On Sale Friday, September 5, 2008 at 10:00 AM

Cypress String Quartet
Sunday, October 26, 2008 to Sunday, June 7, 2009
Montalvo
Saratoga , CA

Tim O’Brien
Friday, May 1, 2009
Montalvo
Saratoga , CA

Bad Plus
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Montalvo
Saratoga , CA
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(New on sales from Ticketmaster. Please note that the Oakland/SJ Cheech & Chong tickets go on sale at 4:20 - somebody has a sense of humor.)

Now on sale:

Summer Reign
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Cow Palace
San Francisco , CA

On Sale Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 10:00 AM

Mike Pace
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Jackson Rancheria Casino and Hotel
Jackson , CA

Rancheria Dance Party with John Skinner Band
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Jackson Rancheria Casino and Hotel
Jackson , CA

Jim Brogan
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Jackson Rancheria Casino and Hotel
Jackson , CA

Cheech & Chong
Friday, December 19, 2008
Silver Legacy Casino
Reno , NV
Read the rest of this entry »

New Ticketmaster on sales:

Thursday May 01, 2008 10:00 AM

Outside Lands Festival - Friday - Radiohead
Friday August 22, 2008 5:00 PM
Golden Gate Park Outside Lands Festival, San Francisco
$85.00

Outside Lands Festival - Saturday - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Saturday August 23, 2008 1:00 PM
Golden Gate Park Outside Lands Festival, San Francisco
$85.00

Outside Lands Festival - Sunday - Jack Johnson
Sunday August 24, 2008 1:00 PM
Golden Gate Park Outside Lands Festival, San Francisco
$85.00

Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker
Sunday December 21, 2008 3:00 PM
Flint Center, Cupertino
$65.00-$25.00

Friday May 02, 2008 10:00 AM

Sheryl Crow and Los Lonely Boys
Friday June 13, 2008 8:00 PM
Ironstone Amphitheatre at Ironstone Vineyards, Murphys
$226.00-$46.00

The Ultimate Jimmy Buffett Tribute Featuring Barrie Cunningham
Saturday June 14, 2008 3:00 PM
Chukchansi Gold Resort And Casino, Coarsegold
$20.00-$15.00

Bob Weir & Ratdog and Gov’t Mule
Friday June 27, 2008 7:00 PM
Ironstone Amphitheatre at Ironstone Vineyards, Murphys
$215.00-$45.00

Smokey Robinson
Saturday June 28, 2008 8:30 PM
Chukchansi Gold Resort And Casino, Coarsegold
$55.00-$45.00

Jim Gaffigan
Saturday July 26, 2008 8:00 PM
Reno Ballroom, Reno
$55.00-$30.00

George Thorogood & The Destroyers And Buddy Guy
Sunday July 27, 2008 7:00 PM
Ironstone Amphitheatre at Ironstone Vineyards, Murphys
$215.00-$45.00

Chris Isaak and Boz Scaggs
Saturday August 2, 2008 7:30 PM
Ironstone Amphitheatre at Ironstone Vineyards, Murphys
$225.00-$45.00

Steely Dan
Saturday August 9, 2008 7:30 PM
Ironstone Amphitheatre at Ironstone Vineyards, Murphys
$230.00-$45.00

Steve Miller Band and Joe Cocker
Sunday August 17, 2008 7:00 PM
Ironstone Amphitheatre at Ironstone Vineyards, Murphys
$230.00-$45.00

Willie Nelson& Family with Sara Evans
Friday September 5, 2008 8:00 PM
Ironstone Amphitheatre at Ironstone Vineyards, Murphys
$215.00-$45.00

Bonnie Raitt with Blind Boys of Alabama
Saturday October 4, 2008 7:30 PM
Ironstone Amphitheatre at Ironstone Vineyards, Murphys
$225.00-$45.00

Friday May 02, 2008 12:00 PM

Flight Of The Conchords
Thursday May 29, 2008 8:00 PM
Davies Hall, San Francisco
$32.50

Saturday May 03, 2008 10:00 AM

WWE presents Smackdown & ECW
Sunday June 8, 2008 7:00 PM
HP Pavilion at San Jose, San Jose
$70.00-$20.00

Sammy Hagar & The Wabos
Saturday August 9, 2008 7:00 PM
Harvey’s Outdoor Arena At Lake Tahoe, Stateline
$57.50

Reno Tahoe Blues Fest
Saturday August 16, 2008 to Sunday August 17, 2008
Reno Tahoe Blues Fest, Reno
$105.00-$58.00

