by Jackie Brett Send Me E-mail

The new year will start off at the Riverside with Collin Raye headlining Don’s Celebrity Theatre Friday-Sunday, Jan. 3-5 at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $30.

Raye shot to fame with his song “Love, Me” in 1991, which became the cornerstone for his career built on meaningful and emotional songs. When “Little Rock,” an anthem for those struggling with addiction recovery, hit the chart in 1994, its video led to more than 100,000 phone calls to Alcoholics Anonymous from folks seeking help. “Not That Different” was a song which pleaded for tolerance. “In This Life” became a wedding favorite, and, “I Think About You” won awards for its song and video, which exposed the exploitation of women and children. Raye has consistently used his stardom to advance social causes.

AVI SWINGS INTO 2020 WITH DANCE MUSIC

New Year’s Eve will be celebrated at the Avi with Jazzin’ Jeanne Brei & The Speakeasy Swingers, a seven-piece swing band, performing two 90-minute Great Gatsby shows at 5 and 9 p.m. with dancing. Brei and the band play the music of the Great American Songbook’s golden eras - Roaring Twenties, Toe-Tapping Thirties, Fabulous Forties, and Rockin’ Fifties. Tickets start at $25 and guests must be 21 years of age.

The band consists of veteran musicians with close to three centuries of experience among them. For example, Charlie Shaffer, who has been playing keyboard for the group since its inception, arrived in Las Vegas in 1958 to play with a rock band at the Hacienda, which is where Mandalay Bay now stands, and has had his hands on the keys ever since.

The group was put together by Brei and Don Hill. Brei used to hang out and sit in for songs occasionally for a few years when The Treniers rocked Las Vegas. When the band disbanded following Claude Trenier’s death in 2003, Hill who played with The Treniers for 55 years, didn't want to quit playing his saxophone. The group was formed, and they perform monthly at the Italian American Club in Las Vegas.

OFF ROAD RACING RETURNS TO LAUGHLIN

McKenzie’s Rage at the River returns to Laughlin Events Park Friday-Sunday, Dec. 13-15 for an annual off-road SNORE (Southern Nevada Off Road Enthusiasts) race. Established in 1969, the mission for nonprofit SNORE, one of the oldest sanctioned off-road racing organization in the world, is to encourage off-road recreation in Nevada.

HOLIDAY SHOW AT TROPICANA IS RAT PACK TRIBUTE

The “Holiday Spectacular - A Tribute To The Rat Pack” will be center stage at the Tropicana’s Pavilion Theater on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. featuring The Swing Tones. Tickets are $25.

The Swing Tones will present a holiday and swing classics tribute show starring a handsome male quartet including Aaron Jacobs - AJP executive producer and TV’s “NCIS,” Stu James - Broadway star of “The Color Purple” and “Rent,” Tod Macofsky - cruise ship personality and TV’s “Castle,” and Phil Cosby, Jr. - Bing Crosby’s singing grandson. They will be joined by Amy Alexandra Lawrence - “America’s Got Talent” and Sarah Stallman - Holland America/Universal Studios Singapore.

COMEDIANS FEATURED WEEKLY AT THE EDGEWATER

“Comedy on the Edge” highlights two different stand-up comedians every Friday-Sunday in the newly renovated Edge Lounge with shows at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 with a $2 discount for U.S. veterans on Sundays. Following performances, there’s dancing with a DJ from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Comedians sharing the stage Dec. 6-8 are Sid Davis and Todd Link and Dec. 13-15 William Clifton and D’Sean Ross.

Sid Davis came to the comedy world later in life. The former airline worker put his dreams of being a comedian on hold to raise a family; however, when he stepped on a stage and heard his first laugh, he never looked back. His humor is fueled with ADD, a wavering ego, and a grade schoolteacher wife who views him as a child left behind. In 2012, Davis was voted “Best in Fest” by audiences at the San Luis Obispo Comedy Festival and repeated the honor the following two years. In 2014, Joan Rivers discovered Davis when she was looking for a new opening act and hired him.

Will Clifton on a dare took the stage at The World Famous Comedy Store in La Jolla, Calif., in January 1995 and caught the comedy bug. Never looking back, Clifton with his quick wit and over the top goofiness has traveled the country as a road comic across the United States and Canada and won or placed in numerous comedy festivals. As an actor, he’s appeared in films such as “Gone Girl,” “Yes Man,” and “Hail Caesar,” and TV programs like “Modern Family,” “Mom,” and “Knight Rider,” naming only a few.

