George Thorogood and the Destroyers have extended their “Rock Party Tour” into its second year and find themselves in the Reno Grand Sierra’s giant showroom Friday night.
This provides an audience not only the opportunity to hear some of the band’s top anthems like “Bad to the Bone,” but also to feel good about paying the price of admission since Thorogood is donating proceeds from the tour to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to help find cures and provide access to treatments of blood cancer.
Thorogood released his first ever solo album, “Party of One,” earlier this year and it became his fastest-selling album in 20 years. Its playlist is a veritable delight ranging from John Lee Hooker’s “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” to Hank Williams’ “Pictures from Life’s Other Side.”
The Destroyers remain as they have been for years – Jeff Simon on percussion, Bill Blough on bass, Jim Suhler on guitar, and Buddy Leach on saxophone. They are without doubt one of the best touring bands in rock-blues history, having performed more than 8,000 live shows to date. (8 p.m.; $25-$105; grandsierraresort.com)
▪ The Decembrists were a group of Russian soldiers who staged a rebellion in 1825 over Nicholas I’s ascension to the throne.
Add an “e” and you have the Decemberists, the indie band from Portland, Oregon, certainly not ignorant of the origins of their name since much of their shows are playful recreations of historical events, many including audience participation.
The Decemberists offer a tonic, moving themselves away from self-referential and brooding rock to songs that tell stories, like “My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist” and “Yankee Retreat.” It’s difficult to take any band that claims to travel by dirigible, to have met in a Turkish bath and to tout a favorite drink of Orangina, as anything but simply fun. After all, this is the group that called their 2007 series of concerts with orchestras “The A Bit of Grass Stain Does Not a Ruined Pair of Jeans Make Tour.” Their eighth album, “I’ll Be Your Girl,” was released in March and they will play the MontBleu Saturday. (8 p.m.; $56-61; Ticketmaster)
▪ Thunder Valley presents “Showtime Philippines” Saturday with Vice Ganda, Anne Curtis and others. Much audience participation in games in on the program as well. (7:30 p.m.; $38.95-$98.95; thundervalleyresort.com)
▪ Racial-stereotype comedy is usually ill-advised but there are a few who can mine it for not only laughs but insight, like J. Arnez who has proved himself adept at just that on Def Jam and in his Netflix special. He’s at Cache Creek Saturday. (8 p.m.; $25-$39; cachecreek.com)