Sands Bringing in Big Laughs

The Sands Event Center in Bethlehem is announcing some big names in entertainment that will perform later this year.

Jay Leno, host of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, is just one of these celebrities. Leno is known for his comedy and wit that has lasted for years.  Leno is set to come to the Lehigh Valley in August.

Another famous comedian that will step into the Lehigh Valley made his name on the hit series Full House as Danny Tanner in the 90s.  Bob Saget will showcase his jokes in the Sands Event Center in June.

It should be a great summer for the Lehigh Valley!

Bethlehem Resident Auditions for 'The Voice'

The Lehigh Valley was represented on Monday night's airing of "The Voice."  Bethlehem native Erick Macek appeared on stage in front of Christina Aguilera, Cee-Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton.

According to his website, Macek learned to play the accordion as a result of his Slovak background at age 3 in his Bethlehem home.  Throughout his life, he went through phases of playing the trumpet to competing in sports such as soccer and ice hockey.

Macek soon suffered an injury, and by the time he got to college, his life was centered around music.  "Music had made an ironic full circle back into my life and by my 2nd year of college, my dad bought me my first Washburn acoustic electric guitar and the rest is history," he said.

Macek has won tons of awards, toured throughout the U.S., Japan and Europe, and played with some big names such as Jason Mraz and G-Love.  So, it was a surprise to all his fans when he didn't make it through the live auditions on Monday night.

However, I have a feeling Macek's career is going to blossom because of this exposure.

Check out Erick's song "Home":

Allentown Arena: Bringing in Big Stars

Big music names will be on their way to the Lehigh Valley when the Allentown Arena is built next year.

According to the Lehigh Valley Music Blog, the arena will seat 8,500 people for the Phantoms ice hockey games and over 10,000 for concerts.  This should definitely attract big stars and raise the Lehigh Valley's reputation amongst the music world.

The arena will include an events center with shops and a convention center as pictured above, according to the Morning Call.  The project could cost $175 million!  That's certainly a ton of money, but I think the benefits of the arena will more than cover this cost.

The arena should be complete by mid-2013.  The Lehigh Valley will definitely be a great place to be when this happens!

Adele Stole the Night

Last night's Grammy Awards showed off the year's best artists: Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Paul McCartney, and many more.

However, it was clear that Adele was the ultimate winner of the night.  To me, this is a real success for the world of music.

Adele won six awards, including Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the year.  She also gave a performance that was beautiful and strong, validating the talent that brought her those awards.

In my opinion, Adele's success indicates that the music fans of the world have been very smart this year.  Instead of being blinded by gimmicks, the world has paid attention to Adele's true talent.  Her voice, even after going through surgery, has remained unshakable and continued to capture the attention of all who were listening.

Here's the song that had everyone watching last night:

Blast From the Past

Tomorrow night at the Crocodile Rock, you have a chance to go back to the good old days when boy bands were popular...and you don't have to be embarrassed about it!

Nick Carter is playing at the concert venue tomorrow at 7 pm.  You probably remember Nick from his Backstreet Boys era.  I always enjoyed a little "I Want It That Way"....

Nick has gone solo since his boy band days, and he has recently released a new album "I'm Taking Off".  Enjoy his new single!

Go buy your tickets!

Open Mic Night

Want to show off your musical skills? Go to the Hard Bean Cafe this Thursday at 8 pm!

The Hard Bean Cafe has two floors - both have lounge areas and great coffee.  Every Thursday they have open mic nights, so if you are looking for a spot to play or listen to some music, this is a great place to go!

The cafe has 8 locations in addition to its location at 129 E. Third St in  Bethlehem.

This place seems pretty cool...and they even have a blog.  Go check it out!

Take a Jazz Break

I'm not a huge jazz fan, but I would definitely be willing to give it a shot for David Sanborn.

David is an American saxophone player from St. Louis who has released 24 albums and won six Grammy awards.

David contracted Polio at the age of three and used the saxophone as a type of therapy, and his success spiraled upwards from there.  He has played  with Elton John, The Grateful Dead, Stevie Wonder, and several other top names in the music industry.  Check out David's website to get the full scoop on his musical life.

The Musikfest Cafe, located on the third and fourth floors of the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, is lucky enough to the David Sanborn Trio on February 7.  The show starts at 7:30 pm and tickets range from $39-$49.

Go get your tickets now!  Here's a preview of what you might see: