entertainment
Doobies flying high at Thunder Valley Casino
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers performed at Thunder Valley Casino Resort to a packed house Friday night.
For anyone out there who doesn’t know the Doobie Brothers, they are a rock group formed in the ’70s and were originally called Pud. Yes, Pud. One can only thank the heavens they decided to change their name to the Doobie Brothers. And yes, their name comes from that stuff referred to as pot. When smoked it’s also referred to as a joint, reefer, stick, roach, or a doobie.
Pat Simmons
Opening with “Jesus is Just Alright,” the eight man band consisting of two drummers, three guitarists, bassist, saxophonist, and keyboardist, kicked it into high gear from the very start. During their performance there were a lot of guitar changes, sometimes several per song. The guitars included four that were set up on their own stands waiting for those magical fingers of Tom Johnston (guitar, vocals), Pat Simmons (guitar vocals), John McFee (guitar, stings, vocals), and John Cowan (bass/vocals).
Tom Johnston
Other band members included Guy Allison (keyboard/vocals), Tony Pia (Drums), Marc Russo (sax), and Ed Toth (drums), with special guest Danny Hull.
As the sun made its way down, all the phones and cameras in the crowd were reminiscent of those late-night concerts with everyone holding up their lighters, paying homage to the band. The band got plenty of coverage with all those lights shining in the night.
John McFee
The first few songs had the crowd on their feet cheering and singing along, as the band hit their stride, the crowd became a bit more subdued with many settling back down in their seats.
The band played a couple of songs off their 2010 album ‘World Gone Crazy,’ including “Brighter Day” and “World Gone Crazy.” You can hear the bands maturity both emotionally and musically in the songs from ‘World Gone Crazy.’ It’s obvious the group is comfortable with who they are and where they are going.
John Cowan
Looking at the makeup of the audience, it was quite apparent that The Doobie Brothers transcend generations, as young and old turned out to listen to one of their favorite bands.
Once they started playing “Takin it to the Streets,” it was all over as the crowd jumped to their feet and never sat back down.
Playing a tremendous rendition of “Don’t Start Me Talkin,” the band called up longtime friend, sax player and local Lincoln resident, Danny Hull, who brought his harmonica to the party. Sax player Marc Russo and Hull, armed with his harp, battled it out throughout the song with fans cheering them on.
Danny Hull
When the band started “Black Water,” the crowd immediately joined in. Everyone was singing, including bartenders, security personnel, and ushers.
To anyone who didn’t make it out to the concert and thought to themselves – not interested in listening to some old boring southern style rock band, you made a huge mistake. Don’t make the same mistake next time.
It’s refreshing to see a band that has toured together for all these years and remain well grounded in who they are and still truly appreciate their fans. And to watch them onstage still having fun and engaging the audience is simply priceless.
Earlier this year tragedy struck the band as one of the founding members, drummer Michael Hossack, died. Remaining founding members include Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons with 30 year-plus veteran John McFee. The Doobies have sold over 30 million albums and continue to tour bringing their high energy performance to as many people as possible.
Read: Longtime drummer for Doobie Brothers dies
This Sunday the AAA four diamond rated Thunder Valley Casino brings back their ever popular H2O pool party and with the Summer Concert Series just getting under way, you can expect even more fun filled concerts as they bring you comedian Kathy Griffin, rocker Sammy Hagar, ESPN Friday Night Fights, and so much more.
Read: Sacramento summer concerts
Photo credits: Randy Miramontez
Ben Affleck jokes about marriage on SNL
NBC Promo
Oscar winner Ben Affleck hosted Saturday Night Live last night and his wife, fellow actress Jennifer Garner, showed up during his monologue to discuss his Oscar speech when he recently won Best Director for the movie “Argo.”
During his Oscar speech Affleck thanked his wife and told the audience that the two have been working on their “marriage for 10 Christmases.” Afterwards the internet was buzzing about his marriage and not about his win.
“I barely remember the Oscar speech,” the 40-year-old told the Associated Press after the show, “Certainly, the most important thing for me, in a way, was to honor my wife and to let people know how much I love her.”
