Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country Gets Wilder with Willy Wonka-Themed Halloween Show
Photo Credit: Dino Perrucci
On Thursday, Oct. 31, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country filled Milwaukee’s Turner Hall Ballroom with tricks and treats during a Willy Wonka-inspired Halloween staging. Billed as “The Cosmic Chocolate Factory,” the holiday affair featured Wonka-themed costumes and gags, homages to the 1971 film adaptation, and a number of other sugar-sweet surprise songs. Floating through hits and covers, the band called on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s “Pure Imagination” as a whimsical touchstone and groovy refrain throughout the night.
After kicking off the evening with “Free Wheelin’, the genre-bending guitarist moved into an apt rendition of “Sugar Shack,” followed by an array of fan-favorite originals. A rendition of Memphis, Tenn. blues classic “Mystery Train” emerged next, followed by the first treatment of “Pure Imagination,” which blended into a delightfully Dead version of American Beauty staple “Candyman.” Next, the band took a trip down the Chocolate River with “Down by the Riverside” and Johnny Cash’s “Big River.”
Following “Grandpa Joe”-themed gags and theatrics, as well as the distribution of candy and Golden Tickets, the ensemble came face to face with Oompa Loompas during “Oompa Loompa,” followed by a psychedelic “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” that kicked off “The Wondrous Boat Ride.” After returning to his own canon with “Double Exposure,” Donato brought an homage to the Violet Beauregarde in a trio of era-spanning blue-themed tracks: “Blueberry Hill,” “Tangled Up In Blue” and “Blue (Da Ba Dee).”
The rest of the night saw covers of “Big Rock Candy Mountain,” “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys” and “Samson and Delilah,” as well as fan favorites like “Going Down,” “Luck of the Draw” and the thematically-suited “Sugar Leg Rag.” Following the group’s Halloween festivities, the Cosmic Country band will return to the stage at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom & Cervantes’ Other Side in Denver on Nov. 14, 15 and 16 alongside Kitchen Dwellers. For tickets and more information on Donato’s ongoing fall tour, visit danieldonato.com/tour.
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