10 Artists that Have Performed in the Disneyland Resort (and One That Didn’t)

Inspired by a viral craze that swept Facebook this week, we here at LP decided to jump on this “10 concerts, one lie” bandwagon, but with a twist. Here’s what we posted last night on our Facebook page:

So which is the lie? Let’s go through the list one by one to find out:

The Carpenters — TRUE

While the video above is adorable, it’s not what actually qualified Richard and Karen Carpenter for our list. In actuality, the duo performed fairly regularly at the resort. Additionally, Richard is said to have written the song “Mr. Guder” about a Disneyland boss he didn’t care for.

Kool and the Gang — TRUE

When you’re ringing in the New Year at Disneyland, it’s a real “Celebration.” That’s probably why Kool brought his Gang to the Happiest Place on Earth to welcome guests into 1981.

The Beach Boys — TRUE

https://youtu.be/Ij_-l8xkz7w?t=4m37s

As someone on our Facebook mentioned, whether you truly count this depends on your level of Beach Boy fandom — A.K.A. how much you hate Mike Love. But, strictly speaking, The Beach Boys did perform at the resort, both at the opening of Disney’s California Adventure and again for the parks short-lived Rockin’ the Bay series. Still, their most famous Disney-related performance has to be the one above, which was used in the official music video for “Kokomo.”

Mariah Carey — TRUE

Before Mariah Carey’s infamous New Year’s Rockin’ Eve debacle, the songstress pulled off some great performances in the Disney Parks, including singing “All I Want for Christmas” on the 2016 Disney Parks Christmas Parade. As you can see above, she also performed on Live with Kelly and Michael back in 2015.

The Village People — TRUE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TTv2X5lzGk

Secretly we knew that this one would trip some people up. But it’s true — the Village People were also part of the aforementioned Rockin’ the Bay concert series in DCA’s early days. As you can see, they’ve also performed in Epcot.

Linda Ronstadt – TRUE

According to the LA Times, Linda Ronstadt not only performed at Disneyland in 1971 but also brought along Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner to be her band. Those four would later for on the form The Eagles. How’s that for some Disney rock history?

The Bangles -TRUE

Demonstrating how sparsely attended Disney’s California Adventure was in its first years, finding video of the Rockin’ the Bay concerts has proven quite difficult (above is a cover by The Suffragettes). But you’ll have to trust that the 80’s group behind hits like “Walk Like an Egyptian” and “Manic Monday” was on the bill and, thus, they qualify for our list.

No Doubt – TRUE

You might not expect that Orange County’s own No Doubt would actually perform in Disneyland considering that their breakthrough album is titled Tragic Kingdom. However, the band members have appeared in the park multiple times, including in in 2002 when the Mayor of Anaheim presented the band with the keys to the city before they performed in the Fantasyland Theater for a KROQ broadcast.

The Go-Gos — FALSE

Hearing “Vacation” while visiting a land of Fantasy makes perfect sense right? It might, but that doesn’t mean that the Go-Gos have performed that tune or any of their other hits in the resort. Did we use them as our lie because we counted on you not knowing the difference between the Go-Gos and the Bangles? We cannot confirm that.

Mary J. Blige — TRUE

https://youtu.be/68lKCSSGk6w?t=45m51s

While Walt Disney World seems get most of the love when it comes to chart toppers stopping by to perform for the annual Christmas Parade taping, Disneyland has been known to host some stars as well. Case in point: Mary J. Blige who performed in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle back in 2013.

Elton John – TRUE

Finally, the legendary Elton John has performed at the Disneyland Resort multiple times in the past. For one, he played his classic “The Circle of Life” in celebration of Disneyland’s 60th anniversary. He also held a concert in DCA’s Hyperion Theatre in honor of Yamaha’s 125th anniversary.

So did you guess correctly? Let us know in the comments!