by Jackie Brett Send Me E-mail

Toby Keith will headline the outdoor Laughlin Event Center with special guest rapper Colt Ford on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $60.

At the end of 2018, Keith celebrated the 25th anniversary of his No. 1 debut single, “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” and also released a new song, “Don’t Let The Old Man In,” which was inspired by a conversation he had with Clint Eastwood and was later featured in Eastwood’s movie, “The Mule.”

Keith is a singer, songwriter, musician, producer, entertainer, humanitarian, Oklahoman and patriot. His 11 USO Tours have enhanced the lives of nearly 256,000 troops and military families in 18 countries with more than 285 events, and he was recognized with the Spirit of the USO Award in 2014.

His 15th Annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic, which raised more than $1 million, brought the annual event’s total funds raised to $12.4 million, to support The Toby Keith Foundation’s charitable endeavors. When a tornado ravaged his hometown, Keith was the face of the community and helped the cleanup with the 2013 OK Twister Relief Concert.

LEE GREENWOOD AND GATLIN BROTHERS APPEAR AT E CENTER

Country music stars Lee Greenwood and The Gatlin Brothers will headline the Edgewater’s E Center on Friday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $40.

Greenwood has more than 30 albums to his credit and released an album in 2013 called “Icon.” However, he will always be known and appreciated for his enduring song “God Bless the USA,” which he wrote in the back of his tour bus in 1983.

California native Greenwood was born in Los Angeles and finished high school in Sacramento in June 1960. He started playing the piano when he was seven and the saxophone at 12. In junior high, he started his first group called the Moonbeams and played most all orchestra instruments by graduation. He passed on track and music scholarships to the College of the Pacific along with a professional baseball career to pursue his passion for music. He skipped his high school graduation ceremony to work at the Golden Hotel & Casino in Reno, Nev., with his own band, the “Apollos.”

Joining Greenwood on stage, The Gatlin Brothers are a Grammy Award-winning trio who’ve charmed audiences for more than 60 years with hits like “All the Gold in California” and “Broken Lady.” For the brothers, it all began in Abilene, Texas, in 1955 when Larry was seven, Steve four and Rudy two. The brothers grew up singing gospel music and recorded four Gospel records early in their career. Larry began his solo career writing, singing and releasing his first album, “The Pilgrim.,” while Steve and Rudy were still in college at Texas Tech University. In 1975, they moved to Nashville to sing backup with Tammy Wynette. Two years later, they joined Larry in 1976 to form Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, which has been a musical powerhouse ever since.

LOS TIGRES DEL NORTE HEADLINES RIO VISTA OUTDOOR AMPHITHEATER

Los Tigres del Norte will be live at Harrah’s Rio Vista Outdoor Amphitheater on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $38.99.

A DJ will kick off the Pre-Concert Party in Harrah’s Courtyard at 6 p.m. and an After Party will take place there after the concert.

As of 2015, the legendary Los Tigres del Norte had won seven Grammy Awards, six Latin Grammy Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Mexico natives Jorge Hernández, his brothers, and their cousins began recording after they moved to San Jose, Calif., in the late 1960s, when all the members were in their teens.

After getting permission to record a song about the cross-border drug trade, the group released “Contrabando y traición” (“Contraband and Betrayal”) in 1974. The song quickly hit on both sides of the border, inspired a series of movies, and kicked off one of the most remarkable careers in Spanish-language music.

RIVERSIDE HOSTS TONY ORLANDO SALUTING VETERANS

Singer-songwriter Tony Orlando will present an all about veterans show Friday-Sunday, Oct. 25-27 in Don’s Celebrity Theatre at the Riverside at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30.

Orlando, one of the biggest pop stars of the early 70s, is best remembered and associated with the mammoth hit “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Ole Oak Tree,” the top-selling hit of 1973 and one of the biggest selling singles of all time. His spirit of true patriotism comes through in his show as he reminds everyone how proud we should all be of our military troops, past and present. Orlando and his band will take the audience through his many hits such as “Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose?,” “Knock Three Times,” “Candida,” and much more.

At age 17, in 1961, Orlando had his first hit song “Ding Dong.” He recorded “Candida” as lead vocalist under the pseudonym “Dawn” in 1970, and when the song became an international No. 1 hit, he switched to “Tony Orlando and Dawn.” The group had 19 other top 40 hits, and a popular variety program, “The Tony Orlando and Dawn Show” on CBS from 1973 to 1977. They broke up in 1978.

In 1993 he opened the Tony Orlando Yellow Ribbon Music Theatre in Branson, Mo., and ended his act there in 2013.

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The first Friday of each month, the Avi is featuring a comedian as part of its First Friday Comedy series. Johnny Ace Palmer will headline on Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.

Palmer specializes in close-up magic with many awards to prove it including being voted Best Close-Up Magician at the Magic Castle™ in Hollywood by the Academy of Magical Arts two years in a row. He is the only magician to have received both the International Brotherhood of Magicians’ Gold Cups Award of Excellence and the Society of American Magicians’ Gold Medal Award of Honor.

His skills have been experienced in television commercials including one for Bell Telephone starring James Earl Jones, and another for Merrill Lynch. In Las Vegas, Palmer opened the former $50 million Caesars Magical Empire in 1996. The Harry Potter movie spawned another of his varied projects. Mattel turned to Palmer for help in designing magical toys so they could win the merchandising contract for the movie, which resulted in Warner Brothers awarding the contract to them.

On First Friday Dec 6, Steven Briggs will be featured.

