Bay Area arts: 12 cool shows and events to catch this Labor Day ...

From several top concert acts to the return of a beloved circus and an iconic Scottish festival, there is a lot to see and do in the Bay Area this weekend and beyond. Here is a partial rundown.

2 hot shows coming to Frost

There are a pair of really cool shows heading for Frost Amphitheater at Stanford University.

The first one to hit the picturesque venue — which ranks among the best places to see live music in all of the Bay Area — is Lauren Daigle.

The supremely talented vocalist, known for such platinum-selling hits as “How Can It Be,” “Trust In You,” “Come Alive (Dry Bones),” “Still Rolling Stones” and “You Say,” brings her Kaleidoscope Nights Tour to Frost on Aug. 29.

Daigle is on the road supporting her eponymous fourth album, which features the chart-topping hit “Thank God I Do.” That album — like each of the previous three — reached No. 1 on the U.S. Christian music charts.

We look forward to hearing both the old and new hits. And we always hope that Daigle might actually sprinkle a little holiday music into the mix, given that the singer’s “Behold: A Christmas Collection” ranks so high on our list of seasonal favorites.

Two days after Daigle, legendary Bay Area rocker John Fogerty checks into Frost with his Celebration on Aug. 31.

Expect to hear the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer — who was enshrined as a member of Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1993 — perform such CCR classics as “Proud Mary,” “Down on the Corner,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” and, best of all, “Fortunate Son.”

George Thorogood and Hearty Har are also on the bill.

Details: Lauren Daigle, 7 p.m. Aug. 29; tickets start at $59; axs.com; John Fogerty, 6 p.m. Aug. 31; tickets start at $79; tickets for shows at axs.com.

— Jim Harrington, Staff

The circus is back in town

Acrobats! Death-defying stunts! Clowns — probably not the scary kind!

Yes, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is back in the Bay for the first time since 2017, with a dozen days of thrilling performances in both Oakland and San Jose.

This year, the famous circus promises “incredible acts that push the limits of human potential,” from performers hailing from all over the world. There will be never-before-seen stunts like the Triangular Highwire — featuring cyclists teetering on ropes high in the sky — and the Double Wheel of Destiny, with daredevils scrambling like mad hamsters in fiercely spinning wheels.

There are comedy performances with juggling and dancing, a Ringling Rocket shooting a guy across the room at 65 mph and a central stage that transforms into a fully functioning skate park, with BMX ramps and a trampoline launch for cool tricks, not to mention acrobats, trapeze performers and more.

So grab your kids, or your childlike adults, and get down to the so-called “Greatest Show on Earth” today!

Details: Performances run at the Oakland Arena from Aug. 30 through Sept. 1 and at SAP Center Sept. 6-8; tickets start at $30; ringling.com.

— John Metcalfe, Staff

Labor Day is festival time

The Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of summer with some of the Bay Area’s biggest and longest tenured outdoor events. Here are four you should know about.

158th Scottish Highland Gathering and Games: The Bay Area’s largest celebration of Scottish culture features “heavy athletics” contests such as the caber and stone tosses, a Kilted Mile race, heritage exhibits, traditional foods, whisky tastings and music including pipe bands, harpists, fiddlers and Celtic rock. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, 4501 Pleasanton Ave., Pleasanton. Tickets must be purchased online at www.thescottishgames.com, either in advance or via QR code at the event.

Kings Mountain Art Fair: More than 100 juried artists from the U.S. and Canada will gather to create a fine-art gallery in the redwoods at this 61st annual event, which also includes live entertainment, food and drink booths, and more. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 31 through Sept. 2 at 13889 Skyline Blvd., Woodside. Free admission. Proceeds benefit the KM Volunteer Fire Brigade and KM Elementary School; kingsmountainartfair.org

Millbrae Art & Wine Festival: This 52nd annual event features 300 arts and crafts booths, live music, food and wine vendors, a car show and a Kids Zone. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 along Broadway between Victoria and Meadow Glen. Free admission; millbrae.com/art-wine-festival/

Sazon Latin Food Festival: New to San Jose, this event will showcase Latin food and vendors and offer live music, salsa dancing, face painting and more. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 outdoors at Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. Admission is free, but reserve a spot online at www.eventbrite.com.

— Linda Zavoral and Brittany Delay, Staff

Tune into Black Radio Experience

If you’re in the mood for a high-class if a tad pricey music series, the Blue Note Jazz Festival in Napa this weekend debuts a new event with an eye-popping lineup at a snazzy locale.

Dubbed the Black Radio Experience, the event runs Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at the Meritage Resort and Spa, 875 Bordeaux Way, in Napa. Curated by Blue Note Jazz Fest artist in residence Robert Glasper, the ]celebration of Black culture  features such A-List musical artists as John Legend, Jill Scott, André 3000, Common, Ledisi, Nile Rodgers, Marcus Miller, Christian McBride, Cimafunk, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and more.

