From the perfect Valentine\u2019s Day band to Opera San Jose\u2019s take on \u201cSalome,\u201d there are a lot of great shows and concerts to catch in the Bay Area this weekend and beyond.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a partial rundown.<\/p>\n
Cupid\u2019s favorite band is back<\/p>\n
Still looking for that perfect Valentine\u2019s Day gift for the certain someone in your life?<\/p>\n
Well, how about tickets to see the group that Time magazine reportedly once referred to as \u201cthe most romantic band in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
No, we\u2019re not talking about Helloween. (You\u2019ll actually have to wait until April to see those romantic German metal men play the Bay Area.) We\u2019re talking, of course, about the incredible \u201980s pop-rock duo known as Air Supply, featuring phenomenal lead vocalist Russell Hitchcock and guitarist-Graham Russell,\u00a0which is once again spending part of Valentine\u2019s Day week with its multitude of Bay Area fans.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s your chance to hear such equally memorable and melodic Air Supply tunes as \u201cThe One That You Love,\u201d \u201cEvery Woman in the World,\u201d \u201cLost in Love,\u201d \u201cHere I Am\u201d and, best of all, the gorgeous power ballad \u201cMaking Love Out of Nothing at All.\u201d<\/p>\n
Expect local \u201cAirheads\u201d \u2014 a moniker that, in this case, isn\u2019t an insult but rather an affectionate nickname for the most dedicated Air Supply fans \u2014 to turn out in force to see the band as it continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary in concert.<\/p>\n
Details: 8 p.m. Feb. 13; San Jose Civic; tickets start at $77; ticketmaster.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 Jim Harrington, Staff<\/p>\n Classical picks: Kids concert, Diablo Symphony, \u2018Salome\u2019<\/p>\n This week\u2019s classical offerings include a thrilling opera, a concert made for Mariachi fans and youngsters still learning to listen. Here\u2019s a look.<\/p>\n \u201cSounds of the Americas\u201d:\u00a0The Diablo Symphony Orchestra welcomes the UC Davis Mariachi Ensemble in this \u201cMariachi Valentine,\u201d a program featuring works by Gabriela Lena Frank, Alberto Ginastera, and Gabriela Ortiz to celebrate the rhythms and melodies of Mexico and South America. Music director Matilda Hofman conducts.<\/p>\n Details: 2 p.m. Feb. 15; Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek; $15-$90: diablosymphony.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bring the kids: It\u2019s never too soon to get youngsters into music, and the San Francisco Symphony\u2019s Music for Families series has events for those ages 5 through 12. This week\u2019s program features well-known works by Puccini, Tchaikovsky, Leonard Bernstein and others; Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser conducts.<\/p>\n Details: 2 p.m. Feb. 14, Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco; $19.50-$89; sfsymphony.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cSalome\u201d in San Jose:\u00a0Opera lovers don\u2019t get many chances to experience \u201cSalome,\u201d but West Bay Opera is presenting the Richard Strauss opera, translated from Oscar Wilde\u2019s French language play \u201cSalome,\u201d that features the famous \u201cDance of Seven Veils.\u201d Presented in German with projected English titles, performances run just under two hours, with no intermission.<\/p>\n Details: 7 p.m. Feb. 13 and Feb. 21, 2 p.m. Feb. 15 and 22; Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto; $54-$140; wbopera.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 Georgia Rowe, Correspondent<\/p>\n Calling all pale pachyderm fans<\/p>\n Lovingly painted dishware, bicycles and garden tools, a heavy cellarette that looks to be rescued from a 18th-century pirate ship \u2014 it\u2019s all ready and waiting to be adopted into your home during Oakland\u2019s annual White Elephant Sale.<\/p>\n A fundraiser that\u2019s collected more than $30 million for the Oakland Museum of California in its six-decade run,\u00a0the sale gives attendees the chance to peruse a massive warehouse loaded with all kinds of carefully organized \u2026 um, crud. There are paintings and sculptures and intricate masks from far-off lands; laboratory and astronomical equipment; second-hand furniture and mirrors; clothing (perfect for early Halloween shopping); and \u2026 well, the list goes on and on, covering nine departments and 90,000-plus square feet of shopping.<\/p>\n Overseeing the well-managed chaos is a staff of mostly elderly volunteers who will happily point you to the treasure of your dreams, and explain why you must buy it now. \u201cGet the rush of adrenaline from snagging that one-of-a-kind item you can\u2019t find anywhere else,\u201d the sale\u2019s organizers write. \u201cOver the course of an entire year, our volunteers collect, sort and repair a massive selection of donated goods priced so you can score amazing deals.