Screen grab of SNL opening monologue
On Saturday Affleck started his monologue saying what an honor it was to make the “Five Timers Club” along with Justin Timberlake, referring to having hosted SNL for the fifth time. While many past Five Timer members such as Steve Martin, Paul Simon and Tom Hanks joined Timberlake on his night of hosting SNL for the fifth time, nobody showed up for Affleck’s fifth stint as host, with the exception of a cast member with a t-shirt emblazoned with the number five.
As Affleck brought up his Oscar speech he explained, “I thanked my wife while saying the essence of marriage is work,” and that giving an Oscar speech is “completely terrifying.”
Continuing the actor-director went on to discuss the “uncharitable souls on the Internet,” that may have misunderstood what he was trying to say.
As the 41-year-old Garner came out onstage, to a louder round of applause than what first greeted Affleck, he tried to explain that the word “work” was really meant to mean how the two are committed as husband and wife.
“I’m not sure why you had to share it live to a billion people,” Garner joked, she said she would have called their marriage “a gift.”
Affleck became serious telling his wife, “I want to tell you how I wish I had ended that speech: I couldn’t do any of the things I do without you, without your support. You’re my angel, my life, my world.”
As the camera zoomed out it became obvious that Affleck was reading from a cue card, angering Garner.
“Idol’ finale scores record low ratings
The beleaguered “American Idol” received another ratings blow for their season finale.
“American Idol” had its worst showing for a finale show on Thursday night, as viewers tuned in to see who the winner would be for season 12, with the battle lines drawn between Candice Glover and Kree Harrison. Glover won the show, but couldn’t help the ratings.
Read: American Idol season 11 where are they now
The singing competition saw a record low for last year’s season finale, but this year’s numbers sank to an all-time low for the music talent show. “American Idol” sank to 14.2 million, a decline of 31 percent from last year’s record low, according to ratings data made available on Friday. That’s 7 million viewers less than last year’s finale.
Last years winner Phil Phillips
Photo: Randy Miramontez
The nightmare ratings come on the heels of Randy Jackson announcing this was his last season as a judge. Mid-season rumors had Mariah Carey out of a job and ex-judge Jennifer Lopez back in. The move never happened after lawyers from Carey’s camp got wind of the poorly timed move.
The ratings never materialized even with all the banter at the beginning of the season between Carey and fellow judge Nicki Minaj. If you recall Minaj was accused of threatening Carey and Carey was rumored to have brought on extra security to protect her and her twins from the maniacal Minaj.
Read: American Idol to replace Mariah mid-season
At one point during the season a rerun of CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” embarrassingly bested ‘Idol’ in ratings.
Back in 2006 and 2007 “American Idol” brought in over 30 million viewers.
Next season may bring a whole new panel of judges as Carey and Minaj were not fan favorites. Randy Jackson has already announced that he would not be returning and rumor has it that Keith Urban may not be back.
Stay tuned, or not.
New acts added to TVCR’s 2013 Summer Concert Series
In a press release today Thunder Valley Casino Resort announced several new acts for their upcoming Summer Concert Series for 2013 and it appears this is going to be a great series.
Thunder Valley will welcome back several popular artists like Huey Lewis and the News, Peter Frampton and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
This Summer Concert Series will include the ‘Under the Sun’ tour featuring Smash Mouth, Sugar Ray, Gin Blossoms, Vertical Horizon & Fastball. Look for tickets for this show to sell out early.
This year joining the legendary Peter Frampton in his ‘Guitar Circus’ tour will be the equally legendary B.B. King. Another show you won’t want to miss.
“We are thrilled to add these big name entertainers to our fourth annual Summer Concert Series lineup,” said Dawn Clayton, Acting General Manager of Thunder Valley Casino Resort. “Our outdoor amphitheater is second to none in the region and as always, we will have a very well-rounded series of big name entertainers.”
