Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "In the past, when the Billys have been on break for a couple days, they've moved the Laughing Stock comedy group in there." I saw them do a show out in front of the GH the last time I was at DL. They were hilarious.
Originally Posted By utahjosh I'll miss them. They were extremely talented, extremely funny, and put on a marvelous show in the Golden Horseshoe. I only caught them once at the Ranch, and I think it was LESS intimate out there. Billy (Kirk Wall) even helped me propose to my wife during one of the shows!
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance I've never seen them. Never really had a desire to though, it's not really my kind of entertainment. I feel bad for those guys though, they seemed to really enjoy what they did and it's kinda sad they won't get to do it anymore.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<I feel bad for those guys though, they seemed to really enjoy what they did and it's kinda sad they won't get to do it anymore.>> Plenty of theaters available in Branson. They would fit right in here! ;-)
Originally Posted By Yookeroo "In the past, when the Billys have been on break for a couple days, they've moved the Laughing Stock comedy group in there, but I don't think they would be a good permanent fit." It's the Laughing Stock guys. "As with the Billys, it's kind of awkward to have a big stage like that for a show with so much audience interaction" The original GHR had plenty of audience interaction.
Originally Posted By mawnck Here's the thing: The GH was built specifically to house the GHR. It was an attraction, not a show venue. Putting *anything* else in there, whether it be the Hillbillies or any other performance, is like having a rock band play the Tiki Room, or a tapdance competition in Muppetvision. It's an incongruity that might be adequate in a pinch, but it's a poor fit for the environment, and yet another violation of the whole Disneyland concept of immersive theming. Billy Hill and his crew are talented guys and I wish them well, but their act never should have been headlining the GH. That venue needs a SHOW, not an act.
Originally Posted By DBitz2 >>Does anybody know what's currently in the Golden Horseshoe? I know they did some sort of game testing a few weeks ago for a couple days, but is there any sort of regular entertainment going on? Or is it just a seating area for the snack bar now?<< When they moved The Billy's back to the Jamboree, they moved Laughingstock performances into the Horseshoe. They perform there much of the time. Although, last weekend I saw them out in front of the Horseshoe. I have to wonder why they didn't just move the Billy's back to the Horseshoe, as Laughingstock could return to outdoor performances. Maybe they're planning a new Revue for the Horseshoe. Who knows. As to the comments about the Billy's "schtick", while some of you more "sophisticated city slickers" may not appreciate that so much, there are many of us out there with backgrounds who relate to that kind of thing. I grew up in Texas, going to Six Flags Over Texas and Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. That schtick was, and still is, a staple at SDC, in particular. So, I can relate to it. I've gone to the Cowboy Festival at Melody Ranch Motion Picture ranch many times. You city folk would probably be amazed at how many fans of Western style entertainment there really are in the "big city" Southern California. Even though I loved the Revue shows in the Horseshoe and was diappointed when they cancelled them, I grew to really love and appreciate the Billy's. I've actually watched them more since they've been at the Jamboree, as it's a little easier to catch them there. So, I have grown to appreciate and love them even more. I will sorely miss them. At at time when so many pieces of magic of the park are being chippped away, it adds even more to the pain of loss. Hopefully, they have some worthwhile new entertainment planned to fill the void rather than just canning the Billy's with nothing to take their place.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "That venue needs a SHOW, not an act." Yes, yes, yes. <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4zc1fMLux1rwcc6bo1_500.gif">http://24.media.tumblr.com/tum..._500.gif</a>
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>I have to wonder why they didn't just move the Billy's back to the Horseshoe, as Laughingstock could return to outdoor performances.<< I was under the impression that the Billys were moved to the Festival Arena to anchor that area and provide a big draw to get guests back in the area. Presumably they could have been moved back to the saloon, but that would have left the arena empty. That said, it appears that both will be empty most days; I wonder if they're planning to discontinue the use of the arena for day guests, and return it to a for-hire space >>As to the comments about the Billy's "schtick", while some of you more "sophisticated city slickers" may not appreciate that so much, there are many of us out there with backgrounds who relate to that kind of thing.<< I grew up in a mid-sized city in North Carolina, where bluegrass is extremely popular. I found the music that they performed to be top-notch, but didn't feel the same way about the talking between songs. For me, it was a little too "Hey look at us, we're hillbillies! We have crooked teeth and talk different! Isn't that funny!?", to the point of being borderline offensive to people from Appalachia. It always seemed to be popular with the audience, but it always left an unsavory flavor in my mouth. The Miner 49ers in DCA (also discontinued, no?) did a better job of just playing great music and having more informal interactions with the audience, so I guess there was a different venue for that type of performance.
Originally Posted By disneylandfan8 Obviously, different strokes for different folks. No more Billy Hill and the Hillbillies LP Meets on July 17th. Sad.
Originally Posted By DBitz2 >>I was under the impression that the Billys were moved to the Festival Arena to anchor that area and provide a big draw to get guests back in the area. Presumably they could have been moved back to the saloon, but that would have left the arena empty. That said, it appears that both will be empty most days; I wonder if they're planning to discontinue the use of the arena for day guests, and return it to a for-hire space.<< Yes, it was also my impression that they moved the Billy's back to the Jamboree to try and draw more people back to the area. Indeed, I visited the "Jamboree" when they first started it up and it WAS pretty dead back there. The Billy's did draw more folks back there for sure. The Parks Blog post implied that the Jamboree area would continue to be used for the special events that they've been using it for, but sans the Billy's. Maybe they'll be increasing or lengthening some of those special events, or holding some back there they have had in other areas of the parks. I guess we'll see. I LOVE going back to the ranch because it's kind of relaxing and peaceful back there. Maybe it gets me in touch with my farmboy roots, too, haha!
Originally Posted By phruby They've been around for 20 years. It's time for a new act and new blood. Besides, they will probably get mixed into something new. As for the festival area, when are they going to begin construction on Geyser Mountain or Discovery Bay? I've been waiting my whole life for that!
Originally Posted By Bellella So what happens to the Golden Horseshoe now? Totally yes on Discovery Bay!!! If they have to lose Big Thunder Ranch (and that's if they REALLY have to,) Discovery Bay would be a great replacement.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Billy Hill and the Hillbillies would be FANTASTIC theme-park entertainment... at Silver Dollar City near Branson instead of at Disneyland.
Originally Posted By hbquikcomjamesl I'm confused. If they're at BTR, then what's been in the Golden Horseshoe since they moved?
Originally Posted By hbquikcomjamesl I only saw the original GHR once or twice, I think after Wally Boag had retired, but Fulton Burley was still performing. I thought BH&HB was a decent enough act, but not as good as the original GHR.
