Happy March! Distract yourself from the upcoming unbearable summer weather with some top-notch entertainment!
Acrisure Arena has a wide range of music offerings. At 8 p.m., Saturday, March 4, the passionate Mexican diva Ana Gabriel will perform. Tickets start at $107. Hey, Parrotheads: Take a break from hanging out at Margaritaville Palm Springs, and head to Acrisure to see Jimmy Buffet in the flesh at 8 p.m., Tuesday, March 7. Tickets start at $79. At 8 p.m., Saturday, March 18, enjoy Grupo Arriesgado, straight from Sinaloa! Tickets start at $87. In the mood for some throwback artists? Enjoy Freestyle Explosion at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 24, featuring artists like Stevie B, Lisa Lisa and many others. Tickets start at $39.50. Country music icon Reba McEntire is set to perform at 6:30 p.m., Friday, March 31. Tickets start at $49.75. Acrisure Arena, 75702 Varner Road, Palm Desert; 888-695-8778; www.acrisurearena.com.
Fantasy Springs offers both music and comedy this month. At 8 p.m., Saturday, March 4, the legendary Sheryl Crow will perform. Tickets start at $79. Fresh off her Grammy win, Bonnie Raitt will head to Indio at 8 p.m., Friday, March 10. Tickets start at $59. At 8 p.m., Saturday, March 18, enjoy an evening of classic country music with Tanya Tucker. Tickets start at $49. Catch ’90s Mexican-American group Intocable at 8 p.m., Sunday, March 19. Tickets start at $49. Comedian Iliza Shlesinger will bring the laughs at 8 p.m., Friday, March 24. Tickets start at $39. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio; 760-342-5000; www.fantasyspringsresort.com.
Spotlight 29 is offering a funk-tastic event: At 8 p.m., Friday, March 24, catch a performance by Kool and the Gang. Tickets start at $55. Spotlight 29 Casino, 46200 Harrison Place, Coachella; 760-775-5566; www.spotlight29.com.
Morongo Casino offers a few events worth the trip up the hill. At 9 p.m., Friday, March 3, funk icon George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic will bring the ’70s hits to stage. Tickets start at $39. A double dose of R&B will happen at 9 p.m., Friday, March 10, with performances by Ginuwine and Jon B. Tickets available as of this writing start at $82. At 9 p.m., Saturday, March 11, Latin sensation Banda Maguey is set to perform. Tickets start at $39. Hong Kong singer Jinny Ng heads to Morongo at 5 p.m., Sunday, March 12. Tickets start at $68. Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon; 800-252-4499; www.morongocasinoresort.com.
Agua Caliente in Rancho Mirage features a number of great entertainers this month. At 8 p.m., Friday, March 3, enjoy Norteño act Bronco at The Show. Tickets start at $65. Rock ’n’ roll legend Sammy Hagar and his band The Circle will head to the valley at 8 p.m., Saturday, March 4. Tickets start at $75. Grammy winner and Broadway star Jon Secada will perform a concert with the Desert Symphony at 8 p.m., Wednesday, March 8. Tickets start at $45. At 8 p.m., Friday, March 10, enjoy a night of comedy with Daniel Tosh, of Tosh.0 fame. Tickets start at $80. Agua Caliente will become a dance floor when the Dancing With the Stars live show comes to town at 8 p.m., Saturday, March 11. Tickets start at $45. At 8 p.m., Saturday, March 25, former Tonight Show host and comedian Jay Leno will perform. Tickets start at $75. Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage; 888-999-1995; www.hotwatercasino.com.
Agua Caliente in Cathedral City is hosting a popular indie band for a free event! At 7 p.m., Friday, March 3, lovelytheband will play a show for the ALT 101.5 Alti-mate Listener Appreciation Party. You must RSVP to attend. Agua Caliente Cathedral City, 68960 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Cathedral City; 888-999-1995; www.aguacalientecasinos.com/cc.