Check back here for the latest updates!
| Frankie Vallie and The Four Season | Saturday, June 1 | |
| Pat Benatar w/Neil Geraldo and Cheap Trick | Friday, June 7 | |
| Super Summer Soul Jam click for full line up | Saturday, June 8 | |
| Doobie Brothers | Friday, June 14 | |
| Jeff Dunham | Friday, June 21 | |
| Lynyrd Skynrd | Saturday, June 22 | |
| Under the Sun w/Smash Mouth, Sugar Ray and more | Friday, July 12 | |
| Huey Lewis & the News | Saturday, July 13 | |
| Larry Hernandez | Saturday, July 20 | |
| Chicago | Saturday, Aug 3 | |
| Gladys Knight and The O’Jays | Friday, Aug 9 | |
| Bill Engvall | Saturday, Aug 10 | |
| Chris Isaak | Friday, Aug 16 | |
| Frampton’s Guitar Circus w/ B.B. King | Friday, Aug 30 | |
| Beach Boys | Friday, Sept 6 | |
| Heart | Saturday, Sept 22 | |
| Bad Company | Friday, Sept 27 |
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 15 for Thunder Club Members at the casino. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, March 16 and can be purchased online at http://thundervalleyresort.com/entertainment or at the Thunder Valley Ticket Sales Office between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Medley’s get righteous at Thunder Valley Casino
Bill Medley – Click for more images
Photo: Randy Miramontez
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and legendary Righteous Brother Bill Medley along with daughter McKenna Medley, performed at Thunder Valley Casino Resort on Saturday.
Bill was backed by the very talented 3 Bottle Band, who has been playing together with Medley for over 35 years. Band members were Gabe Rabben (drums), Jamie Browning (bass/vocals), Tim Lee (keyboards), and Larry Hanson (lead guitar).
This year marks the 51st 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 the 3 Bottle Band and his daughter Mckenna.
McKenna Medley – Click for more images
Photo: Randy Miramontez
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 audience was mesmerized with Medley from the start as he continued with “Show Me” and “Soul and Inspiration.” In between songs he would talk about life and joke with the crowd.
Jamie Browning
Photo: Randy Miramontez
The 72 year old Medley’s voice was rough at times, but had a nice coarse sound to it. He even made fun of himself after singing “Unchained Melody,” saying he knew everyone was waiting to see if he could hit the high note, but didn’t. He did follow the joke with a quick high note, which sounded great.
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.
Tim Lee (R) and Larry Hanson
Photo: Randy Miramontez
McKenna went on to perform solo, singing “Silk Flowers” and “Give Me One Reason.”
After McKenna completed her set, Medley sat down at the keyboards and called on band member Jamie Browning to sing a few songs with him and McKenna. This is where Medley shined, providing the audience a glimpse of what it’s like to jam with one of the best.
Gabe Rabben
Photo: Randy Miramontez
Mckenna has just recently started a blog called “A Righteous Fit,” chronicling her daily struggles and successes to keep fit. McKenna says, “Staying in shape is a constant struggle for me. I’m not here because I have all the answers, even though I may have a few tricks- especially when it comes to traveling,” she goes on to say, “But I just want to inspire good health, and have a place to be accountable for my own health.” It was fun following her posts on her trip to Thunder Valley.
Hawaii comes to Thunder Valley Casino
Tia Carrere
Photo: Randy Miramontez
There was a whole lot of pupu’ing going on at Thunder Valley Casino Resort on Saturday as Hawaiian natives Tia Carrere, Daniel Ho, and the band Kapala entertained fans with some old-fashioned Hawaiian music.
Kicking off the show was Grammy Award winners Tia Carrere and Daniel Ho singing “He Aloha Melee” and “Pupu Hinuhinu.”
Carrere’s performance was flawless, as was Ho’s incredible guitar work. Carrere’s voice was smooth and silky as she continued on with “Me Ke Aloha Pumehana” and “He Nani,” from their award winning album ‘He Nani.’
You may recall Tia Carrere is a veteran actress who has starred in numerous movies and television shows, her most notable role was as rock singer Cassandra in the movie ‘Wayne’s World.’ She’s also the voice of Nani, in the movie and TV series of ‘Lilo and Stitch.’
