THE GOODS : They’re Big; It’s the Page That’s Small

The next time someone asks you, “Do you know when Wayne Newton’s matinee show starts on Saturday in Branson, Missouri?� you can proudly answer in the affirmative if you’re an Internet user.

Information on Newton’s show schedules, plus a description of his new theater (with one of “the most spacious and beautifully decorated lobbies in Branson�) and an audio clip of him singing “Crying On Your Shoulder Again,� can be found on the World Wide Web at https://www.branson.com/branson/newton/wayne.htm.

Old show biz stars no longer fade away, they get home pages.

Even a cursory look through the thousands of performer listings in the music section of the Web’s handy online Yahoo directory (https://www.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Music/Artists) can conjure up numerous former big stars and one-hit wonders who still play concerts or at least have die-hard fans.

Some of these home pages are maintained by the performer or associates. Newton’s, for example, was sponsored by Branson Online, which pumps out information about shows in the Missouri outpost that has become a mecca for show business veterans. The organization’s home pages also include ones for the Lennon sisters, the Osmond Brothers, Mickey Gilley and Yakov Smirnoff (what could his jokes be about now that the Iron Curtain has fallen?).

Far more common are tribute pages maintained by fans. These Web sites generally sport friendly, conversational text written by folks who have kept the faith long after most of the pop world has forgotten their idols.

These pages serve as good examples of how the Web can provide a community meeting place for people from all over the world who will likely never meet each other in person but who share a common interest. The tribute page for The Band, for example, comes out of Norway, where fan Jan Hoiberg has painstakingly put together a history of the group, photos, biographies of band members, audio clips and news about performances by what remains of the group.

There are numerous Web sites devoted to ABBA, the Swedish foursome that has not performed together since 1983 but maintains a devoted following. There are tribute bands, I learned from the sites, that exist only to cover ABBA songs. While I’m one of those people who believe that one version of “Dancing Queen� is more than enough, I did love the name of one of these bands: Bjorn Again.

There is a somewhat poignant site that honors the Allman Brothers Band. The Wisconsin-based maintainers of these pages ask fans to send in old press clippings and reviews that will be sent along to band members. And fans who saw the band at the Woodstock revival are asked to send along information on T-shirts purchased there to help in an effort by band members concerned “that they are not being reimbursed properly for Woodstock Ts that were sold with their name on them.�

There is big news at the site maintained by a fan of Tiffany, whose hit career years stretched from a 1987 performance tour she did of shopping malls to her last top 10 single in 1989. A “Greatest Hits� CD (don’t expect a double set) is coming out, but unfortunately, it’s being released only in Singapore.

Other pages on the Web are devoted to Three Dog Night, Black Sabbath (nothing, however, on the Jewish parody band, Black Shabbas), the Steve Miller Band and Olivia Newton-John, among many others.

And, by the way, the curtain on Wayne’s show goes up at 3 p.m. You still have time to catch a flight.

* Cyburbia’s e-mail address is [email protected].