Saturday May 03, 2008 12:00 PM

WWE presents Raw
Monday June 9, 2008 5:45 PM
ORACLE Arena, Oakland
$70.00-$20.00

Sunday May 04, 2008 10:00 AM

Fish
Monday June 9, 2008 8:00 PM
The Fillmore, San Francisco
$32.50

Lucha Vavoom
Sunday June 29, 2008 8:00 PM
The Fillmore, San Francisco
$27.50

Mike Ness
Wednesday July 2, 2008 9:00 PM
The Fillmore, San Francisco
$30.00

Chorus Line
Tuesday July 8, 2008 to Sunday July 27, 2008
Curran Theatre, San Francisco
$180.00-$50.00

Kathy Griffin
Saturday July 12, 2008 8:00 PM
Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord, Concord
$75.00-$35.00

Wolf Parade
Thursday July 17, 2008 9:00 PM
The Fillmore, San Francisco
$22.50

Bloc Party
Wednesday July 30, 2008 9:00 PM
The Fillmore, San Francisco
$27.50

George Thorogood & The Destroyers
Wednesday July 30, 2008 8:00 PM
Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium at Marin Center, San Rafael
$75.00-$39.00

Dolly Parton
Tuesday August 5, 2008 8:00 PM
Greek Theatre UC Berkeley, Berkeley
$125.00-$39.50

Yes
Tuesday August 19, 2008 8:00 PM
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View
$149.50-$30.00

Monday May 05, 2008 10:00 AM

Strikeforce
Friday June 27, 2008 8:00 PM
HP Pavilion at San Jose, San Jose
$400.00-$30.00

Rusted Root
Wednesday July 16, 2008 8:00 PM
The Grand Ballroom at The Regency Center, San Francisco
$26.00

Neil Diamond
Friday September 26, 2008 8:00 PM
ARCO Arena, Sacramento
$118.25-$53.25

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Crosby, Stills & Nash will open the 2008 Concerts at Wente Vineyards series on June 9. Other notables in the lineup include Earth, Wind and Fire (June 24), Lynyrd Skynyrd (July 21) and Franki Valli and the Four Seasons (Aug. 4).

The schedule was announced _ believe it or not _ by a Marilyn Monroe impersonator on Monday night during a Hollywood-themed party at the popular Livermore winery. Sales director Robert Gundrey, the man responsible for putting together the concert series, says he’s thrilled with the bookings.

“I think it’s a pretty heavy lineup,” he says. “There are people (on this year’s schedule) that I’ve been trying to get for 6 years _ and I finally wore them down.”

Gundrey is referring to such formerly elusive celebrities as Bonnie Raitt and Willie Nelson. To fill out the lineup, he turned once again to such longtime Wente favorites as Huey Lewis and Chris Isaak.

“People want their Chris Isaak fix. They want their Huey Lewis fix,” Gundrey says. “People ask me all year long, `Are you bringing back Chris Isaak?’’

Tickets go onsale to Wente club members on April 12 and to the general public on April 27. For more information, contact 925-456-2400 or visit www.wentevineyards.com. The complete lineup is as follows:

Crosby, Stills & Nash _ June 9
Earth, Wind & Fire _ June 24
Chris Isaak _ July 8
Lynyrd Skynyrd _ July 21
Clint Black _ July 22
Boz Scaggs _ July 30
Lyle Lovett _ July 31
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons _ Aug. 4
Huey Lewis _ Aug. 5
Dana Carvey _ Aug. 20
Chicago _ Aug. 28
Bonnie Raitt _ Sept. 2
Willie Nelson _ Sept. 3
Foreigner _ Sept. 17

Three songs into his show on Thursday night (July 12), Chris Isaak paused for a moment to survey the scene at Wente Vineyards in Livermore.

“We’ve played here before,” said the Stockton native. “I don’t know if anybody has seen us before.”

That comment was greeted with a large roar by crowd members, signifying that, yes, they’d seen him before. Then, with perfect comedic timing, Isaak added in mock disbelief:

“And you came back.”

They sure did. And it’s a pretty safe guess that Thursday night won’t be the last time.

For years, Isaak has been one of the most dependable draws in the concert industry. His annual appearance at Wente is always among the venue’s first sell-outs of the season. Similar tales can be told of Isaak’s regular gigs at other local spots, like the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, as well as at numerous venues around the country.

There are many specific reasons for his continued popularity. Yet, his overall appeal can be summed in three words: He’s an entertainer.

While most of his colleagues in the business spend too much worrying about their images and chasing fashionable trends, Isaak keeps his priorities straight and focuses all of his energy on making sure that the crowd has a good time. At Wente, he accomplished that with a mix of song, humor, personality and old-school razzle-dazzle.

Isaak _ who, two nights prior, sang the National Anthem before the All-Star Game at AT&T Park in San Francisco _ cut a mighty dapper image as he took the stage in Livermore. He wore a striking embroidered red suit, which resembled a matador’s costume, and beamed with that million-dollar smile. He turned 51 last month, but he looks at least a decade younger as he swiveled his hip