Roses are red, violets are blue, if it’s planning Valentine’s Day you dread, let Reno Tahoe help you! Wow the socks off of your Valentine this year with these lovable ideas you’ll only find in Reno Tahoe USA:

1. Last Tracks Wine Tasting

From Diamond Peak’s mid-mountain Snowflake Lodge, guests enjoy the beautiful views of Lake Tahoe while tasting fine wines and tasty appetizers. At the end of the event, after the lifts are closed, guests ski, telemark or snowboard down a freshly groomed corduroy run to the bottom.

Last Tracks is held on Saturdays starting in February, until the end of the season. Events start approximately at 4:00pm, but you can pick up your Last Tracks ticket at 2:00 pm to get some runs in before the event starts. The event ends around 6pm or at sunset, whichever comes first. All guests must stay until the end of the event and go down as a group. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today!

Single event tickets are $29. Includes a ski lift ticket valid from 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm.  Reserve Online!

2. Spa Atlantis Valentine’s Day Spa Packages

Treat your sweetheart to a romantic day of wellness at Spa Atlantis, insides Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno, Nevada. Spa Atlantis offers guests complete serenity in an award-winning spa. For the month of February, guests can choose from the following Valentine’s Day spa packages.

Sparkling Mimosa Pedicure

Raise a toast to soft and silky feet.  Champagne bubbles and raw sugar cane granules create sparkling skin.  Relieve roughness, as the healing properties of orange and grape essential oils seal in the moisture benefits from a warm paraffin wrap.  Your feet are then massaged with Mimosa Champagne lotion.  60mins $80

Sweethearts Escape

Our jetted tubs and effervescent bubbles are the perfect way to start your romantic escape.  Slip into the warm waters and experience the true ambiance of love.  Next fall even deeper into relaxation with a side by side couple’s massage.  90mins $310

Evening Primrose Wrap

Your blissful experience will begin with a hydrating rose sugar scrub. Relax while tired and dull looking skin is gently buffed away to reveal new, refreshed skin.  Your body is then deeply moisturized with a rose petal infused moisture cream and essential oils.  Float blissfully away as you relax in our weightless floatation bed, while enjoying a scalp massage.  You’ll leave with glowing, healthy skin as soft and delicate as a rose petal. 60mins $145

To make a reservation, please contact Spa Atlantis at 775.954.4315.

3. Crazy in Love… with Sports

Archie, the Reno Aces loveable mascot, is ready to help you ace this Valentine’s Day with the perfect gift – an Archie Gram! The package includes a $15 gift card, flower arrangement and two Outfield Reserved tickets (with an option to upgrade) to the Reno Aces home opener on April 12! Archie will deliver the packages between Feb. 7-14, and delivery is FREE to those in the Reno/Sparks area. I want to get in the game.

4. Turn Up the Heat

Keep the heat going into the weekend. Feb. 15, the #1 male revue in the world, Chippendales®, hits the stage at the Silver Lagacy’s Grande Exposition Hall with their exclusive “Ultimate Girls Night Out” tour. Capturing the perfect balance of sex appeal and tasteful teasing, this full production show portrays everything from men in uniform to dusty cowboys. Ok, I’m interested.

5.  Romantic Serenades

Listen to the chords of harmony and love at Artown’s Encore Performance of Violinist Itzhak Perlman with pianist Rohan De Silva at the Pioneer Center, Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. Friends of Artown receive 10% off ticket prices, contact Artown at 775-322-1538 for code. Click to tune into more info.

6. Indulge in Decadent Treatments at Stillwater Spa in Tahoe

Throughout February, Stillwater Spa offers a pair of luxurious spa treatments for individuals and couples seeking blissful relaxation:

o    “I Love Me” special treatment features a 50-minute Stillwater massage, 25-minute Lushly scrub, a Moroccan Oil™ Blowout, a complimentary champagne toast, and a $25 resort credit when guests spend $50 or more. Price: $225.

o   “I Heart You” special treatment for couples includes a 75-minute Couples Escape, 25-minute Moroccan Oil™ scalp massage and conditioning treatment, complimentary champagne toast, and $25 resort credit when guests spend $50 or more. Price: $425.

Jason Aldean, Chris Young and Thompson Square are coming to Reno Tahoe Oct 23! The concert has been sold out for awhile, but we found tickets – for FREE! (Nope, this is not a scam.)

