Getting Righteous at Thunder Valley Casino
Bill Medley - Click for more images
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and legendary Righteous Brother Bill Medley brought a crew of extremely talented individuals to Thunder Valley Casino Resort Friday, including daughter McKenna.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Righteous Brothers. The second half of the duo, Bobby Hatfield, died of a heart attack back in 2003; Medley now tours with 3 Bottle Band and McKenna.
Kicking off the show was a video showing Medley as he made appearances in various shows throughout his career, including the David Letterman Show and the hit TV series, Cheers. As the video ended, Medley started to sing “A Song for You” while he was still offstage. After about a minute he started to make his way to the stage, providing for a nice dramatic entrance.
The 71 year old Medley’s voice has taken a beating over the years. While sounding coarser and a bit rough at times, he was able to make it work. The audience was enthralled with Medley from the start as he continued with ”Ready, Willing and Able” and “Soul and Inspiration.” In between songs he would talk about life and joke with the crowd.
For his hit song, “Time of My Life,” from the movie Dirty Dancing, Medley brought out Mckenna to perform Jennifer Warnes’ part. McKenna did an awesome job and has a very melodic voice with a bit of a country/blues flavor.
McKenna went on to perform solo, singing “Silk Flowers” and “Give Me One Reason.”
- McKenna and Bill Medley – Click for more images
When McKenna completed her set, Medley sat down at the keyboards and called on band member Bob Gulley to sing some songs with him and McKenna. This is where Medley shined, providing the audience a glimpse of what it’s like to jam with the best.
3 Bottle Band has been playing together with Medley for over 35 years, and it shows. This is a very talented group of musicians including Gabe Rabben (drums), Bob Gulley (bass), Tim Lee (keyboards), and Larry Hanson (lead guitar). Also a member of the band is America’s Got Talent winner Michael Grimm. However, Grimm was not present at Fridays show.
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Randy Miramontez - Downtown Sacramento - Bay Area ConcertsAmnesty International releases Chimes of Freedom
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On January 24, Amnesty International USA released Chimes of Freedom, a 76-song collection of Bob Dylan covers by a very diverse group of artists from a generational as well as musical perspective.
The performers include many of Amnesty International’s longtime supporters, and range in age from Miley Cyrus, 19, to folk music legend Pete Seeger, who, at 92, records Dylan’s poignant “Forever Young,” with a children’s chorus.
The diversity of the musicians and musical genres — from rock, rap, hip-hop to pop, folk, country, jazz and blues — attests to Amnesty’s depth of support in the music community, the universal appeal of the core message of human rights, and the breadth of Dylan’s impact on culture. Almost every track on the album is being released for sale for the first time – except for the title song, Dylan’s original 1964 recording of “Chimes of Freedom.”
One of the tracks I wanted to highlight is my girl Ke$ha’s take on “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.” While some may say you can understand Dylan’s version better than Ke$ha’s, I believe she brings a whole new level to the song.
Ke$ha went out on a limb on this song too. It’s been covered by everybody and their brother. Let me see, there was Peter, Paul and Mary, Bobby Darin, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Burl Ives, Waylon Jennings, Flatt and Scruggs, Joan Baez, Indigo Girls, and even Cher. Oh – let’s not forget Clapton too!
Ke$ha kills this song – in a good way. She proves that she’s more than an entertainer with a little glitter and sleaze, but a true singer. Don’t get me wrong, I love the glitter and sleaze, you kidding me?
Take a listen for yourself and you’ll quickly realize that this is one helluva a tear jerker.
Read about Ke$ha’s visit to UC Davis last year.
Randy Miramontez - Downtown Sacramento - Bay Area Concerts
Chinese New Year at Thunder Valley
Lion Dance - Click for more images
Thunder Valley Casino Resort brings in the Chinese New Year with a roar.
On Monday January 23 the Chinese will ring in the New Year welcoming the almighty dragon. Yes, it’s the year of the dragon, representing power and luck. Some say it’s akin to the phoenix rising above the ashes.
Kicking off the weekend celebration for the Chinese New Year, Thunder Valley hosted the Chinese Acrobats of Hebei , providing a stunning show of incredible acrobatics, beautiful costumes, and a great soundtrack.
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The first act was the Lion dance, or was it the dragon dance? This dance has evolved from the traditional folk dance of China, incorporating acrobatics making it much more entertaining for audiences. This is in fact the lion dance and shouldn’t be confused with the longer more undulating character, the dragon. Yes, those were lions onstage.
Next up were three young ladies on unicycles, balancing metal bowls on top of their head and feet. They would toss the bowls to each other and on to their heads. It was quite spectacular to watch – at least when they completed the feat successfully. Apparently a couple of them were in training, or having an off day.
I hate to criticize such an act, since I know there’s no way in hell I could come close to doing what these women do. If I were performing this feat, the bowl would end up on some poor unsuspecting audience member’s head, while I was breaking a hip.
A Chinese acrobatic show wouldn’t be complete without the famous chair stacking. This is where an individual slowly stacks chairs one on top of the other, finally balancing on the top chair. As the stack grows the more precarious the position becomes, and the more spectacular the act.
Thankfully there were no mishaps, since there was no safety line or net involved.
Hoop Diving - Click for more images
Okay, I take back what I said earlier. A Chinese acrobatic show wouldn’t be complete without the world famous juggling hats. This act is a gem when performed by highly trained individuals. It’s fast paced and stunning to watch as five individuals juggle hats between each other in a well-choreographed routine. It really is quite spectacular.
The group went through a number of routines including a lady juggling a large clay pot and a table – not at the same time, but all with her feet!
A number of young men came out and performed hoop diving. This is where hoops of various sizes are stacked on top of each other while the men run and jump through the hoops. There were a few mishaps, but on subsequent tries they were able to complete it successfully.
Pole Dancing - Click for more images
Wrapping up the show was pole dancing – no, not that kind of pole dancing. There were six men, each bringing a special twist to pole dancing. Some seem to float in the air with one hand on the pole, while others would jump from one pole to the other and then drop quickly, only to stop just prior to reaching the floor.
With all things Cirque de Soleil, it’s refreshing to see an act such as this, where taking some ordinary items such as hats, jars, and chairs, and transforming them into a great evening of entertainment.
Chinese New Year is observed for two consecutive weeks, and is popularly known as Spring Festival. It usually starts from late January and early February, depending on the track of the new moon.
So the fun at Thunder Valley isn’t over! They will be hosting a free spectacular fireworks show next Friday January 27, at 9:30 pm.
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Randy Miramontez - Downtown Sacramento - Bay Area Concerts
