The Rosebud Theatre

The Rosebud Theatre is now known as the Effingham Performance Center. Just wanted to stick that in before I got started.
The first time I heard about the Rosebud, I was in complete disbelief. This is EFFINGHAM — not St. Louis, not even Springfield. What on earth is that kind of place doing in Effingham?! I was even more surprised to see the Firefly Grill next door, which looks like it was somehow caught up in a bad tornado and moved from Napa to Effingham.
Anyway, once I got over the initial Twilight Zone feeling, I checked their concert list. Although there were a few big names, there wasn’t anyone I wanted to see at the moment. I forgot they existed.
A few months later, I was browsing the tour dates on Air Supply’s website (yeah, I do that) when I noticed, of all places, the Rosebud! Who could miss that?
The only downside to the Rosebud (ok, ok, the EPC) is that tickets are expensive. We’re not talking about $ 5 more than a similarly small venue elsewhere. I was used to paying $ 20−30/ticket for Air Supply at other venues vs almost $ 70/​ticket for the mid-​priced seats. Of course, when you factor in that you no longer have to drive 1 – 2 hours to get to a bigger city, you don’t need a hotel room, etc., it’s not bad at all.
As a facility, this place is not exactly world-​class, but it’s definitely much nicer than anything you would expect to find in Effingham, Illinois. The bathrooms are very nice, the concessions area is clean, and the parking is convenient and plentiful. The auditorium itself is also pretty nice (much nicer than a dirty, sticky amphitheatre-​type place).
In checking out their website just now, I noticed that REO Speedwagon will be there soon… this may call for a trip to Effingham.