Daniel Ho
Photo: Randy Miramontez
Carrere has come a long way since her start on the TV series ‘General Hospital,’ not only as an actor, but as a singer. Teaming up with childhood friend Daniel Ho, they have garnered a number of Grammy Awards including best album for ‘Ikena’ and ‘Huana Ke Aloha.’
Daniel Ho has released 18 solo albums and produced over 50 albums. Providing backup vocals for Tia on a number of songs, he played several instruments throughout the night including the piano, ukulele and guitar.
Kapala
Photo: Randy Miramontez
When the band Kapala stormed the stage it was nothing but pure energy as band members Lance Kalanikai Artis, Ashley Kimo Artis, Richard Lanakila Heirakuji, Lopaka Ho’opi’i, Adriano Kawika Larioza and Zanuck Kapala Lindsey, put on a high energy and very entertaining show, kicking off their set with “96795” and “Chigasaki.”
The crowd really got into Kapala’s set as the band made their way through a number of their hits including “Come on Home” and “Palapalai.” Some fans headed to the back of Pano Hall to dance, while others danced at their seats.
It was a great night out, with Carrere and Ho putting on a spectacular show, and Kapala finishing up the night with some high energy tunes.
V101’s Big Valentines Jam
Club Nouveau
Photo by: Randy Miramontez
Thunder Valley Casino Resort did it again Friday night as they packed them in for V101’s Big Valentine’s Day Jam with a stellar lineup including Sacramento’s own Club Nouveau, Zapp, and The Bar-Kay’s.
Thunder Valley Casino’s Pano Hall was at capacity as droves of fans crowded in to see their favorite bands from the ‘70s and ‘80s.
Starting off the show was Club Nouveau performing a number of their hits including “Situation #9,” “Jealousy,” and their No. 1 hit “Lean on Me.” The crowd met them with wild applause as fans were jumping to their feet.
The Zapp Band
Photo by: Randy Miramontez
A couple of their songs fell flat for me, but the audience didn’t seem to mind since the majority of the room remained on their feet for most of their performance. Closing with “Lean on Me,” the instrumentals were lacking with the piano getting lost in the mix of things. Founding members Jay King and Vallerie Watson were joined by original member Samuelle Prater.
The logistics for this show were difficult at best with Zapp and The Bar-Kay’s bringing in a large number of instruments with everything from drums and keyboards to Zapp’s Peter Frampton style Talkbox. This may have contributed to the less than stellar performance by Club Nouveau.
The Zapp Band
Photo by: Randy Miramontez
Zapp followed Club Nouveau with many of their hits which included “More Bounce to the Ounce,” “Dance Floor” and “Computer Love,” just to name a few. Founding members and brothers Lester Troutman, Terry “Zapp” Troutman and Vontel Troutman were joined by Gregory Jackson and Thomas Troutman.
What can I say about the Zapp band other than they simply killed it. Great colorful props, bright clothes, bright lights, and wonderful sounds, this group of guys had the crowd on their feet during their entire set.
As Zapp finished their set a large number of people headed for the doors. While some came back in for headliner The Bar-Kay’s many didn’t. Apparently a small portion of the fans were there to see Zapp.
The Bar-Kays
Photo: Randy Miramontez
As The Bar-Kay’s took the stage the crowd was re-energized and back on their feet. The crowd seemed more subdued for The Bar-Kay’s than for Zapp, but that evaporated mid-way through their set.
Onstage was Larry Dodson (lead singer), James Alexander (bass), Tony Gentry (guitar), Ezra Williams (keyboards), Carlos Sargent (drums), Mark Bynum (keyboards), Darrel Stanley (background vocals), Archie Love (background vocals) and Mike Anderson (guitar).
The Bar-Kays
Bringing on the funk, The Bark-Kay’s performed many of their hits including “Soul Finger,” “Let’s Have Some Fun” and “Hit and Run.”
