LIVE FROM JACKSONVILLE! with Amadeus
99.9 Gator Country morning show host Amadeus shares stories that did not make it on the air, and he takes a deeper dive into those that did make the cut. Fans of Your Hometown Morning Show will enjoy a more behind the scenes look at what goes into the making of a country radio morning show. Listen daily for this PG-13 version of the top stories making pop culture headlines, artist interviews, and much , much more.
LIVE FROM JACKSONVILLE! with Amadeus
Live from Jacksonville: Your Ultimate Guide to Upcoming Shows
The entertainment scene in Jacksonville is absolutely buzzing, and this episode brings you the complete rundown of must-see performances hitting our local venues over the next few weeks. From hip-hop royalty to country sensations, comedy icons to rock legends—we've got the insider details on everything worth marking your calendar for.
Discover what's happening at Decca Live, Jacksonville's exciting new downtown venue, where 50 Cent will be performing on March 28th and rising country star Lily Rose takes the stage April 6th. While Daily's Place remains relatively quiet until May due to stadium construction, their summer lineup promises incredible shows from T-Pain, Old Dominion, Vampire Weekend, Avril Lavigne, and Shania Twain—plus a major announcement dropping soon. We also cover upcoming performances at the St. Augustine Amphitheater, Thrasher Horn Center, and Florida Theater to ensure you don't miss any of the action.
The highlight of this episode features two fascinating interviews with performers heading to the Florida Theater. First, Jimmy Failla shares his remarkable journey from cab driver to Fox News host, offering wisdom wrapped in humor: "When they call you an overnight success, what they really mean is this guy's been working the overnight shift for 20 years." His "Everybody Calm Down Tour" arrives March 29th. We also catch up with comedian Matt Matthews amid his chaotic house-moving schedule (farm animals included!) to discuss his sold-out "Boujee on a Budget Tour" stop on March 21st and his upcoming music releases. Whether you're a concert enthusiast, comedy lover, or simply seeking entertainment options, this episode delivers your complete guide to Jacksonville's vibrant performance calendar. Subscribe now and never miss another show announcement!
Welcome to Episode 7 of Live from Jacksonville. Man, these weeks are starting to fly by. I'm Amadeus from 99.9 Gator Country. This whole podcast is all about things that are coming to Jacksonville over the next few weeks Concerts, comedians, lots of comedians, other shows like that Every week. I just try to keep you informed on what's happening in the next two to three weeks so if you want to go see a show, you'll know what's coming up.
Speaker 1:There's a new venue in downtown Jacksonville called Decca Live. Lots of up-and-coming acts and club DJs, but a couple worth mentioning 50 Cent or Fitty will be at Decca on Friday March 28th. That should be a really fun show. And country singer Lily Rose on Sunday April 6th. That should be a sellout. This is one of those up-and-coming young country artists that just really made a name for herself, I think, like on Sirius or some of the other platforms, and just has a huge following. She was at the Clay County Fair I believe it was last year, and I think she was the reason VIP was completely sold out. So if you're a fan of Fitty or Lily Rose, they're going to be at DecaLive. Check out DecaLivecom to check out their full lineup and, like I said, they got a lot of acts coming. I checked it out. A lot of them I don't even know I don't know the EDM DJs and the club DJs but they have a full calendar. So check that out. Daily's Place right there at Everbank Stadium is kind of quiet right now, until May. You know they got that construction going on as they're building the stadium of the future, but they do have some really big shows lined up for the summer, including T-Pain Sticks with Kevin Cronin from REO Speedwagon, old Dominion will be there, vampire Weekend, avril Lavigne and Shania Twain later in the summer and they have a major, major announcement coming Monday morning at 10 am. Make sure you check out my Live from Jacksonville Facebook page and I'll get that posted on there as well. Go to dailiesplacecom to purchase tickets to any of these shows and to find out about that big show coming on Monday morning.
Speaker 1:The St Augustine Amphitheater has Foreigner this Sunday, march 16th. Diana Ross, tuesday, march 18th. Widespread Panic is playing three dates March 21st, 22nd and 23rd and we'll dive into the early April shows on next week's podcast. They got a lot coming as well. Theampcom is their website if you want to take a peek at all that and the Thrasher Horn Center, joe Nichols this Thursday, march 27th, and Turn to Stone, a tribute to ELO, on Monday, march 31st. Now, don't forget, william Shatner will be at the Thrasher Horn Center on August 3rd. That's a Sunday night for a Q&A, immediately following a screening of Star Trek II, the Wrath of Khan. Tickets are starting to move for that one, so if you want to be a part of that, make sure you get to thcenterorg to get your tickets.
