Great White brings "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" to Prairie Band Casino next Thursday

The long-running hard rock band plays the Mayetta casino's 1,100-seat ballroom on Nov. 5, with tickets listed at $35 plus fees.

A week from tonight, somebody in a ballroom north of Topeka is going to hear the opening of "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" and sing every word before the band gets to the chorus. That's the deal with Great White, who play Prairie Band Casino & Resort in Mayetta on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m.

The casino's own entertainment listing has tickets at $35 plus fees. That's a fair price for a band with a catalog this familiar, and a lower bar than most of the touring rock nights that come through the area. Our records show no earlier Topeka-area date for Great White, so this is a first for us, if not for the folks who wore out the cassette.

The room matters as much as the band. Prairie Band's ballroom holds about 1,100. That's big enough to feel like a real rock show, small enough that you're never squinting at the stage from a far corner. Ballroom shows run differently from a downtown club: you're inside a working casino, so plan for parking, the walk from the lot, and getting in before the 7 p.m. start rather than strolling up at 8:30. Check the venue's page for entry rules before you go.

The Great White on this tour isn't a frozen-in-amber version. The casino's listing describes a long-running hard rock act now fronted by vocalist Brett Carlisle, and it leans on the song that made the band's name: "Once Bitten, Twice Shy," the Grammy-nominated hit that still gets them booked in rooms like this one. If you're going for that one song, you'll get it. If you're going because you liked the whole era of big-chorus, guitar-forward American hard rock, this is a cheap way back in.

It's also a weeknight show, and that makes it easier for a lot of people. A Thursday at Prairie Band means a reasonable drive up U.S. 75 from Topeka, an early start and a show that should let out at a sensible hour. That suits anyone who has to be at work Friday, which is most of the people who bought this music the first time around.

Great White are working through the middle of the country this fall. After Mayetta the next date we have is Omaha on Dec. 4, so anyone in northeast Kansas who wants to see them without a long drive should take this one.

A few practical notes. The casino is the ticket source to trust; buy through Prairie Band's own entertainment page or its official ticketing link, not a reseller with inflated prices. The show is listed at 7 p.m., so eat before or plan around the casino's restaurants. And because this is a casino venue, bring a valid ID.

There's an easy way to be snobby about legacy rock bands playing casino ballrooms, and an easier way to have a great time at one. Next Thursday, in a room of 1,100 people who all know the words, the second option looks like the smart one.

Sources: Epic Entertainment – Prairie Band Casino & Resort (prairieband.com); Shows – Prairie Band Casino & Resort (prairieband.com)