That’s enough talent to last most festivals a month, instead of one weekend. The 30-plus artists will perform on three stages; the event will also feature a wine garden, food and beverage events and demonstrations, some led by celebrities and musical artists; on-site gatherings and after-parties. A limited number of Meritage rooms will be available for booking as a part of certain VIP packages.

Details: Single-day general admission tickets start at $175; single-day VIP packages start at $400; three-day general admission tickets start at $499; three-day VIP packages start at $1,099; sky-box, after-parties, and other attractions also available at an additional cost; www.bluenotejazz.com/black-radio-experience.

— Randy McMullen, Staff

Meklit’s new band takes the stage

Meklit, the talented, Ethiopian-born, East Bay singer, has a way of embarking on ambitious musical projects that are about much more than music. Or maybe it’s that the music itself transports listeners to a landscape of global themes and issues. The Nile Project she co-founded several years ago with Egyptian musicologist Mina Girgis, gathered musicians from nearly a dozen East African nations for a multi-pronged campaign united by the concept of water conservation. Her latest project is a multimedia campaign dubbed Movement, which centers on the force and impact of global migration, and includes a podcast, radio show and concert series.

The latest chapter in the Movement project unfolds on Saturday in a free concert at which Meklit will debut the Movement Immigrant Orchestra, a collective of 13 musicians from 11 countries including India, Mexico, Ethiopia, Cuba, Italy, Taiwan, Spain, Iran, Mali, Haiti and Palestine. The outfit includes Mexican singer-songwriter Diana Gameros; Mamadou Sidibé, a master of several Malian string instruments; Spanish guitarist Javi Jimenez, Cuban trombonist Obrayan Calderon, Taiwanese cellist Roziht Edwards, and Haitian singer Lalin St. Juste. It’s bound to be a thrilling affair when the Movement Immigrant Orchestra takes the stage at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Great Lawn at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco, as part of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. The 90-minute concert is free; more information is at ybgfestival.org.

More on the concert is here.

Happy birthday to an icon

Singer, songwriter, musician and producer Linda Tillery has been a rich part of the Bay Area music scene for some five decades, so you better believe that her birthday gig this weekend in Berkeley is a big deal. Tillery got her start as the singer for the late-’60s soul/psychedelic-rock band The Loading Zone and has gone on to a storied and varied career as a solo rock/Americana artist, a producer for artists recording with the famed Olivia Records label that catered to female artists, and as a collaborator with A-List artists including Kenny Loggins, Holly Near, Bobby McFerrin, Barbara Higbie, Huey Lewis, Carlos Santana and the Turtle Island String Quartet. She also founded the Cultural Heritage Choir, a group committed to performing and preserving African American roots music. She is considered an influential figure in women’s popular music partly because she does it all and she does it on her terms.

On Aug Saturday, she’ll be celebrating her 76th birthday and her storied career at Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage club with a band called the East Bay Allstars, including such esteemed musicians as guitarist Ray Obiedo, pianist Tammy Hall, percussionist John Santos, singer/percussionist Vicki Randle, and many, many more. The music starts at 7 p.m. (masks are recommended), and tickets are $54 ($31.50 for those 21 and younger). Go to thefreight.org

— Bay City News Foundation

On stage, ice is nice

You knew that when Disney’s animated musical “Frozen” emerged as a monster hit in theaters 2013 that it would eventually become a stage musical. That’s just the way the world works. The stage musical did arrive about five years later and, despite enduring COVID shutdowns pretty early in its life, has become a global stage phenomenon, with productions on Broadway as well as in Denver, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Germany and the U.K., as well as the North American touring version that is playing through this weekend at San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts. Created by Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez and Jennifer Lee, the stage show is faithful to the film and includes its original songs (including the monster hit “Let It Go” as well as our favorite, “Reindee(s) Are Better Than People”) as well as some 15 additional tunes. With a touching and engaging story about two princess sisters thrust into a frigid and perilous predicament, “Frozen” 2 hours,15 minutes running time with an intermission), is perfect for a family outing.

Details: Performances are 7:30 pm. Aug. 29, 7 p.m. Aug. 30, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Aug. 31 and Sept. 1; $39-$137 (subject to change); broadwaysanjose.com.

— Bay City News Foundation

Mood music for the merriment

 This Labor Day weekend brings the 158th(!) rollout of the annual Scottish Highland Gathering and Games Saturday and Sunday at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, but a kickoff event takes place at 7:30 p.m. the night before at the Friday Night Concert at the San Ramon Marriott. The lineup this year presents Scottish folk singer and acoustic guitarist Peter Daldry, fiddler Michael Mullen, Celtic folk musicians the Katie Band, some Highland Dance performances and the Vancouver Irish Pipes and Drum Society – plus a special surprise band. 

Details: Doors to the Marriott ballroom open up at 7:10 p.m.; $25 plus $2.99 service fee; thescottishgames.com

— Bay City News Foundation

Originally Published: August 28, 2024 at 2:30 p.m.