Speaker 1:Coming to the Florida Theater. Well, well, we've got a couple of interviews coming related to the florida theater, but first let's run down what's happening. Country music legend tracy lawrence will be at the florida theater this thursday, that's march 20th. Keb mo and sean colvin on monday, march 24th, and the little river band thursday, march 27th. Now, both of my guests on this episode are coming to the Florida Theater in the next couple of weeks. First up, we have Jimmy Fela, who has a show on Fox News called Saturday Night with Jimmy Fela, how appropriate. And he also hosts a nationally syndicated radio show called Fox Across America. That airs right here in Jacksonville on WOKV every afternoon. We chatted right before he was getting ready to go into makeup for an appearance on Fox TV a couple of days ago, I started the conversation by telling Jimmy that he was following some great footsteps that had just appeared at the Florida Theater, including Brian Kilmeade and Lou Elizondo.
Speaker 2:Well the good news is he got the amazing shows out of the way. Now you can move on to the I'm kidding. Now you can move on to the mediocre shows.
Speaker 1:I'm super excited to talk to you. I work in country radio. I do mornings, but when I'm not here I'm listening to WOKV and I love your show.
Speaker 2:Oh, thanks for that man. My show for real has two superpowers. Okay, one is anybody who listens to it walks away feeling like they too could get a national talk show. They're like if this dope has a show. But the other hook is I am like a regular guy. I drove a taxi for a long time and I kind of see the world through that lens. If I'm just talking to people on the radio like they jumped into my cab for a quick ride to the airport, or I'm taking them to a meeting and I'm just trying to, like you know, in your car you don't want a hostile vibe in the backseat of your taxi. You know, because you can't see the guy, you're looking at the street he could reach over his shoulder and punch you in the head. So I kind of do radio that way. I'm basically trying not to get punched in the head by the listeners and that's the vibe, like if it works for you, it's fun radio because it's an easy hang.
Speaker 1:You know I hear you on the radio talking about being a cab driver all the time, but I don't know how did you go from cab driver to amazing standup comedian, to talk show and Fox News? How did that happen?
Speaker 2:Well, this is the truth. I was doing stand-up. I was driving a cab during the day and doing stand-up at night. So one night I was performing down at the Gotham Comedy Club. This is like 10 years into this odyssey of driving a cab 5 am to 5 pm and then you go write jokes at a diner and then you get on stage around 7, 38 o'clock and on one particular night there was a booker from Fox who saw me on stage and was like hey man, do you want to come by and be on Kennedy's show tomorrow? And I did, but I was still driving a cab.
Speaker 2:So the first time I appeared at Fox I had a yellow cab out front, double parked. I put the trunk open and the hazards on, because that makes the cops look like you're going in to pick up something heavy so they don't write you a parking ticket. And that really was. It's funny. My first goal when I appeared on Fox News was don't get a parking ticket. And now it's turned into whatever the heck it is. I get a radio show, I get a Saturday night TV show and it's really an incredible ride. But I tell the story a lot just because I want to remind people. It's like life has a way of convincing you that you are trapped, you know, but you're only as trapped as your willingness to keep going and kind of shawshank your way out of this mess. And that's why I really tell the story. I'm sort of trying to like inspire people and give them perspective.
Speaker 1:So the whole thing the Saturday night on Fox and the radio show that wasn't like your long-term goal when it first happened.
Speaker 2:Well, I will tell you this when I was a little kid, I wanted to host my own TV show, exactly the show I'm hosting. I had a fifth grade teacher who told me, mrs Pascana, she was a nice lady and she told me to go home and watch the Tonight Show. She's like you should ask your parents to stay up and watch Johnny Carson. This is going to sound crazy, but I'm telling you, you could host one of those shows someday. And she said that to me and I don't know if she was day drunk in the faculty room or she had just seen my report card and realized I didn't have any other options in life. But like, I believed her and I really spent probably every day from fifth grade on up to I guess I was 46 years old at the time I got this show Wow. So it took a minute.
Speaker 2:But I was a believer, like when I was driving a cab. I wanted to do this stuff. I just didn't know how it was going to happen. Meaning I was doing stand-up, I was auditioning for stuff, but the breakthrough took a while. And that's the point is you know what, amadeus, when they tell you someone is an overnight success, what they really mean is, you know, when they call you an overnight success is, this guy's been working the overnight shift for 20 years and nobody heard of him. And now they kind of have, and it's cool. It's a cool story, but man, what a long road.
Speaker 1:Holy heck. It's amazing when we get to our age to look back at all the things we did. Even, like you said, back as a kid I would lay in my bed listening to Casey Kasem, thinking I want to do that one day. And then you just keep following all those little branches until you get to where you are, and now it's the Everybody Calm Down Tour.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. It is pretty amazing and that's what I'm trying to do. It's called Everybody Calm Down, because I really is an opportunity to opiate the masses, like take the edge off, get people to chill out a little bit, and that's like the bigger point of my stand-up tour is. You know, if you know me from Fox or you've never heard of me, you know the show is for both of those crowds, because I'm not really showing up to do like a rally, I'm just showing up to laugh at the world. It's like the world's on fire. As a comedian, you're just the guy who roasts the marshmallows. I don't know how to put out the blaze. I have no clue.
