I like to eat.  Texas de Brazil is really our new favorite restaurant in Memphis and every trip we take to Memphis we try to make a reservation. The food is quite expensive - $45+ per person) but you won't walk away hungry.  The salad bar is exquisite and then the servers walk around to your table serving various types of meats as the main course.  My card stays green most of the time when I eat here - check out the website if you don't know about the red/green cards.  This is a must-visit destination if you are in Memphis - be sure to bring your appetite to get your moneys worth.

Peabody Place - Reprise

After the show at the Orpheum, we still hadn't had enough of Downtown Memphis - so it was back to the Peabody place for a movie.   We watched The Spiderwick Chronicles per my daughters request - good movie, must see if you have kids of any age I actually enjoyed the movie as an adult.

Since we have a younger daughter now we haven't made as many trips to Memphis in the past, but you can tell there still plenty to do when you are there.  Overall we had a great Valentine's Day and some quality family time.  Memphis has a lot going on Downtown and you have to stop in to see if you have the opportunity.  Be sure to check out the photo gallery for more pics of the destinations - and try to stop at least one of the places I've mentioned during your visit - it will make you want to come back for more.

Tags: memphis, beale street, musical