While The Bar-Kay’s had a stellar performance, at the end of the day Zapp stole the show and clearly should have had top billing.
For a complete listing of upcoming shows visit Thunder Valley Casino Resort.
American Idol season 11 where are they now
American Idol contestants (LR) HeeJun Han, Elise Testone, Colton Dixon, Hollie Cavanagh
American Idol’s season 12 is well underway, but what about the top 10 contestants from season 11?
As we all know, season 11 was to be the last season for American Idol judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez.
The first round of performances saw Jim Carrey’s daughter, Jane Carrey cut from the competition, as numerous contestants fell ill and collapsed in the auditorium. Contestant Symone Black actually collapsed while on stage and went on to make the cut.
Initially there were to be 12 males and 12 females, but the judges announced plans to add a 13th male semi-finalist between Jermaine Jones, Richie Law, Johnny Keyser and David Leathers Jr. The following week, after the male performances, Jermaine Jones was revealed to be the thirteenth performer, which set the stage for controversy and fueled speculation of a ratings grab.
On March 14, with only 11 contestants remaining, Jermaine Jones was disqualified for concealing arrests and outstanding warrants. Jones denied that he had concealed his previous arrests and says he disclosed them when signing up for Idol. Footage of executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick confronting Jones was shown in what would have been his performance slot.
A police official in the New Jersey town where he had two arrest warrants said, “The case wasn’t big enough to merit going after him in California,” and a New Jersey legislator commented, for the show “to expose, embarrass and interrogate a young man without an attorney in front of 40 million viewers was an outrage.”
Critics accused the show of staging the disqualification in order to boost the already slumping ratings.
 Erika Van Pelt Erika Van Pelt Erika Van Pelt made it into the No. 10 spot and made the requisite rounds on the various talk shows.Van Pelt currently runs her own DJ business (VP Entertainment) and performs part-time with “The Sultans of Swing”, and is a performing partner of “Fairhaven Entertainment” and “Boston Swing.” In early 2014 Van Pelt will be hosting and performing on a Royal Caribbean cruise to Grand Cayman, Jamaica and Haiti. She’s also in the process of recording her debut album, according to her Facebook page. In January Van Pelt wrote on Facebook, “Day 1 in the studio today tracking for the new album! I feel really blessed to be making an indie record, done my way. No label, and all the freedom in the world. I can’t wait for you all to hear it!” |
 HeeJun Han HeeJun Han Ninth place winner and jokester was Heejun Han who wooed the judges, and the audience, with his offbeat humor. He generally won the day with a joke, not a song. Han made a number of appearances after the show, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Live! with Kelly and The Wendy Williams Show. He also performed “God Bless America” to open for the New York Mets. He appeared as a judge in a K-Pop competition at the New York University’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in September, and currently has no plans for an album. Click for more images |
 DeAndre Brackensick DeAndre Brackensick Eighth place winner DeAndre Brackensick hasn’t done much of anything. The biggest news post-idol was him hooking up with runner-up Jessica Sanchez during the American Idol Live Tour. They could be seen walking hand in hand backstage, just prior to their performances. He’s active on Facebook and has just recently started a Tumblr to show off some photos. Based on the photos it appears he’s listening to music more than he is singing. |
 Colton Dixon Colton Dixon Colton Dixon is the contestant who didn’t even try out and ended up in seventh place. If you recall Dixon had tried out for season 10 but failed to make the cut. Season 11 tryouts found his sister trying out with him standing in the wings. The judges insisted that he come out and tryout with his sister standing by. She didn’t make the cut, but he did, and he’s been a busy little Christian ever since. Following his elimination Dixon appeared on a number of shows including a visit to Access Hollywood where he performed a rendition of “Everything,” by Lifehouse. He was also invited to the White House Correspondents Dinner as a special guest of the Christian Broadcasting Network. Dixon signed on to Sparrow Records, an imprint of the EMI Christian Music Group, releasing “Never Gone” and “You Are,” both hitting No. 1 on the Christian charts. On January 29 he released his debut album “A Messenger,” sending it to No. 1 on Top Christian Albums and Gospel Albums. Dixon is currently gearing up to go on tour with Grammy winning Christian rockers Third Day. |