Speaker 1:I have never heard that comparison.
Speaker 2:That is brilliant, I love that I'll stick with these drugs. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Well, I know you have a ton going on in your life. You're working day and night. I see you all the time on Fox. I hear your radio show, so I appreciate your time today On Fox. I hear your radio show, so I appreciate your time today. Everyone is looking forward to seeing you Saturday, march 29th at the Florida Theater. Jimmy Fela, the Everybody Calm Down Tour, and tickets are available at floridatheatercom.
Speaker 2:It's going to get nuts. It is going to get absolutely nuts. And just one other reminder you are seeing me in my natural habitat, like, if you see me on TV, you see me on radio. It's kind of what I do for a living, but it's not where I started, as I said, as a cab driver and a comic. I'm kind of like a feral cat, and Fox domesticated me and they taught me how to live in the house without clawing the furniture or peeing on things for no reason. And when you see me do stand-up, it's my chance to sneak out of the house and kill a few mice in the yard. So I hope everybody enjoys.
Speaker 1:I think it's going to be fun to see a different side of Jimmy that we don't get to hear on the radio or see on Fox News Yep.
Speaker 2:The only thing that'll look familiar are the bad fashion choices, but other than that, it's going to be nuts.
Speaker 1:Perfect. Well, we look forward to seeing you again. Thank you for your time. Get to makeup. I know you got another thing to do.
Speaker 2:I am. I'm going right now, and it's the worst because I can tell they're going to yell at me because I ate too much last night and when you come into the makeup chair and your face looks a little swollen from all the salt, I usually get like a talking to. So the next time you see me I will probably have had a cigarette put out of my face.
Speaker 1:But this is a great hangout day.
Speaker 2:See, this is why I only do radio. Yeah, I'm starting to rethink this. You're right, good stuff.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much, jimmy.
Speaker 2:You're the best buddy I'll see you soon, Amadeus, Take care brother.
Speaker 1:Also coming to the Florida Theater, matt Matthews. He'll be there on Friday, the 21st of March. Now this show is sold out, but I have seen them release a couple of tickets here and there over the last few days, so if you're a big Matt Matthews fan, you want to check back periodically. When I got a chance to talk with Matt Matthews earlier this week, I had just seen on his Facebook page that he was getting ready for a big move. So I asked him have you moved yet?
Speaker 3:You know what? I'm literally packing boxes in the car as we speak.
Speaker 1:I was on your Facebook page just checking some things out and I'm like, oh damn, I wonder if he's even moved yet.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we're trying to get things moved and I don't have a whole lot of time in between shows, so we're trying to utilize the little bit of time that we have in between shows to get things moved. It's a struggle.
Speaker 1:How's the tour going?
Speaker 3:The tour's great. It's a lot of work, it's very tiring, but I love it. It's going great.
Speaker 1:Do you live on a farm? Because I saw some videos where you were like snuggling up with a pig and I think there was a donkey on your head.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I do. We have a lot of farm animals.
Speaker 1:So where you're moving to, will it be the farm animals there as well? Yeah, we'll take everybody with us.
Speaker 3:Yeah that's awesome. Right now, we're just focusing on touring, my album coming out in late spring. My first two singles are releasing in a couple of weeks, so that's pretty much everything that we're focusing on at the moment.
Speaker 1:And then the YouTube comedy special just came out as well, right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, my special just came out last week, I think, so lots of things happening.
Speaker 1:Yeah, sounds like you're being super, super busy.
Speaker 3:Yes, for sure.
Speaker 1:Well, the show at the Florida Theater is on Friday, march 21st, the Bougie on a Budget Tour. What can people expect on the live show?
Speaker 3:21st, the Bougie on a Budget tour. What can people expect on the live show? You know it's a lot of. This show is kind of what my life has been like on the road for the last two years and kind of the experiences that I've had, you know, while I've been on tour for my first tour and we talk a lot about you know all the things that you can't talk about on the Internet. So it's a lot of fun and we do a lot of crowd interaction and we do live confessions at the end of every show. So it's a lot of fun. It's not for the faint of heart, so I tell people you know, if you're easily offended, stay home.
Speaker 1:We're looking forward to seeing you here in Jacksonville. The Florida Theater it's floridatheatercom for all the show details.
Speaker 3:I'm excited to be there.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for your time. Happy move, absolutely. Thank you so much, and tickets for both Jimmy Fela and Matt Matthews are available at floridatheatercom. Thanks for tuning in. As always, I'm here to keep you informed on what's happening live from Jacksonville.