Amy Friedl returns to the Paramount for her 10th holiday concert

When Amy Friedl made her debut at the Paramount Theater in 2008, she never dreamed she would be planning her 10th show as headliner.

"Back then, I was in the follies and I had one solo at the Paramount," Friedl said. "It was amazing and now I'm back yet again at a show at a theater, which is such an asset to our city. This is the biggest show I do all year, and I'm beyond excited."

"Amy Friedl's Christmas at the Paramount,“ slated for Saturday, Dec. 13, mixes traditional and contemporary Christmas songs.

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"I get to sing my favorite Christmas songs," Friedl said. "Nothing beats that. Who doesn't love singing the holiday favorites at this time of year?"

"Rocking Around the Christmas Tree" and "Run, Run Rudolph" are some of the familiar, up-tempo favorites Friedl will deliver.

It's a balanced set that also features a number of the most meaningful songs of the season.

"We always do a version of ‘What Child Is This,’“ Friedl said. "That's such a wonderful song."

However, the show is far from predictable since Friedl will render her share of left of center cuts.

"We're doing an '80s rock ballad. I'm singing a lesser known Sara Bareilles song, 'Love is Christmas.' It's a beautiful ballad. It's about sharing the joy and love for Christmas."

Friedl, 43, can't help but toss in some tunes from the Reagan era.

"I was born in 1982, so I love the '80s," Friedl said. "You can't escape your childhood. I love the songs from the '70s, but the '80s is my core decade. The '80s was all about excess. I loved the big hair, the big sound and the showmanship."

Friedl is such a fan of '80s pop that she caught the one-hit wonder duo Nelson, the twin sons of the late singer-songwriter Ricky Nelson, while in New York.

"I went to see them at Birdland Jazz Club in 2019," Friedl said. "They look completely different without their enormous hair."

The lifelong Bangles fan will also play some non-Christmas songs that have nothing to do with the '80s.

"One of my favorite songs that I'll be singing is ‘I Miss the Mountains,’ from ‘Next to Normal,’ Friedl said. "I'll be doing another favorite song, 'Fight the Dragons.' Those songs aren't holiday songs but they fit the show."

Friedl will be backed by a six-piece band, led by Friedl's longtime music director Luke Viertel.

"He and I have have an amazing relationship," Friedl said. "It's wild since when we started doing this show at the Paramount, we knew everyone in the crowd. Now there are all of these people in the audience we don't know, and we laugh and wonder what they're doing out there. We're just so thankful that people show up to enjoy what we do. They allow me to do what I've always loved to do."

The Mount Vernon High School alum became serious about music while attending Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, where she studied vocal performance.

"I had a great experience there, and after that I went back to Kirkwood (Community College) and did the jazz program. I learned to sing in a straight tone at Kirkwood. I credit the jazz program there with what I do now. It's a great school that so many people here take for granted."

Friedl has passed along her love of music to her son Weston, who is 13 and is following in his mother's footsteps.

"He has the music bug," Friedl said. "He has the lead in the (Mount Vernon) Middle School musical, which is 'High School Musical.' He plays Troy. The cool thing is that we're both headliners in different cities on the same night. His show opens the same night I do my Fleetwood Mac show in Des Moines this month."

Fleetwood Mac is a sweet spot for Friedl since she'll be singing the hits from the '70s and '80s.

"I've always been an old soul," Friedl said. "I always listen to my mom's records from the '60s, '70s and '80s. I would listen to bands like Fleetwood Mac and those Christmas classics. I get to sing both of them from the stage. The Christmas songs mean a lot to me and so does performing at the Paramount. Scott Piqued, who runs the Paramount, is incredible. Putting together a show at the Paramount takes a ton of manpower. The Christmas show at the Paramount requires the most work I do during the year, but the payoff is really big."