\u201d<\/p>\n Details: Open warehouse days are 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 14, 15 and 19-21; and free-to-enter clearance weekend is 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 28 and March 1; 333 Lancaster St., Oakland; before visiting, make a reservation and purchase $5 ticket at whiteelephantsale.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 John Metcalfe, Staff<\/p>\n Best of all \u2014 no lift lines!<\/p>\n Did the Oscar-winning \u201cFree Solo\u201d make you break out in a cold sweat and cover your eyes while climber Alex Honnold ditched the the ropes and scaled El Capitan sans equipment? If that\u2019s a yes, you can rattle your nerves again with North Face\u2019s 45-minute documentary \u201cTrango.\u201d It\u2019s\u00a0 guaranteed to get your heart pounding, and let\u2019s just say that anyone with a fer of heights will have some moments of panic with this one.<\/p>\n Directed by accomplished outdoor photographer\/cinematographer Leo Hoorn, it features a Walnut Creek native \u2014 Jim Morrison \u2014 accomplishing the impossible. The Tahoe resident is one of the top ski mountaineers in the world and has descended more than a few of the most daunting and perilous mountains. In \u201cTrango,\u201d he joins daredevil Christina \u201cLusti\u201d Lustenberger and Chantal Astorga as they vie to become the first athletes to climb and ski the 20,000-foot Great Trango Tower in northern Pakistan.<\/p>\n \u201cTrango\u201d also explores in a delicate and sensitive way what that personal triumph means for everyone, in particular a still-grieving Morrison, in this gripping account that is both visually and viscerally spectacular.<\/p>\n Details: Available for rent beginning Feb. 13 on docplus.com\/home<\/a> \u2014 search for the title \u201cTrango.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2013 Randy Myers, correspondent<\/p>\n Your freebie of the week<\/p>\n Valentine\u2019s Day is among the more treasured holidays because, well, who doesn\u2019t love love? But let\u2019s face it, very little associated with the day or its traditions is ever free. Dinners? Diamonds? Chocolates? Roses? Professional wrestling tickets? Yup, they are all going to set you back a tad (even if each item, in its own special way, is totally worth it). But there are a couple of Valentine-ish things to do this weekend that are free. One \u2013 and it\u2019s especially handy for any of those with some angst or energy to burn \u2013 is the annual Valentine\u2019s Day Pillow Fight. The self-explanatory event takes place from 6 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Embarcadero Plaza (there\u2019s a 5:45 p.m. stretch-and-warmup period, a great time to survey the crowd and find someone you want to wallop), and participants are asked to bring a synthetic pillow (no feathers, please). There is no real organizer of the event, which is sort of like a flashmob of love, but you can find more information at Eventbrite.com<\/a>, search for \u201cSF Valentine\u2019s Day Pillow Fight.\u201d If you can\u2019t wait for Saturday to submit to your affectionate side, know that The Crossing on 250 Main St. in San Francisco, is hosting a free Goat My Valentine event from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, during which attendees can meet, pet and hug a variety of, yes, goats. Admission is free, but there is a fee if you want to get your photo snapped with a goat, with the funds going to charity. More information is at Eventbrite.com<\/a>, search for \u201cGoat My Valentine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Bay City News Foundation<\/p>\n A legend comes to Bay Area<\/p>\n The great choreographer, dancer and teacher Martha Graham passed away 35 years ago but it still feels like she is an integral part of modern and contemporary dance words. The so-called \u201cGraham Technique\u201d remains a foundational part of the modern dance technique and the many choreographers she directly influenced \u2013 including Merce Cunningham and Paul Taylor \u2013 went on to influence many dancers and choreographers in their own right. <\/p>\n You have a chance to witness some of Graham\u2019s lasting impact this weekend when the dance company that bears her name makes its first Cal Performances appearance in more than a decade. The stop is part of a tour celebrating the company\u2019s 100th anniversary, and it will feature performances of such Graham-created classics as \u201cAppalachian Spring,\u201d \u201cNight Journey\u201d and the anti-war \u201cChronicle.\u201d Also on the bill is new Graham-inspired work, \u201cCortege,\u201d by the acclaimed choreography team of Baye & Asa. The company performs at 8 p.m. Feb. 14 and 3 p.m. Feb. 15 at UC Berkeley\u2019s Zellerbach Hall. Tickets are $37-$140 \u2013 and both shows are likely to sell out, so don\u2019t dawdle if you\u2019re aiming to go.<\/p>\n