 Elise Testone Elise Testone Elise Testone landed in sixth place with her gravelly and soulful voice. During her time on Idol she couldn’t get a break, landing in the bottom three most weeks. She may have had a difficult time winning over audiences, but she didn’t seem to have a problem winning over Idol guitarist Errol Cooney. Rumor has it the two may have hooked up during the American Idol Live Tour, resulting in Cooney’s wife filing for a divorce. Testone has denied doing the deed, but did admit to a close friendship with the guitarist. Right after Idol, Testone made the rounds on all the talk shows including Good Day L.A.,The Today Show, Anderson, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She also performed with fellow contestant Colton Dixon on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno The voice coach still lives in Charleston, South Carolina and continues to actively perform in the area. She has no formal plans to release an album, but she’s been writing plenty of music. |
 Skylar Laine
Skylar Laine Fifth place Skylar Laine is another contestant that’s been idle since Idol, announced in November that she has signed with 19 Entertainment and has moved to Nashville, Tennessee to start work on her debut album. She recently debut an original song called “Settle Down,” written by herself, Chris DeStefano and Anne Preven. |
 Hollie Cavanagh
Hollie Cavanagh Fourth place Hollie Cavanagh has been pretty quiet since Idol, but has plans to begin recording her debut album early this year. Just recently she posted to her Facebook account, “Busy writing some music in the studio She’s also started a YouTube channel for all her Holliepops, as she calls her fans, promising to “to keep everyone in the loop of whats going on and soon you’ll see some covers and original music!” Fans can also keep updated on one of her fan pages. |
 Joshua Ledet Joshua Ledet In August third place Joshua Ledet appeared on iHeartRadio as he debut an original song “Sound of a Heart Breaking.” Since then the son of a preacher has been pretty idle. There is a potential business arrangement that may be in the works for Ledet, who earned the nickname Mantasia, because he reminded Idol fans of past contestant Fantasia. It seems there is a strip club in New York City called Mantasia that is hoping to bring Ledet into the fold to help market their wares. Don’t hold your breath. Ledet has also been seen at sporting events singing the national anthem. |
 Jessica Sanchez Jessica Sanchez Jessica Sanchez was the runner up to Phillip Phillips and with the new Idol contract she was not guaranteed an album and a $175,000 advance. Instead she was only entitled to a “developmental” deal with 19 Recordings and no advance. Sanchez has since signed with Interscope Records and has been performing at various events. She recently was featured on the cover of Mega Magazine, and plans on releasing her debut single this month, with an album later this year. While visiting the Philippines for the American Idol Live Tour, Sanchez shot a music video for the song “Jump In” with The Black Eyed Peas members. She has also signed up to endorse Jollibee Foods Corporation and Bench, two popular brands in the Philippines. Sanchez will be returning to television as she takes on a recurring role in the fourth season of Glee.
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 Phil Phillips Phillip Phillips American Idol winner Phillip Phillips’ boyish charm, good looks and singing ability catapulted his American Idol coronation song, “Home,” to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, the first time in four years a coronation single from an American Idol winner had reached the top 10. “Home” went on to be used in the 2012 Summer Olympics, a Clint Eastwood trailer, and a number of commercials. The song has been bouncing in and out of the top 10 and most recently (January 2013) hit No. 6. His album “The World From the Side of the Moon” debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 charts in November 2012 and has already been certified gold. Phillips’ will be joining Matchbox Twenty on their North American tour in 2012 and plans to do a solo tour later this summer.
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excited !!!”
Thunder Valley announces Summer Concert Series
Thunder Valley Casino announces 2013 Summer Concert Series
C.J. Graham General Manager
Photo: Randy Miramontez
General Manager of Thunder Valley Casino Resort, C.J. Graham, announced at a recent press conference the first acts of its much anticipated Summer Concert Series.
