Kevin Nealon to perform in St. Petersburg

   If you missed Kevin Nealon's appearance at McCurdy's Comedy Theatre in Sarasota in November -- or if you caught that show and you're dying to see him again -- fret not. He has just scheduled another show in the area.
   Nealon, one of the funniest people who's been on "Saturday Night Live" over the past several decades, will be at the Palladium in St. Petersburg on Oct. 17.

Kevin Nealon

   He's best known for his sketch work on "SNL" and for his role on the Showtime series "Weeds," but he started as a stand-up comedian and he said that's still his first love.
   "Stand-up is what I started doing," Nealon said in an interview with the Herald. "It's all I ever wanted to do."
   The Palladium is at 253 Fifth Ave. N., on the outskirts of downtown St. Petersburg, Tickets go on sale at noon Friday, May 1, and they cost $37.50, $45.50 and $52.50. Call 727-893-7832 or go to Mahaffeyonthemove.com for tickets. If you want more information about the show or the venue, go to.mypalladium.org.

St. Petersburg's Mahaffey adds four new shows.

   If you missed the Indigo Girls when they came to Sarasota a few months  back, fret not: They're coming back to the area, with a recently announced performance at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg.

Cirque Dreams Holidaze

   The Indigo's Feb. 27 concert is one of four shows that have just been added to the Mahaffey season schedule. The others are "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" (Nov. 28), "Girls Night: The Musical" (presented by the Mahaffey a few blocks away at the Palladium Theatre, Feb. 27) and "The Price Is Right Live" (April 26).

   The Indigo Girls will perform with an orchestra, as they did at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in March. Tickets are $45.50-$65.50.

   Tickets for "Cirque Dreams Hoildaze" is a holiday show with 20 acts from 12 countries. Previous Cirque Dreams shows have been very cool, so it's reasonable to expect this to be a lot better than the standard Christmas entertainment. Tickets are $29.50-$59.50.

   "Girls Night" is jukebox musical that revolves around  five girlfriends who re-live their past, celebrate their present and look to the future on a wild night out.

   "The Price Is Right Live" is a stage version of the TV game show, very similar in format, but with reduced prize amounts and lots of giveaways -- restaurant gift cards and the like -- for the audience. Sarasota's Jerry Springer hosts the show sometimes, but there's no word yet on whether he'll host this one.  Tickets are $38.50.

   For information and tickets, call  727-892-5767 or go to themahaffey.com.    

   

The Hit Men add St. Petersburg show

   Even if you've never heard the Hit Men, you've certainly heard their music.
   The vocal group is made up a pop music veterans who have been members of the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and who have performed and recorded with Carly Simon, Jim Croce, Cat Stevens and Elton John.
   They were already scheduled to come to Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on Feb. 17, but now they've added a show at the Palladium in St. Petersburg March 14. So you can take your choice, or see them twice.
   The show includes such Four Seasons hits as “Oh, What a Night,” “Who Loves You,” “Marianne,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Rag Doll.”  plus lots of  other songs  that members of the Hit Men helped make famous, including “Mony Mony,” “Hanky Panky,” “Peace Train,” “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” “You’re So Vain” and “You Belong To Me.” 

The Hit Men

   Tickets for the Palladium show are  $35, $45 and $55 and will go on sale at noon Nov. 15. You can get them at the Palladium box office, 253 Fifth Ave. N, St. Petersburg, call 727-822-3590 or go to  www.mypalladium.org.
   The Van Wezel show will set you back $35-$50. Call 941-953-3368 or go to www.vanwezel.org.

SNL's Jim Breuer performs in St. Petersburg

   Former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Jim Breuer, who's known for his spot-on impression of Joe Pesci and family-friendly comedy, is coming to St. Petersburg. He'll be at the Palladium Feb. 23.

Jim Breuer

   He started on "SNL" in 1995 and he's probably best remembered for his Goat Boy character. He then moved to the big screen, in "Half Baked," "Zookeeper," "Dick" and "Beer League." He also hosted  MTVs "Beach House" and VH1's "Web Junk 20."

    Tickets are $29, $39 and $49. They go on sale Oct. 18. You can get them online at www.mypalladium.org, by phone at 727-822-3590 or in person at the Palladium box office, 253 Fifth Ave. N., St. Petersburg, from noon-3 p.m. Wednesday-Friday.

Drummer Billy Cobham plays St. Petersburg Friday

   Oct. 1 will mark the 40th anniversary of Billy Cobham's legendary debut album "Spectrum." Cobham's marking the occasion with an American tour he's calling "Spectrum 40." 
   The tour kicks off Friday at the Palladium in St. Petersburg.
   In 1973, Cobham was already a major force in jazz fusion, having played with Miles Davis and having been a member of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and he's been recording ever since. But "Spectrum" is still considered his seminal recording. It helped define the fusion genre, and Cobham's innovative drumming style on that album has influenced drummers ever since.

"Spectrum" album cover

   He can't reassemble the band from that album since guitarist Tommy Bolin died in 1976. (In a recent Skype interview from his home in Switzerland, Cobham called Bolin "B.B. King in a young man's skin.") But he's put together a band of long-time musical collaborators, including bassist Ric Fierabracci, guitarist Dean Brown and keyboardist Gary Husband.
   The concert will include four or five pieces from "Spectrum," plus other selections from Cobham's career.
   In the interview, Cobham said that he's eschewing cities like New York on this tour, opting instead for places like St. Petersburg, Albuquerque, N.M. and Akron, Ohio. "The real America," he said.
   He came into St. Petersburg early, and on Thursday he conducted clinics with music students from local high schools and colleges. At one point, when he asked if anybody had any questions, a music teacher asked, "Do you have any albums out?"
   Friday's show, which is presented by the Mahaffey Theater even though it's at the Palladium, starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30, $40 and $50. Call 727-892-5767 or go to www.themahaffey.com for tickets and information.
   The Palladium is at 253 Fifth Ave. N., St Petersburg. Call
727-822-3590 or go to www.mypalladium.org  for venue information.

Parsons Dance gives peek at Sarasota show

  Modern dance fans who have tickets to tonight’s Parsons Dance performance at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall are in for a profound treat.

   The company, arguably the finest modern dance company in the world right now, performed at the Palladium in St. Petersburg Tuesday, with much the same program audiences will see this evening (Wednesday, March 20) in Sarasota.

   Included in tonight’s program are “Caught,” Parsons’ trademark work of dance magic that has a solo dancer appearing to float above the stage for several minutes, and “Hand Dance,” a highly clever and amusing older work with only the dancers’ hands visible.

   Both were wonderful on Tuesday; “Caught” never gets old, no matter how many times you see it. But the newest  piece on tonight’s program, the multi-part “Round My World” from 2012 is just as enthralling.

  The concept is simple – it's just an artistic exploration of the circle – but it’s a joyous celebration of dance, music, geometry and the human form. The fact that all the dancers in the company are just about perfect-looking helps a lot.

   The Palladium is a treasure in St. Petersburg, but it isn’t a great theater for dance. Lighting is integral to Parsons – lighting designer Howell Binkley co-founded the company – and the Palladium has some technical limitations.

  Still, Tuesday’s concert was fulfilling and invigorating. Wednesday's show in Van Wezel, where the company can control the stage environment more fully, promises be even better.

   It starts at 8 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Tickets are $10-$45.For information, call 941-953-3368 or go to vanwezel.org.