Circus Circus Reno will be hosting The My Kinda Party Tour Ticket Giveaway October 20-22 from 5-10pm. TEN tickets will be given away every day with multiple chances to win. Do the math, that’s 30 tickets!

We know good music and Harrah’s Reno is bringing it to you, free. We’re not talking about the stuff that’s tweaked on computers to the point where anything can sound good. We’re talking about bold music, live music, rock and roll that takes real musical talent and powerful vocal chords to rock a stage.

Centered on Bill Harrah’s Centennial Birthday Celebration, Harrah’s Reno is offering a special summer concert series with performances every Saturday night. With a lineup of talented bands, go-go dancers and raffle prizes, Saturday nights at Harrah’s Plaza will heat up fast.

A list of highlighted performers, to name a few:

July 16 – XFEST 2011 featuring ROY ROGERS AND THE DELTA RHYTHM KINGS, 4-11p, $10*
Four bands take the stage for this alternative rock weekend.

*All other shows are FREE.

July 23 – THE JACKS, 9p-11p
AC/DC music at its best from this rockin’ tribute.

July 30 – HOT FOR TEACHER, 9p-11p
A salute to the music of Van Halen will keep the plaza rockin’ all night.

August 13 – 60s SUMMER OF LOVE, 9p-11p
Enjoy the best music from the decade of love.

August 20 – MOTOWN SOUL FEATURING NATHAN OWENS, 9p-11p
Incredible R&B and Motown performances from this experienced big band.

August 27 – WEIRD SCIENCE, 9p-11p
Always popular, this band performs the best in 80s danceable classic tunes.

September 3 & 4 – BIG CITY REVUE, 9p-11p
This massive band takes the stage two nights over the holiday weekend. Not to be missed, this band will have the joint jumping with party songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s.

September 10 – DEPARTMENT OF ROCK, 9p-11p
Myriad rock and roll tribute bands mixed into one spectacular performance. You’ll hear the most popular classic rock tunes from 80s and 90s on this not to be missed special night.

September 17 – POP VINYL, 9p-11p
The L.A. dance band performs party favorites from the 80s and 90s.

September 22 – BUDDY EMMER BAND, 12p-3p
Special shows to celebrate Street Vibrations.

September 22 & 23 – UNAUTHORIZED ROLLING STONES
A rock and roll salute to the stones. Classic.

September 23 & 24 – CREAM OF CLAPTON
Hear a rock and blues tribute to Eric Clapton in this special daytime show.

September 24 – BUDDY EMMER BAND, 12p-3p
Special shows to celebrate Street Vibrations.

September 24 – SYYNNYN LYNNYRD, 9p-11p
The perfect finale, this tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd will blow your hair back.

For a complete list of FREE Plaza Concerts at Harrah’s Reno click here.

John Ascuaga’s Nugget is gearing up for a three-day country music festival! Country Cossroads features performances by LeAnn Rimes, Ricky Skaggs and Neal McCoy, along with country karaoke contests, songwriting seminars and free live entertainment! This Memorial Day weekend will be a celebration of one of the nation’s greatest contributions: Country Music!

LeAnn Rimes performs in the Rose Ballroom at 9:00pm on Sunday, May 29^th; tickets from $65.

Neal McCoy performs in the Celebrity Showroom at 9:00pm on Saturday, May 28^th; tickets are $35.

Ricky Skaggs performs in the Celebrity Showroom at 9:00pm on Friday, May 27^th; tickets are $45.

The Nugget is offering room, dinner and show packages, as well as a great deal on tickets for all three of the festival’s headlining concerts. Get more information at www.janugget.com or call (800) 356-3300. It’s gonna be a hoot!

Born into jazz royalty as the son of John and Alice Coltrane, Grammy-nominated saxophonist, bandleader and composer Ravi Coltrane has claimed his own rightful territory, creating work The New York Times has called “what jazz sounds like now.”

Joining the 2011 University of Nevada, Reno Jazz Festival in concert, the Ravi Coltrane Quartet brings its groundbreaking presence to town for an encore performance Friday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. in Lawlor Events Center. The Festival opens Thursday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Nightingale Concert Hall with another Grammy-nominated jazz dynamo, percussionist Terri Lyne Carrington performing with the University’s stellar faculty jazz ensemble, The Collective.

Named after Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar, Coltrane has been immersed in the world of impeccable musicianship literally from day one. Schooled first as a clarinetist, he switched to the saxophone in high school and went on to study at the California Institute of the Arts. Coltrane has played and recorded alongside such leaders of American jazz and pop as Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin, Branford Marsalis, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock and scores of other superstars.

