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
Happy Together Tour Preview With Ron Dante
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Your concert plans can change fast when a city’s calendar is packed, so we kick things off with a tight rundown of what’s newly announced and what’s coming next to Jacksonville and St. Augustine. We hit the key stops and the official ticket links, from major arena nights to the buzz around newer rooms like Duval Hall, so you can spend less time hunting and more time actually going to shows.
Then I get to do something I still can’t believe I get to do: talk with Ron Dante, the legendary singer who provided the voice of The Archies. He’s back on the road with the Happy Together Tour, and he walks us through how rehearsals work, why the tour format is built for “hit after hit,” and what it’s like sharing a bill with a stacked lineup that includes returning favorites plus new energy. If you love classic pop, classic rock, and the kind of live show where the whole room sings, this is your kind of conversation.
We also dig into why these songs refuse to fade. Ron shares how “Sugar, Sugar” keeps resurfacing around the world through TikTok and dance culture, and we talk about the deep-cut Archies tracks fans still request, plus what can and can’t fit when eight acts are on one night’s schedule. If you’re heading to the Florida Theater for the Happy Together Tour, you’ll know what to listen for and why the night feels like a soundtrack you get to live inside.
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Welcome And New Show Announcements
SPEAKER_01Welcome to another episode of Live from Jacksonville. I'm your host, Amadeus. A few shows have announced since the last episode. Let's run them down real quick. The Calling have rescheduled their show at 5 Jacksonville for Saturday, September 12th. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and legendary lead singer of Heart, Ann Wilson, will be at the Thrasher Horn Center on Sunday, September 13th. Josh Turner will be performing at the Florida Theater on Friday, September 18th. And Bos Skaggs is coming to the St. Augustine Amphitheater on Wednesday, October 17th. Tickets for all those shows are already on sale at their respective venues of websites. Coming up in a few minutes, I'll be chatting with one of my childhood heroes, Ron Dante, provided the singing voice of animated pop band, The Archies. He's back on the road with the Happy Together tour, singing songs from the Archies as well as some of your favorites by the Turtles. That conversation's
Upcoming Jacksonville Venues And Tickets
SPEAKER_01on the way. But first, let's run down some of the shows coming to town over the next few weeks. Jacksonville's newest music venue, Duval Hall, at the new Jacksonville Fairgrounds on Normandy Boulevard, has Buckethead coming on Wednesday, June 3rd. I got to take a tour of this new venue a few weeks ago, and it is amazing. Check out www.duvalhall.com as well as all the social media apps for Duval Hall. Vice Star Veterans Memorial Arena has Journey's Final Frontier Tour on Saturday, May 16th. Shinedown on Tuesday, May 26th. The Queens, Four Legends one stage with Shaka Khan, Patty Labelle, Gladys Knight, and Stephanie Mills will be at the arena on Sunday, May 31st. And Chris Stapleton's All American Roads Show hits the arena on Thursday, June 11th. Get to arena.jacksevents.com for tickets for any of these shows. The St. Augustine Amphitheater is bringing back Willie Nelson and family for one night only, Thursday, May 21st. Rising Country music star Sam Barber will play the Amp on Saturday, May 23rd. And the Black Crows Southern Hospitality Tour hits the amp on Tuesday, June 2nd. Theamp.com is the site for tickets and to check out other shows coming to the Amp. Over at the Pontavadia Concert Hall, they have former Saturday Night Live cast member Tim Meadows on Friday, May 22nd. Dwayne Betts and Palmetto Motel will be at the concert hall on Wednesday, May 27th. Country singer Cooper Allen on Saturday, May 30th, and former police drummer Stuart Copeland's Have I Said Too Much show is coming to the Pontavadia Concert Hall on Sunday, June 7th. This show is being described as an evening of conversation with photos, videos, and a QA. This should be a really fun show. TVconcerthall.com for
Catching Up With Ron Dante
SPEAKER_01tickets. And finally, the Florida Theater has the Happy Together Tour returning Tuesday, May 26th. Last week I had a chance to chat with Ron Dante, who's on tour singing lead on the Turtles hits, as well as performing songs that he originally recorded as the voice of the animated pop group, The Archies. We started off talking about the bands getting ready for this tour.
SPEAKER_00We hit Atlanta later this month to start rehearsals, and then we're off and running.
SPEAKER_01You may remember it was this time last year when we spoke for the first time, and I completely nerded out on you. I told you six-year-old me would have cried knowing I was talking to Archie Andrews. And now I feel like we're old friends.
SPEAKER_00That's the good thing about connecting.