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The Vogues will appear at the Riverside in Don’s Celebrity Theatre Wednesday-Sunday, Dec. 18-22 at 7 p.m. followed by The Platters Friday-Monday, Dec. 27-30 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Tuesday, New Year’s Eve. Tickets start at $30 and $38 on Dec. 31.

The Vogues created a sound of blended vocal harmony, which had them throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s appearing on mega-TV shows such as “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” “The Red Skelton Show,” “The Mike Douglas Show,” and numerous appearances on “Dick Clark’s American Bandstand.” Inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001, The Vogues remain one of the top vocal groups on the oldie’s music scene today, even though their first hit “You’re the One” was released more than 50 years ago.

The Platters, the most romantic of all the early rock and roll groups, released unforgettable hits such as “Only You,” “The Great Pretender,” “My Prayer,” “Twilight Time,” “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” and “Harbor Lights. Today the multi-platinum group and Rock and Roll, Vocal Group and Grammy Halls of Fame member continues the rich vocal and historical tradition which is The Platters.

“Oh What A Night” tribute show to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons will run Thursday-Monday, Dec. 26-30 at Harrah’s in the Fiesta Showroom. Tickets to the 8 p.m. performances start at $25.23.

This musical revue with choreography, humor and no lip-syncing was written by Motown producer and creative sonsultant George Solomon. While the Broadway show “Jersey Boys” is a scripted musical biography about the group, “Oh What A Night” is a concert featuring all of the group’s original hits and several Top 10 releases not in the Tony award-winning hit. One song is Valli’s biggest solo hit from the movie “Grease.”

In 1990, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The original foursome will headline the Edgewater’s E Center on Friday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m.

“50 Pounds From Stardom” featuring Marianne LeMoine and Yvette Karr will appear at the Avi Grand Ballroom on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 1 p.m. The comedy-packed musical is about one singer’s attempt to “make it big” in show business and her niece’s lifelong dream to walk in her shoes. This show delivers a timely message of triumph over adversity. Tickets are $20.

Marianne LeMoine has had a long extensive career entertaining and sharing the stage with luminaries such as Wayne Newton, Dolly Parton and Debbie Reynolds. The native “Central Californian” is known for her exquisite vocal ability and style.

Yvette Karr began her singing career at age five following in her mother and aunt’s footsteps. Her performing experience includes high school musicals, jazz bands, beauty pageants, and an 11-year run as lead vocalist for producer Mike Tozzi’s rock band “Pipe Dream.”

The family tradition of “The Nutcrack Ballet” will be presented by the Anaheim Ballet Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 5-7 in Don’s Celebrity Theatre at the Riverside. Tickets to the 7 p.m. performances and additional 3 p.m. shows Dec. 7-8 are $30 and $12 for children.

Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” is the holiday season story of a young girl’s journey to a magical land on Christmas Eve. The Anaheim Ballet’s full-length Nutcracker production is more than dance. Audiences experience the spectacle of a towering Christmas tree, waltzing flowers, battling toy soldiers and menacing mice. The enduring theme remains unchanged with good overcoming evil. The Anaheim Ballet constantly updates the family classic and is now celebrating its 33rd season of the famous ballet.

The Golden Nugget will host the 23rd annual Craft Fair at Gold Diggers on Friday, Dec. 6 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Vendors will sell arts and crafts at the fair, call 702-298-7210 to purchase a table for $25. All proceeds will be donated to the Bullhead City/Laughlin Fire Fighters Holiday Toy Drive.

Shows of Integrity will happen at the Pavilion Theater inside the Tropicana Friday-Sunday, Jan. 10-19 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free and the show will feature gem, mineral, jewelry and beads.

The Colorado Women’s Council will host the 2019 Christmas Boombox Parade on Friday, Dec. 6 from 6-9 p.m. on Hancock Road in Bullhead City, Ariz., promoting “Christmas Around the World - The Spirit of Giving.”

Santa Claus will be arriving in nearby Oatman, Ariz., on Saturday, Dec. 14 following the 1:30 p.m. gunfight.

The Community Whoville Christmas Party will be held Mojave Crossing Event Center on Saturday, Dec. 21 from 1-5 p.m. (AZ time) and is free to the public.