Coltrane’s credits include appearances on more than 30 recordings as a sideman, as well as his own critically acclaimed albums as a leader. In 2004 he also produced his mother’s return to recording after a 26-year hiatus, featuring an all-star ensemble including Ravi, his brother Oran, Charlie Haden, Jack DeJohnette, James Genus and Jeff Watts. He also tours the world – and arrives in Reno April 7-  with the Ravi Coltrane Quartet, whose members include pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Drew Gress and drummer E.J. Strickland.

Grammy-nominated drummer, composer and producer Terri Lyne Carrington began her music career as a young prodigy, learning percussion at age 7 on a set of drums belonging to her grandfather Matt Carrington, who had played with Fats Waller and Chuck Berry. She received a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music at age 11 and has since toured and recorded with such luminaries as Wayne Shorter, Clark Terry, Diana Krall, Diane Schuur and Herbie Hancock, on whose Grammy-winning album “Gershwin’s World” she performed alongside Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder.

Carrington has also performed as the house drummer on the Arsenio Hall Show. More recently, she returned to Berklee as a professor after being granted an honorary doctorate from her alma mater in 2003. In addition to her wide-ranging recording projects and award-winning production credits, Carrington is artistic director of the Beantown Jazz Festival in Boston. She has also received the NAJE Young Talent Award, the IAJE Award for Outstanding Service to Jazz Education, the Eubie Blake Award, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award from the City of Boston, and numerous other national kudos for her professional contributions to jazz.

The finest jazz educators and musicians on the planet travel to the University of Nevada, Reno each spring to perform and teach at the Reno Jazz Festival and this year is no exception. In addition to evening concerts by world-renowned guest artists, the Reno Jazz Festival also offers daytime competitions, workshops and clinics by scores of professional jazz artists and adjudicators for more than 9,000 young jazz musicians from throughout the West. The three-day festival culminates in a showcase concert and awards ceremony Saturday, April 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Lawlor Events Center, to honor the best and brightest young standouts.

TICKET INFORMATION:

Individual tickets for Terri Lyne Carrington and The Collective, April 7: General $20/Senior $17/Student $10. The Terri Lyne Carrington and The Collective performance is also included in the festival’s Jazz Fan Pass (preferred seating), which provides entry to all festival events April 7-9: General $60/Senior $50.

Individual tickets for the Ravi Coltrane Quartet, April 8: General $24/Senior $21/Student $15. The Ravi Coltrane Quartet performance is also included in the festival’s Jazz Fan Pass (preferred seating), which provides entry to all festival events April 7-9: General $60/Senior $50.

Individual tickets for the Reno Jazz Festival Showcase and Awards Ceremony, April 9: General $15/Senior $12/Student $8. The Reno Jazz Festival Showcase and Awards Ceremony is also included in the festival’s Jazz Fan Pass (preferred seating), which provides entry to all festival events April 7-9: General $60/Senior $50.

To purchase the Jazz Fan Pass, call Extended Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, (775) 784-4046 or 1-800-233-8928, email jazz@unr.edu or visit http://www.unr.edu/rjf

To purchase individual tickets in advance (with a convenience fee), visit the Reno Jazz Festival website at http://www.unr.edu/rjfor call 1-800-225-2277. Tickets may also be purchased in person (without a convenience fee) on the University of Nevada, Reno campus at the Lawlor Events Center box office, open weekdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. If the concert is not sold out, tickets may also be purchased at the door the evening of each performance.

For more information about the Reno Jazz Festival, call (775) 784-4ART or visit http://www.unr.edu/rjf 

-Andrea Turman

His reign as the King of Blues has spanned more than five decades, now B.B. King makes his way to Silver Legacy Resort Casino for a knockout performance of all of his biggest hits.  With famed guitar Lucille in hand, see one of the biggest legends in music history live in the Grande Exposition Hall on Saturday, February 26 at 8 p.m.

For more than half a century, Riley B. King—better known as B.B. King—has defined the blues for a worldwide audience. Since he started recording in the 1940s, he has released over fifty albums, many of them classics.  Nicknames like the Beale Street Blues Boy and Blues Boy King later helped the legend become what he is today, B.B. King.  The Grammy Award-winner has had two #1 R&B hits, four #2 R&B hits and his most popular crossover hit, 1970’s “The Thrill Is Gone,” went to #15 pop.

