Tent Show Radio

First broadcast in 1994, Tent Show Radio is a weekly one-hour radio program showcasing the best live recordings from acclaimed music acts and entertainers who grace the Big Top Chautauqua stage each summer in beautiful Bayfield, WI. In the program's nearly 30 year history it has featured artists like Johnny Cash, B.B King, Brandi Carlile, Willie Nelson, Don McLean, and many more. Hosted by celebrated New York Times best-selling author Michael Perry-who weaves stories and humor throughout each episode - Tent Show Radio features performances from renowned national & regional artists, with regular appearances featuring Big Top’s own unique brand of shows that feature songs and stories performed by its acclaimed house band, The Blue Canvas Orchestra.

Tent Show Radio is independently produced by Big Top Chautauqua, a non-profit performing arts organization, with a mission to present performances and events that celebrate history and the environment - along with their annual summer concert series - nestled in the woods on the shores of Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands.

Don McLean | Episode 23-10

Mar 21, 2023

Grammy Award Nominee, Songwriter Hall of Fame Member, and BBC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Don Mclean hit the road to celebrate 50 years since the release of one of the most iconic songs and albums of all time. Since the eight-and-a-half-minute ballad “American Pie” hit number #1 on the billboard charts in...

Home Free | Episode 23-09

Mar 4, 2023

No instruments. No tracks. No fillers. Praised by the likes of American Songwriter, Billboard, and Rolling Stone, award winning a cappella sensation Home Free return for their third appearance on the Big Top stage this September. Their high-energy and electrifying performances fuse Nashville standards with...

Michael Perry (Stories & Songs) | Episode 23-08

Feb 24, 2023

In an evening reminiscent of the VH1 Storytellers television series, Tent Show Radio host Michael Perry is joined onstage by his longtime bandmate and sometimes personal pilot Evan Middlesworth and additional special guests. In addition to the side-splitting laughs and fresh stories fans have come to expect from Perry,...

Riders In The Sky | Episode 23-07

Feb 17, 2023

Regarded as one of the “most historically significant acts in the history of American music” by Billboard magazine, the GRAMMY award-winning quartet of Ranger Doug, Woody Paul, Too Slim, and Joey the Cowpolka King, have kept the heritage of Western music alive as they have entertained audiences across the world for...

Chris Castino & Chicken Wire Empire | Episode 23-06

Feb 11, 2023

While sitting through COVID lockdowns Chris Castino of Minnesota-based rock'n'roll jam band The Big Wu teamed up with Milwaukee-based bluegrass band Chicken Wire Empire to reimagine some of his catalog into impeccably fitting bluegrass tunes. These songs were transformed and resulted in their collaborative album Fresh...