Best circus act you’ll never see

Brett Barlow conducts the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey band.

By JOHN BENSON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey music conductor Brett Barlow acknowledges the greatest praise he can receive from a “Greatest Show on Earth” audience member is that of being inconspicuous.

“People won’t really be aware that there is a live band,” said Barlow, calling from Salt Lake City. “I sort of take that as a compliment.”

This was the exact scenario recently in Anaheim, Calif., when Gene Simmons of Kiss fame came backstage and was stunned at what he found.

“He didn’t even know there was a band,” Barlow said. “He came over and was very complimentary to the sound and how everything was played well. He said, ‘I have to be honest with you, I didn’t even know there was a band because you guys sounded so good. I thought it was a really good, high-quality recording.’

“I told him I’m a big fan and appreciated him coming out to support live music, even if he didn’t know he was supporting live music.”

Being live, not Memorex, is easier said than done considering the two-plus-hour Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus features numerous animal and live performance acts that vary in length every night. This means no two shows are the same, which in many ways requires the musical outfit to be a jam band, capable of extending solos, truncating numbers and being flexible to make it all one seamless track from start to finish.

“I’m the guy that makes the music fit with the act,” Barlow said. “There’s probably between 400 and 500 different cues in the show, so there’s a lot of things to look for.”

Considering every show is a high-wire act of his own, you can see why the 40-year-old Barlow is attracted to the gig. “The circus provides me an outlet to play music for a living,” said Barlow. “There’s a short list of people who play music for a living. That’s all they do. Some guys play and work at a music store three days a week, but from the time I got here, I said I’d do whatever it took to stay because I really enjoyed it.”

What he didn’t know at the time was that would require him to switch from trombone to trumpet and then to conductor. A full-time member of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey band since 1993, Barlow initially joined the outfit as a temporary player whenever the circus came through his hometown of Oklahoma City, Okla.

Circus life is just fine for Barlow, who met and married veteran Ringling dancer/elephant rider/performer Theresa in 1996. Today the couple lives in Cincinnati, where his wife raises their two kids.

Considering Barlow spends upwards of 50 weeks on the road annually, the centrally located Queen City allows him to get home often during off days. A quick trip home will definitely be in the cards when the 137th Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus comes to Youngstown Friday through Sunday at the Chevrolet Centre. 

Barlow is excited for the new show, dubbed “Bellobration,” which features the antics of comic daredevil performer Bello. After last year’s experiment of introducing a narrative into the circus experience and going away from three rings of action, the conductor said the 137th edition features a classic setup with one major change.

“This time the band is right down on the floor,” Barlow said. “That’s something I really like. I feel really a part of this show more than any other show I’ve ever done, because we’re literally on the stage the whole time.”

He quickly added, “If you miss us, maybe you’re sitting behind an elephant.”