King’s first big break came in 1948 when he performed on a live radio program out of West Memphis, Tennessee.  This led to steady gigs at the Sixteenth Avenue Grill and later a ten minute radio show called “King’s Spot.”  He began recording and touring nationally as his first number one hit, “Three O’Clock Blues” took off.  His 1956 tour played an astonishing 342 one-night engagements around the country from the Chitlin Circuit with its small-town cafes, juke joints and country dance halls to rock palaces, symphony concert halls, universities, resorts and various amphitheaters. 

Over the years, King has developed one of the world’s most identifiable guitar styles.  His every-note-counts phrasing has been a model for thousands of players from Eric Clapton and George Harrison to Jeff Beck. King has mixed traditional blues, jazz, swing, mainstream pop and jump into a unique sound.

B.B. was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He received NARAS’ Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 1987 ant the National Award of Distinction from the University of Mississippi in 1992.  He has also received honorary doctorates from Tougaloo(MS) College in 1973; Yale University in 1977; Berklee College of Music in 1982; Rhodes College of Memphis in 1990; Mississippi Valley State University in 2002 and Brown University in 2007.

In 1991, B.B. King’s Blues Club opened on Beale Street in Memphis and in 1994 a second club was launched at Universal City Walk in Los Angeles. A third club in New York City’s Times Square opened in June 2000 and most recently two clubs opened at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut in January 2002.  King’s autobiography, “Blues All Around Me” was published in 1996.

King’s touring continues today with an average of over 250 concerts per year around the world. Classics such as “Payin’ The Cost To Be The Boss,” “The Thrill Is Gone” and “Why I Sing The Blues” are concert and fan staples.  Hear your favorites live in Silver Legacy’s Grande Exposition Hall on Saturday, February 26 as B.B. King takes the stage!  Tickets start at just $60 with premium seating available for $70 and $85.  Reserve your seats by calling 1-800-MUST-SEE (678-8733) or 775-325-7401 or visiting www.silverlegacy.com and www.ticketmaster.com.  Don’t miss this unforgettable show as the King of Blues returns to Reno!

2007 (c) Charr Crail

Multi-platinum pop-rock revolutionaries and Northern California Natives TESLA are bringing their unique music style to Silver Legacy Resort Casino on Friday, November 19.  From die-hard fans to newcomers who probably already know a few songs, TESLA will play both their acoustic and hard rock favorites in the Grande Exposition Hall starting at 8 p.m.

TESLA was formed in Sacramento in 1985, named after the eccentric inventor Nikola Tesla, who pioneered the radio.  They quickly scored a deal with Geffen Records and released their debut album, “Mechanical Resonance” in 1986 with hard rock hits and crowd favorites “Modern Day Cowboy” and “Little Suzi.” But it was the follow-up album titled “The Great Radio Controversy” that truly broke the band. The first single, “Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out),” was a hit with hard rock audiences, setting the stage for the second single, a comforting ballad called “Love Song” which substituted a dash of hippie utopianism for the usual power ballad histrionics.

In keeping with their unpretentious, blue-collar roots, TESLA responded to stardom not with the glam theatrics of their tour mates and peers of the era, but by stripping things down. The idea behind 1990 album “Five Man Acoustical Jam” was virtually unheard of—a pop-metal band playing loose, informal acoustic versions of their best-known songs along with a few covers.

TESLA’s music was sturdy enough to hold up with audiences and helped directly inspire a new movement in music.  Its relaxed vibe had enough edge to prove acoustic music could sound vital and energetic. The album “Five Man Acoustical Jam” is credited for starting MTV’s “Unplugged” craze of the ‘90s which included artist like Eric Clapton, Nirvana and many others following suit with acoustic live albums.

Next up came “Psychotic Supper” in 1991, spawning the greatest number of TESLA hits like “Edison’s Medicine,” “Call it What You Want “ and “What You Give.”  They followed up with one more album in 1994 before internal problems caused the band to split.  The band reconciled after years apart and created a new album filled with original music in 2004.  

In 2009 TESLA released their newest album “Forever More” which gives the audience a look through their 25-year musical journey.  Prepare for the album’s self-titled track to open the show on this tour along with singles “I Wanna Live” and “Breakin’ Free.”  The band now owns and operates under its own record label, TESLA Electric Company Recordings.