Agua Caliente in Palm Springs March-es on with residencies! Desert Blues Revival Wednesdays offer the blues rockin’ American Mile (March 1), the punk blues of SugarMill Slim (March 8), a jazz/funk/R&B mix from Len Rainey and the Midnight Players (March 15), a night of musical education with History of Women in Blues (March 22) and the R&B old school group DYVERSITY (March 29). Shows are at 7 p.m., and tickets start at $10, available at eventspalmsprings.com/blues. Jazzville Thursdays bring the Postmodern Jukebox star Gunhild Carling for Jazzville’s fifth anniversary (March 2), the singing-bassist-led Kristen Korb Trio (March 9), U.K. sextet The Jive Aces (March 16) and the stunning vocals of the Cathy Segal-Garcia Quintet (March 30). Shows take place at 7 p.m., and tickets start at $15, available at jazzvillepalmsprings.com. Caliente Comedy Fridays bring the laughs with Saul Trujillo (March 3), Madison Sinclair (March 10), Sandro Icolano (March 17), JB Ball (March 24) and Jackie Kashian (March 31). Shows are at 8 p.m., and tickets start at $7.99, available at www.eventspalmsprings.com/caliente-comedy. Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs, 401 E. Amado Road, Palm Springs; 888-999-1995; www.sparesortcasino.com.
The McCallum Theatre is hosting a number of intriguing events. Here’s a small sampling: At 8 p.m., Friday, March 3, and Saturday, March 4, enjoy a performance from both Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Michael Feinstein. Tickets start at $70. The Palm Springs International Piano Competition will present Variations on Three Pianos, Six Hands at 5:30 p.m., Monday, March 20. Tickets start at $45. At 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 21, comedy and classical music will combine via MozART Group. Tickets start at $35. Global sensation The Kingdom Choir will head to the valley at 8 p.m., Friday, March 24. Tickets start at $35. At 3 p.m., Sunday, March 26, see McCallum Theatre president and artistic director Mitch Gershenfeld take what’s being billed as his final turn on the podium with the McCallum Theatre Concert Band. Tickets start at $25. McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert; 760-340-2787; www.mccallumtheatre.com.
Pappy and Harriet’s has it all this March. Jam-band Spafford is spending two nights in the desert, performing at 8:30 p.m., Friday, March 3, and Saturday, March 4. Tickets are $20. Enjoy psychedelic cumbia punk by Tropa Magica at 9:30 p.m., Friday, March 10. Tickets are $20. Catch pop rock duo Aly & AJ as they dance-up the dust bowl at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 17. Tickets are $40. At 8 p.m., Saturday, March 18, experience a unique and intimate set by one of the most influential post-rock bands ever, Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Tickets are $50.25. Ever wanted to see Led Zeppelin at Pappy’s? Well, you can get pretty close with ZoSo, the ultimate Led Zeppelin experience, at 9 p.m., Thursday, March 23. Tickets are $25. At 9:30 p.m., Saturday, March 25, bluesy duo The War and Treaty will visit Pioneertown. Tickets are $21. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown; 760-228-2222; www.pappyandharriets.com.
AWE Bar awe-ffers some great concerts this month. At 7 p.m., Friday, March 3, new-wave artist World Destroyers’ Pleasure Club are set to play alongside opener Mirthquake. The show is free. Former Galaxie 500 singer Dean Wareham visits Yucca Valley to perform a set of Galaxie 500 songs at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 4. Tickets are $28.33. Sun Atoms (featuring members of Dandy Warhols) will perform alongside acts Heaven and Luke Sweeney at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 30. The event is free. At 7 p.m., Friday, March 31, catch a tribute act to The Band, Chest Fever, as they perform a high-energy set. Tickets are $22.66. You must be 21+ to attend. AWE Bar, 56193 Twentynine Palms Highway, Yucca Valley; 760-853-0090; www.awe-bar.com.
Tickets for shows at the Purple Room are moving fast, so get yours now! Andrea McArdle will perform a Broadway-centric show titled “Confessions of a Broadway Baby” at 8 p.m., Friday, March 17, and Saturday, March 18. Tickets start at $45. At 8 p.m., Friday, March 24, and Saturday, March 25, join Lorna Luft (one of Judy Garland’s daughters) for an evening of stories and songs. The handful of tickets that were left as of this writing are $79. Michael Holmes’ Purple Room, 1900 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-322-4422; www.purpleroompalmsprings.com.
Oscar’s has a few additions to their fabulous residency -packed schedule. At 7 p.m., Saturday, March 4, TV star Jai Rodriguez will perform a night of covers and Broadway classics, while telling some stories. Tickets start at $39.95. Janice Dickinson, most notable as a judge on America’s Next Top Model, will visit Oscar’s for an evening of conversation and a Q&A at 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 15. Tickets start at $39.95. At 7 p.m., Monday, March 27, and Tuesday, March 28, jazz vocalist, fashion icon and NYC performance artist Joey Arias will perform his newest concert, “Strange Resume.” Tickets start at $64.95. Most Oscar’s shows include a dinner reservation with a food/drink minimum. Oscar’s Palm Springs, 125 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs; 760-325-1188; oscarspalmsprings.com/events.