The Riverside Resort has tribute shows coming up, which will feature a varied lineup of incredible stars including Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley, Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, and the legendary band Queen in Don’s Celebrity Theatre. All shows are at 8 p.m. and tickets $30.

“Last Train To Memphis - Cash, Killer and The King” will be the headliner show Wednesday-Sunday, Oct. 9-13 featuring hit music of three legendary icons from the 1950’s Sun Records era and beyond. Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley were a significant focus of the historic jam session known as “The Million Dollar Quartet,” which took place on Dec. 4, 1956. The tribute artists are backed by a full band.

Crossing over to comedy, the “Martin & Lewis Tribute Show” Wednesday-Sunday, Oct. 16-20, will have Tom Stevens and Tony Lewis capturing the amazing stage chemistry of the celebrities they are bringing to life, namely singer Dean Martin and comedian Jerry Lewis. Stevens and Lewis have enjoyed successful careers in show business as both a duo and solo artists.

Lewis has spent the last 34 years performing in Australia creating a name for himself as the quintessential Jerry Lewis tribute artist. His one-person show sold out countless venues and earned him respect as one of Australia’s best entertainers. Stevens garnered his recognition as “the best Dean Martin tribute artist,” since his first appearance at the Dean Martin Festival in 1998. Stevens has spent the last 17 years in Las Vegas, and paid tribute to more than 100 celebrities. Together, Stevens and Lewis remind audiences of the remarkable American comedy duo of Martin and Lewis, which dominated the box office for 10 years from 1946-1956.

“Queen Nation - A Tribute To The Music Of Queen” is scheduled Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 31-Nov. 3. Tribute band Queen Nation was formed in 2004. Gregory Finsley on vocals and keyboards as Freddie Mercury, along with Mike McManus on guitar as Brian May, Pete Burke on drums as Roger Taylor, and Parker Combs on bass as John Deacon carry on the musical torch and pay homage to the golden age of vintage Queen concerts. Queen performed to packed stadiums around the globe for more than two decades with the amazing showmanship of rock frontman Freddie Mercury.

The 2019 Haunt & Glow Car Show will be held at the Tropicana Oct. 25-27 in the North Parking Lot and Victory Plaza. The free admission Halloween car show will be Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-7 p.m. A Halloween Costume Contest and Light Show will be held Saturday at 6 p.m., and awards on Sunday at 10 a.m. in the Pavilion Theater. Car, truck and motorcycle entry is $30 per vehicle.

“Tenors, Baritones and Sopranos - A Night at the Opera” will be presented at The E Center at the Edgewater on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. The music being presented will be arias from “La Bohème,” “Madame Butterfly,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Tosca,” “La Traviata” and “Les Misérables.” It will be a romantic evening of beautiful music from the most popular operas ever written. Tickets start at $45.

The Tropicana will host the Veterans Celebration, Friday-Monday, Nov. 8-11 in the Pavilion Theater. The annual veterans’ celebration features Remembering Our Fallen, a memorial of fallen service members from Iraq and Afghanistan post-Sept. 11. Viewing is free 10 a.m.-10 p.m. each day.

There will be a Run For The Fun Charity Poker Run on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 8 a.m. with the last rider out by 11 a.m. Entry fee with a $10 dining voucher included is $30 for a rider and $10 for a passenger.

A Veterans Pig Roast will take place on Monday Nov. 11 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Victory Plaza.

The Tropicana is holding a Down Home BBQ every Saturday through Nov. 9 from 4-7 p.m. at Victory Plaza.

It will be Girls’ Day Out at the Aquarius Pavilion on Saturday, Oct. 5, which means shopping starting at 9 a.m.! The 12th annual shopping party sponsored by Cameron Broadcasting will feature 125+ booths. Admission is free.

The largest off-road desert racing series in North America, Best in the Desert, will return to Laughlin Oct. 10-13. The 4th Annual Method Race Wheels Laughlin Desert Classic is presented by Jimco and sponsored by Method Race Wheels, Polaris, and Laughlin Tourism Commission. Events run Thursday through Sunday.

The Fort Mojave Indian Days is an annual celebration held in Needles, Calif., located 30 miles from Laughlin, at the Tribal Village Park on the Fort Mojave Reservation. The event is open to the public and admission is free. There will be a parade, culture workshops, royal pageant, bird singing and dancing contests, nature walk, golf tournament, games, etc. People will gather to celebrate the native spirit Friday-Saturday, Oct. 25-26.

The Tropicana will host the Talent Quest National Karaoke Finals Oct. 27-Nov. 3 in the Pavilion Theater.

The 3rd Annual Classic Car Show will be held at the Laughlin River Lodge on Nov. 1 and 2. The event is open to all car clubs and individuals. Folks can enter hot rods, cars, lowriders from 1900s to 2000s. Entry fee is $25. There will be a Halloween Costume Party on Thursday, Oct. 31 from 6-9 p.m.

The Grand Canyon Pro Rodeo Finals 2019 will be held at the Mojave Crossing Event Center located about a 30-minute drive from Laughlin on Friday-Saturday, Nov. 8-9 with two performances. Tickets start at $10.

The 4th Annual Horsepower Fest will be held at the Avi’s Beach Overlook on Saturday, Nov. 16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with custom boats, cars, trucks, vintage restorations, hot rods, rat rods, dragsters, motorcycles, and off-road vehicles showcased along with vendors, food trucks and raffle prizes. Admission is free.

A Spartan Race challenge with 25 obstacles over an eight-mile course will be held Nov. 16-17 at Laughlin Events Park. Participants will receive a T-shirt, finisher’s medal, race photos and beer ticket. Registration closes Nov. 15; visit spartan.com.