Get your tickets to see revolutionary pop-rockers TESLA perform live in Silver Legacy’s Grand Exposition Hall on Friday, November 19 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available from $45 with premium seating for $60.  Reserve seats online at www.silverlegacy.com.

-Diana Rogers

Described as strong, versatile and spunky, Sara Evans plans to present her latest “Greatest Hits” album to fans at Silver Legacy Resort Casino on Friday, November 12.  The country singer takes the stage in the Grande Exposition Hall at 8 p.m. with chart toppers like “A Real Fine Place to Start, “Suds in the Bucket” and “No Place That Far.”

A Booneville, Missouri native, Sara Evans grew up one of seven children and began singing country music with her family’s band when she was five-years-old. By the time she was 16 she landed a gig singing regularly at a club in Columbia, Missouri. Evans made her way to Nashville where she got her first break.  Legendary songwriter Harlan Howard heard her amazing voice and tapped her to sing his demos. A deal with RCA Records followed soon after.

With numerous Number 1 hits, Evans has become one of the most successful female artists of her generation.  She’s won numerous accolades, among them the Academy of Country Music’s Female Vocalist of the Year and the Country Music Association’s Video of the Year for “Born to Fly.”  She was named 2006 Female Vocalist of the Year in the R&R Reader’s Poll and has been celebrated as one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People.”

Of the five albums Evans has released, her sophomore set, “No Place That Far” has been certified Gold; 2001’s “Born to Fly” is Double-Platinum and 2003’s “Restless” and 2005’s “Real Fine Place” are both Platinum.  Those successes have now brought on a new album, “Sara Evans—Greatest Hits,” a 14-song collection featuring 10 of Evans’ signature songs as well as four inspired new songs.

It’s the ability to write songs that connect with the heart of her audience that has made Evans such a successful artist, and it’s her willingness to take risks and embrace a challenge that has widened her following. “Some things just feel right,” she says, citing her participation in ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” “It totally, totally changed my career. It was one of the best times of my life. I loved it.”

Get your tickets to see this multi-talented, multi-faceted country singing superstar in person at Silver Legacy Resort Casino on Friday, November 12 at 8 p.m.   Tickets are available from $35 with premium seating at $55.  For more information or to reserve your seats visit www.silverlegacy.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

-Diana Rogers

With a catalog of hits and chart-toppers rivaling The Beatles and Elvis, Boyz II Men has firmly cemented itself in the upper echelon of music history. Catch Boyz II Men in the intimate Celebrity Showroom, October 22-23, at John Ascuaga’s Nugget.

Based on sales, Boyz II Men is the most successful R&B male vocal group of all time. It recorded five #1 R&B hits between 1992 and 1997 and has sold more than 60 million records. Three of its #1 hits, “End of the Road”, “I’ll Make Love to You”, and “One Sweet Day” (with Mariah Carey), set and broke records for the longest period of time a single remained at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100; the last of them still holds the record. Although “On Bended Knee” did not break any records, it was still an immensely popular song that reached #1 and made Boyz II Men the third artists (behind Elvis and The Beatles) to replace themselves at the number one spot of the Billboard Hot 100. Their early music was indebted to new jack swing, but the group quickly found their forté in lush, soulful ballads, where their harmonies could be showcased to greatest effect.

Boyz II Men plays two nights, October 22-23 in the Celebrity Showroom at 8 p.m. Tickets are just $50 and are available by calling (800) 648-1177 or (775) 356-3300 or by visiting janugget.com. Dinner and show packages are also available.

-Michael Traum

Singer Sheryl Crow has announced she will be returning to Reno for a concert at Silver Legacy Resort Casino this fall.  Fans will be able to see Crow live in the Grande Exposition Hall on Saturday, November 13 at 8 p.m. 

Crow had been scheduled to perform at the Reno Events Center on Sunday, September 12, but was forced to cancel due to an illness that affected her throat.  Tickets for her previous show may not be exchanged for tickets to the November 13 performance.  Seats for the September 12 show are being refunded at point of purchase.  Contact your individual ticket distributor for more information. 

Crow’s previous performance was also scheduled with Special Guest Brandi Carlile.  The new show on November 13 will be a more intimate production with Crow performing exclusively for guests.

To get your tickets for a night with Sheryl Crow in Silver Legacy’s Grande Exposition Hall, log on to www.silverlegacy.com or www.ticketmaster.com or call 1-800-MUST-SEE (687-8733) or 775-325-7401.  

-Diana Rogers