Sons of Pioneers to play
Old Tucson on Jan. 30
Sons of the Pioneers are slipping into Tucson at the end of January for a show.
Old Tucson is a fitting locale for a band thatβs so closely associated with the Old West. And itβs the perfect time of year β Jan. 30, right as their core audience of winter visitors is settling in for its annual three- or four-month stay.
There was a time years ago when Sons of the Pioneers settled in with their fans in Tucson as winter residents of the long-gone Western-themed restaurants Triple C Chuckwagon and Hidden Valley Inn. The group, known for its iconic Western songs βTumbling Tumbleweeds,β βRiders In the Skyβ and βCool Water,β spent 23 winters in residence here before leaving for good when Hidden Valley Inn closed in early 2006.
The bandβs last Tucson show was in 2012, when it played a Rhythm and Roots show at the Berger Center.
Tickets for the Sons’ Jan. 30 dinner show at Old Tucson at $49.95 per person through Jan. 1 at tickets.oldtucson.com; it goes up to $55 on Jan. 2. The price includes a buffet dinner and the show.
The band is expected to perform two 45-minute sets.
Fox spreading spirit
of holidays this week
Fox Tucson Theatre is determined to put you in a holiday state of mind this week.
There are two shows that might do the trick:
- First up on Thursday, Dec. 17, is βMerry-Achi Christmasβ with Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez. This is the ultimate Southwest inspired holiday show. It starts at 7:30 pm. and tickets are $22 to $56.
- On Saturday, βSisterβs Christmas Catechism,β the holiday installment of the popular comedy show βLate Nite Catechism,β takes us into the classroom as the tart-tongued nun gives her lesson on the story of the Nativity and enlists their help solving the greatest Christmas caper of all: the theft of the gold the three wise men gifted the Baby Jesus. Tickets are $35 to $55.
Get tickets for either show at the box office, 17 W. Congress St., or online at foxtucsontheatre.ticketforce.com Details: foxtucson.com
Johnny Rivers heading to Desert Diamond
It almost seems like a clichΓ© to call Grammy-winning pop singer-songwriter Johnny Rivers the βSecret Agent Manβ singer.
Yes, that was his big hit, but what Rivers has done with his five-decade career goes so far beyond that big feather in his cap. His hit pop songs β both originals and covers β include βPoor Side of Town,β βDo You Wanna Dance,β βBaby I Need Your Loving,β βYouβve Lost That Lovinβ Feeling,β βHelp Me Rhonda,β βMemphis,β βRockinβ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu.β
You can bet he’ll hit those highlights and more when he plays Desert Diamond Casino at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. Tickets are $15 to $45 through startickets.com or at the casino, 1100 W. Pima Mine Road. Details: ddcaz.com
Meet The Socials
at Rialto holiday gig
The Socials, a gigantic R&B and soul revue band that includes a quartet of vocalists and a dynamic horn section, is wrapping St. Nick into its Rialto Theatre Christmas show on Saturday, Dec. 19.
βA Soulful Christmasβ includes holiday music arranged for soul artists including James Brown, Jackson 5, Aaron Neville, Ella Fitzgerald, Otis Redding and Earth, Wind & Fire. This is music firmly in The Socialsβ wheelhouse; the band, regulars at the Gaslight Theatreβs Monday night concert series, includes some of Tucsonβs hardest-working musicians:
- A trio of horn players: Kevin Shumaker, Salvador Lopez and Rick Peron.
- A towering band of music makers: Aaron Emery on drums, Sam Eagon on bass, Richard Katz on piano, percussionist Eric Hines and lead guitar Mike Blommer.
- A quartet of vocalists Rebecca Carlson, Charlie Hall, Genevieve Gaus and Alex Flores.
Saturday’s show starts at 8 p.m. at the Rialto, 318 E. Congress St. Tickets are $16 to $20 at ticketfly.com
Also at the Rialto on Saturday, catch a matinee performance of Tucsonβs take on βA Prairie Home Companionβ when the Arizona Daily Starβs own cartoonist David Fitzsimmons hosts βThe Old Pueblo Radio Show: Garrison Keillor Eat Your Heart Out.β The cast includes Jay Taylor, Lupita Murillo, Marty Bishop and The Arroyo Cafe Players.
The show starts at 1 p.m. and admission is $15 at the door, or $10 and a food donation. Proceeds go to Tu Nidito, Arizona Public Media and the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. Tickets also are available online for $10 at ticketfly.com