SPEAKER_01The voices connect, and you never forget that sound. Absolutely. And also, I had to tell you, uh, you know, I went to the Happy Together tour last year at the Florida Theater, and I had so much fun. Me and all my friends had a blast.
SPEAKER_00That's the greatest compliment because you know you want everybody to participate and make it an event for themselves. So this is great.
SPEAKER_01I actually sat next to a couple whose wedding song was Happy Together, and then years later the Happy Together tour started, and they've been to every show since.
SPEAKER_00That song will last forever. I mean, it's just it's people want to be happy together. There's no doubt about it.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Tell
The Happy Together Tour Lineup
SPEAKER_01us about this year's lineup. Who all's coming on the tour?
SPEAKER_00Well, we've got, you know, the association and Gary Puckett, the Cow Sils, of course, and the Vogues. All of us have been on the tour before. But now we've got some fresh blood, we've got new people. We've got the incredible British invasion, the Trogs, going to sing wild thing. And of course, one of my favorite singing groups, The Fortunes, which had two of my favorite, favorite songs ever. You've got your troubles, I've got mine, you know, and Here Comes That Rainy Day feeling again. So the, you know, both between the Trogs and the Fortune is just great. And then we have an extra added bonus with Jason Schaff, who one of the best singers around, and he's been with Chicago for you know for you know 16 years. And he's gonna be doing some of those great Chicago songs. So I think the audience is gonna get eight acts this year. So it's it's it's bigger and better than ever.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that is a lot of acts. And now that I've been to one show and I know the format, I love the way it's just rolled out hit after hit after hit.
SPEAKER_00You know, when they conceived it, they said we've gotta give the audience what they want. And with all these acts and things, would sing they've got to sing their favorite songs, and that's what they've designed the the whole show for. And uh I have to credit Mark Volman for putting it together with with the uh promoters. Uh they had that idea, the Turtles had this idea to add people to their shows and make it a real event, and it worked, and it's only gotten bigger and bigger and better.
Why These Songs Still Connect
SPEAKER_01It really is uh for people of a certain age, the soundtrack of our life, and it's sharing all these great memories and sharing the experience of living out this music together.
SPEAKER_00Exactly, exactly. And the funny thing is, and the good thing is that these songs have a life of their own. Um you know, my my stuff, you know, uh sugar sugar is is all over the world. Young kids are dancing to it. Five and ten-year-old kids in dancing classes are dancing to sugar sugar. Every day I must see 30 or 40 TikTok videos with people from China, from Russia, from South America, uh all over dancing to sugar sugar. And of course, the other songs, you know, Happy Together, Gary Pocket's great hits. I mean, it's it's you know, you you you can't beat it. The songs have a life of their own, as I said.
SPEAKER_01They really do. I'm
Archies Favorites And Setlist Hopes
SPEAKER_01not gonna put you to the fire and make you promise anything, but I'm also a really big fan of Bang Shang-A-Lang.
SPEAKER_00I love doing it. I just got off a big cruise out of Florida, uh, Flower Power Cruise. And uh you know, I had to do Bang Shang-A-Lang and Jingle Jangle. I had to do a few of the great Archie songs for that. Um hopefully we'll squeeze one of those into the uh my set uh c coming up this year this year's tour.
SPEAKER_01Man, if you can squeeze in bang shang-alang or jingle jangle, I would be so happy.
SPEAKER_00So we're rehearsing. I've got to go down and tell the guys which songs I want to do. The uh the amount of acts that are on the build, uh we're not getting as much time as we uh we usually get, but it's still gonna be enough to satisfy the fans.
SPEAKER_01That is awesome. The show
Florida Theater Details And Goodbye
SPEAKER_01is Tuesday, May 26th at the Florida Theater, the Happy Together Tour, one of the most fun events you'll have all year long. Tickets are available at Floridatheater.com. Thank you so much, Ron, for your time today. Again, I feel like we're old friends now. I can't even believe six-year-old me is talking to Archie Andrews. It doesn't escape me any chance we get to connect.
SPEAKER_00Well, you're very welcome. I'm happy to do it. Um please stop by the merch booth before the show. I'll probably be out there signing some autographs.
SPEAKER_01That's fantastic. Ron, thank you again for your time. It's been a great pleasure to talk to you last year and today, and I really look forward to seeing the new show this year. Thank you. We'll see you at the show. Tickets for the Happy Together tour are available at Floridatheater.com. That's going to wrap up this episode. I'll be back with another soon to let you know what's happening live from Jacksonville.