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.

Lil' Mike & Funny Bone

May 27, 2023

Oklahoma City brothers Lil' Mike and Funny Bone, together known as Mike Bone, travel the world as motivational speakers, dancers, and rappers. Though both brothers stand a little over 4 feet tall, what they lack in height they more than make up for with their talent and determination. Through their powerful & inspiring...

Warren Nelson & Friends

May 20, 2023

Warren Nelson began his entertainment career playing folk music with various groups he had formed in his hometown of Fairmont, MN in the early 1960's. His first professional experience came when his my group Nellie’s Folk played a 10-week stand in the Burning Hills Amphitheater in Medora, ND. In 1968, as they became...

Cloud Cult

May 20, 2023

Minnesota’s Cloud Cult has a rich eleven-album history of bucking the mainstream music industry in favor of independently releasing music via their environmentally conscious record label Earthology Records. Hailed as one of the Top 10 Green Bands by Rolling Stone, the band’s philosophical lyrics...

The Music of Riverpants

May 5, 2023

If you’re “fishing” for a good time and want to “reel” with “lunker” laughs, this knee slappin’ musical written by Warren Nelson is sure to do the trick. Energetic musical numbers, hearty fishing songs, mirthful interludes, and classic bits and skits makeup Big Top Chautauqua's musical comedy revue...

Heavy Gus and Sasha Mercedes

Apr 28, 2023

Born of the stark beauty and bittersweet desolation of the high desert, California trio Heavy Gus blurs the lines between grungy garage band fare, hazy surf, and dreamy indie rock on their captivating full-length debut, Notions. Bristling with live-wire electricity, the collection is lean and spare, fueled by distorted...