# IYHO: What are the cheesiest acts that still draw big crowds? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 10, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568 "2013-03-10T20:19:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/41 "2013-03-12T13:02:46Z")
Insane Clown Posse seems pretty cheesy to me. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/42 "2013-03-12T13:18:03Z")
Ever been to the Grand Ole Opry? It’s a huge chunk of cracker barrel cheese! I’ve been twice, and must admit it’s enormously entertaining, cheese notwithstanding. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/43 "2013-03-12T16:51:25Z")
De Gustibus, but I’ll never forget when I got dragged to go see Cats a few years ago. My reaction was basically [this](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NhQxDX6-1WU/Ti3X1MfLb-I/AAAAAAAABkg/tCJzthkOhw0/s1600/8MM+2.gif). ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/44 "2013-03-12T16:53:14Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I was going to nominate pretty much all of Branson. A former g/f dragged me to “Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede”. Jesus, the worst thing about it was that they don’t serve alcohol. That’s torture, right there. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/45 "2013-03-13T23:45:27Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > De Gustibus, but I’ll never forget when I got dragged to go see Cats a few years ago. My reaction was basically [this](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NhQxDX6-1WU/Ti3X1MfLb-I/AAAAAAAABkg/tCJzthkOhw0/s1600/8MM+2.gif). I love musical theater-well, at it’s best-but _Cats_ makes me want to hork up a hairball. I’ve never understood it’s crazy appeal; I can’t get past the notion that “they’re grown people running around dressed up as cats”. [QUOTE=Sicks Ate] A former g/f dragged me to “Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede”. [/QUOTE] Was Dolly Parton playing Branson? Or was this an impersonator? Dolly’s the focus of a new musical that she’s co-written and that’s to star Kristen Chenoweth as Young Dolly. I’m thinking that might be breaking out the Velveeta. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/46 "2013-03-14T00:12:46Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Was Dolly Parton playing Branson? Or was this an impersonator? Sometimes you just can’t tell. > [@](#): > > Dolly’s the focus of a new musical that she’s co-written and that’s to star Kristen Chenoweth as Young Dolly. I’m thinking that might be breaking out the Velveeta. You have to force yourself to continue to love the sinners, no matter how much you hate the sin, but Dolly and Kristen are just pressing their luck. And I had no idea that Mannheim Steamroller and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra weren’t the same band. That either shows how much I have been paying attention or how much I care. I normally love overwrought Art Rock, but they are neither Art nor Rock, just overwrought. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/47 "2014-07-30T04:36:16Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Air Supply is still popular in Thailand. They used to come here fairly regularly, but I think it’s been three or four years since the last time. What did I tell you? Air Supply is playing Bangkok, _yet again_, next Tuesday (link Spoilered due to the rather LOUD announcement at the beginning. Otherwise it’s safe for work): [www.thaiticketmajor.com/concert/concert-detail.php?sid=2385](http://www.thaiticketmajor.com/concert/concert-detail.php?sid=2385) They love Air Supply here. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/48 "2014-07-30T12:02:16Z")
I just heard on NPR that the entire nation of Ireland goes bonkers for mainstream, commercial US country music. So, you have two countries who love the other’s cheese. Interesting. (Actually, I DO love me some Clonmel blue…) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/49 "2014-07-30T12:13:39Z")
Actually, that’s not fair to to Irish. In both cases, it was the Americans who took something awesome (rootsy rural US music, up to and including Hank Williams and the like; and, Irish traditional dancing and music), and partly cheesified it. But the Irish can’t complain that Americans appreciate Irish traditional culture only in cheesified form, because the US country music which Irish love is much more cheesified compared to its funkier predecessors (as An Gadai attested above, Riverdance gets most of it pretty much right – it’s more the TSO-esque context which provides the cheese factor.) ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/50 "2014-07-30T15:23:14Z")
I think Journey and/or Foreigner showing up playing the State Fair qualify as cheese. Though Foreigner plays for free to massive crowds, and Journey is full price at the grandstand. Also playing to massive crowds. I would gladly pay to partake of Journey cheddar than free Foreigner Velveeta, though. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/51 "2014-07-30T15:29:47Z")
It’s interesting that Foreigner played a New Year’s Eve show some years ago where there were no original members in the band; Mick Jones is/was the only OM left, and he was “indisposed” (?) that time. So Velveeta is 100% correct in this instance as it was synthetic Foreigner and Velveeta is synthetic food. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/52 "2014-07-30T15:33:37Z")
Neil Diamond ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/53 "2014-07-30T15:36:20Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I think Journey and/or Foreigner showing up playing the State Fair qualify as cheese. Though Foreigner plays for free to massive crowds, and Journey is full price at the grandstand. Also playing to massive crowds. I would gladly pay to partake of Journey cheddar than free Foreigner Velveeta, though. That’s what I was going to say… old 80’s lite-rock bands still playing to crowds of late-40s/early-50s people who remember them from their teenage years. Astounds me every time they’re advertised on the radio - I think “Who would want to go see Loverboy nowadays?” and then remember there are a bunch of people whose taste stuck in time about 30 years ago. Loverboy was actually the band that came to mind for me, but Journey and Foreigner certainly qualify as well. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/54 "2014-07-30T19:17:11Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Actually, that’s not fair to to Irish. In both cases, it was the Americans who took something awesome (rootsy rural US music, up to and including Hank Williams and the like; and, Irish traditional dancing and music), and partly cheesified it. > > But the Irish can’t complain that Americans appreciate Irish traditional culture only in cheesified form, because the US country music which Irish love is much more cheesified compared to its funkier predecessors (as An Gadai attested above, Riverdance gets most of it pretty much right – it’s more the TSO-esque context which provides the cheese factor.) Garth Brooks’ continued popularity here puzzles me. The aborted concerts sold 400,000 tickets (on an island of 6.2ish million people) but I know not one person in real life or any online acquaintances who bought a ticket or would be interested in going. Apparently 70,000 tickets were sold in other countries but still a hell of a lot of interest in such a small country. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/55 "2014-07-30T19:48:08Z")
Based on the OP definition of “cheese”, I’ll say Joel Osteen. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/56 "2014-07-30T19:53:59Z")
Many of the Vegas perennials are decades past their shelf life. (Charo is ten years beyond that, having convinced a court to fudge her age.) ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/57 "2014-07-31T02:46:38Z")
Madonna Lady Gaga Paul McCartney Bruce Springsteen ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/58 "2014-07-31T04:15:49Z")
Haven’t seen a mention of Barry Manilow, who is widely considered pretty cheesetastic but still (at 71) does a huge business with live gigs in Vegas, all-star concerts, and similar. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/59 "2014-07-31T04:20:53Z")
Don’t the Osmonds still perform? ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568/60 "2014-07-31T13:39:00Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Don’t the Osmonds still perform? Donny and Marie have a standing gig at one of the Vegas casinos. I think it’s the Flamingo. I don’t understand the viability of that arrangement. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iyho-what-are-the-cheesiest-acts-that-still-draw-big-crowds/652568.md?page=4)