“We are thrilled to announce the first round of acts for our fourth annual summer concert series at Thunder Valley,” said Graham, “Our outdoor amphitheater is second to none in the region and as always, we will have a very well-rounded series of big name entertainers.”
Graham added that the amphitheater will be expanded to include 4,800 seats, taking two months to build. He also confirmed that their wildly popular H20 pool party on Sundays will be back and better than ever.
The Doobie Brothers
Photo: Randy Miramontez
Click for more images
UPDATED February 21, 2013 – in bold
The first acts announced are:
| Frankie Vallie and The Four Season | Saturday, June 1 | |
| Pat Benatar w/Neil Geraldo and Cheap Trick | Friday, June 7 | |
| Super Summer Soul Jam click for full line up | Saturday, June 8 | |
| Doobie Brothers | Friday, June 14 | |
| Jeff Dunham | Friday, June 21 | |
| Chicago | Saturday, August 3 | |
| Bill Engvall | Saturday, August 10 |
Thunder Valley Club Members will have the exclusive chance to purchase tickets on-site at Thunder Valley on Feb. 8. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, Feb. 9.
This year Thunder Valley is introducing a “comprehensive” season pass, with Friday, or Saturday night concert passes, these will be available for purchase on Feb. 8.
You can visit Thunder Valley Casino’s website for a complete list of upcoming shows.
We will continually update this page, so check back for future shows coming to Thunder Valley this summer.
Concert Review: Madison Hudson
Madison Hudson – Click for more images
Madison Hudson is quickly becoming a local favorite in the country music world, as she’s starting to play larger venues such as Toby Keith’s Bar and Grill in Folsom, Calif.
I was first introduced to Hudson’s singing abilities at, of all places, a Doobie Brothers concert at Thunder Valley Casino Resort. Film star and singer, Branscombe Richmond brought Hudson up on stage to sing “Listen to the Music,” along with the Doobie Brothers.
The 15 year-old Hudson is country pop singer from the small town of Wheatland, located in rural Northern California. She’s been singing the national anthem at sporting events and from time to time has been making appearances with singer songwriter Rachel Steele and the band Road 88.
Rachel Steele – Click for more images
Opening at Toby Keith’s was a big move for the country singer as she was joined by Rachel Steele, and Road 88 band members Scott Prentice (guitar) and Billy Haggard (guitar). She also had a special guest singer Courtney Chapman, but more on that in a minute.
Kicking off their set, Hudson and Steele performed Pistol Annies’ “Hell on Heels” and Sugarland’s “Stuck Like Glue.” Hudson appeared nervous, but quickly overcame any nerves after “Stuck Like Glue.”
Hudson went on to perform solo, singing Kacey Musgraves’ “Merry Go ‘Round” and Hudson’s original song “Tommy.” She hit her stride as she began “Tommy,” and never looked back, as she performed a number of songs, both solo and with Steele, sounding more like a veteran performer than a 15 year-old up and coming star.
Scott Prentice – Click for more images
Courtney Chapman – Click for more images
Halfway through her performance Hudson brought her special guest, and close friend, Courtney Chapman onstage to provide vocals. The duo brought the house down with a wonderful rendition of Taylor Swift’s “Mean.” Chapman did a sterling job on vocals and I was looking forward to hearing more from her, but that was not meant to be, as Chapman exited the stage after performing “Mean.”
Hudson has been hinting on her Facebook page that bigger things were coming this summer as she is scheduling more appearance and bringing Chapman along.
Billy Haggard – Click for more images
“Well I said 2013 would be crazy!” she wrote, “I will be working on stage with several artists working up to this summer. But I would like to introduce you all to Courtney! Courtney will be joining me starting this summer. We will be a new team and I am so lucky!! You will see us out and about together soon getting ready to rock it country style!!”
Looking forward to it!
Madison Hudson is someone to keep an eye on. You can find more information about her and Rachel Steele at the below links.
Visit Madison Hudson on:
Facebook
Official Website
See Hudson perform “Tommy”
Rachel Steele with Road 88 can be found at:
