Top 10 shows at the Van Wezel

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  • Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall (Herald-Tribune Archive)
    Hot tickets for the 2014-15 season

    As soon as the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall announced its lineup for 2014-15 we crowded around the long list and debated the merits of practically every show. Here is a Top 10 of our favorites. Or at least the ones we think have the best chance at entertaining us. Tickets for all shows go on sale at 10 a.m. Sept. 13, online, by phone and at the box office, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Some early season shows are now available. For more information: 953-3368; vanwezel.org

  • Photo by Zach Cordner/Invision/AP/2014
    Peter Frampton, Oct. 1

    He did cool stuff before, namely with the bands Herd and Humble Pie, and he has done some pretty cool stuff since (check out his new album "Hummingbird in a Box"), but, let's be honest, what we are all really excited about is witnessing the still vibrant singer and guitar hero perform material off his gloriously entertaining,  1976 double-live album "Frampton Comes Alive."

  • Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/2014
    Martina McBride, Oct. 16

    One of the most talented vocalists in country music with a bunch of hits to her credit including the powerful anthem "This One's for the Girls," McBride's latest album, "Everlasting," which hit the top of the country chart in April, is a smart choice of covers ranging from Motown to Elvis.

  • Photo by Frank Micelotta/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Images/2014
    Bill Maher, Oct. 26

    The host of HBO's long-running hit "Real Time with Bill Maher," he remains the most successful politically-charged comedian in the country, for decades now championing causes like pot legalization and same-sex marriage with enough wit and humor to make even his political foes chuckle, and perhaps reconsider their outmoded views.

  • Photo by Amy Sussman/Invision/AP/2014
    Susan Boyle, Nov. 5

    The antithesis of the modern day pop star, Susan Boyle won the world over when she appeared on "Britain's Got Talent" and sang a strikingly gorgeous rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables, which led to a string of chart-topping albums including 2013's "The Gift."

  • Photo by Dan Harr/Invision/AP/2014
    Phillip Phillips, Nov. 12

    Singer/guitarist who won "American Idol" a couple years ago brings a youthful face to the Van Wezel as well as a bunch of catchy tunes, including those culled from his new album "Behind the Light

  • Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/2014
    Wanda Sykes, Nov. 16

    A successful writer and actor, Wanda Sykes is at her funniest on stage doing stand-up, which allows her to truly work her at once charming and sometimes downright mean brilliance.

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    "Evil Dead: the Musical," Nov. 18

    This musical based on the cult classic horror film goosed with almost as much hilarity as gore has been receiving positive reviews since its Off Broadway debut nearly a decade ago.

  • AP Photo/Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Joan Marcus/2005
    "Jersey Boys," March 11-15

    The 2006 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical makes its Sarasota premiere with a week-long run following a Jan. 27 return to the Van Wezel by "Jersey Boys" inspiration Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

  • Photo by John Davisson/Invision/AP/2014
    Boz Scaggs, April 9

    Soul singer who released the classic albums "Slow Dancer" and "Silk Degrees" in the mid-1970s showed he's still got it with last year's Al Green-influenced full-length "Memphis."

  • Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/2014
    Kathy Griffin, April 26

    Sure, Griffin is great on New Year's Eve with Anderson Cooper but on stage doing standup she gets to really let loose with her awesomely acidic commentary, usually aimed at the dregs of pop culture.