The Yard Dogs and their traveling road show rolled into Knoxville on Wednesday Oct. 3 and Thursday Oct. 4 to perform at the Bijou Theatre.  The Yard Dogs are a 13-member outfit that consists of dancers, musicians, magicians, comedians and captivating jokers.  

The Yard Dogs along with their opening act, the Gypsy Hands Tribal Dance Troupe performed at the Bonnaroo Music festival this summer in Manchester, Tennessee where many Knoxville locals were first introduced to the acts.  

The Gypsy Hands are a Middle Eastern influenced dance ensemble that was created by featured performer Sara Griscom and has appeared around the country since 2001.  The group's alluring dance moves and choreographed numbers were followed by the circus like antics and hobo cabaret of The Yard Dogs Traveling Road Show.

Front man for the Yard Dogs, Eddie Joe Cotton, lead the group into a series of mythical performances by group members such as sword swallowing, fire eating and musical accompaniment provided by the "cartoon heavy band." The band incorporated several Yard Dog tunes such as "Blockhead," "Red Light," "Ricardo Del Fuego De Manga" and " Driving Down the Road." 

Tobias, the mystic man, took the stage swallowing one sword after another, each being larger than the previous. Have no fear, he warned attendees, "Don't try this at home." 

Miz Love, the beautiful and talented trombone player brought life to the stage through her music and her vocal talents while members of the Black and Blue Burlesque Troupe captured the attention of the audience through extravagant costumes and family-friendly burlesque dancing. 

The evening came to a close with a final tribute song, followed by a short solo from each individual band member.  The audience jumped to their feet following the grand finale for a moving encore and The Yard Dogs thanked Knoxville for its enthusiasm and continured support of the arts.  

The Yard Dogs continune their tour through the end of October.