Cirque du Soleil is bring "Alegria" to Fresno for a four-day, seven-show run, May 27-30 at Save Mart Center. You can get all the times and ticketing details at fresnobee.com. Here's the official trailer for the show:

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Feb. 22, but you can buy now by becoming a member of the Cirque Club. It's free to join.

UPDATE: Save Mart Center has now confirmed the Daughtry date. Tickets will go on sale Jan. 29, costing $29.50 and $39.50.

ORIGINAL POST: "American Idol" alum Daughtry released plans this morning for an area tour that will bring him and his band back to Fresno.

Daughtry will play Save Mart Center on April 26, according to a tour itinerary on his Web site. The Save Mart Center has yet to confirm the show.

For the tour, Daughtry is joined by rock bands Lifehouse and Cavo. Tickets should go on sale in the next few weeks. Daughtry previously played locally at The Big Fresno Fair in 2007.

ALSO: The Rock and Worship Roadshow is returning to Save Mart Center on April 1. Fueled by contemporary Christian artists, the tour is a $10 ticket that last year attracted a sold-out crowd of 13,700.

On the tour this year are Mercy Me, The David Crowder Band, Family Force 5, Francesca Battistelli, Fee, Remedy Drive and Sidewalk Prophets. Tickets are only available the day of the show.

UPDATE: Save Mart Center just confirmed this one. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday. They cost $35, $45 and $55.

ORIGINAL POST: Country star/"American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood will return to Save Mart Center on May 18, according to a list of tour dates announced this morning.

Underwood's "Play On" tour will start March 11 and play 45 dates, including the Fresno return. The Save Mart Center has yet to confirm the date. No ticket info is available. We'll let you know when we know.

Underwood's third album, "Play On," was released in November and debuted at No. 1 on both Billboard's pop and country charts.

The 26-year-old has previously played two sold-out Fresno shows, one at Saroyan Theatre in 2006 and another at Save Mart Center in 2008.

Other than walking Christmas Tree Lane ...

1. HAVE A TASTE OF BRAZIL
Local music wunderkind Eva Scow has brought her most recent band to Fresno (seriously, she's in more bands than probably even she can keep count of). This one is the Brazilian Jazz Collective and it's playing Saturday night at Hero's. You can also try the under-new-ownership Hero's and report back to us.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which plays the Save Mart Center tonight, is a polarizing group. The people who love what they do, really love it. Other people don't hate it -- it's Christmas, you can't really hate it -- but just don't share the same enthusiasm.

If you haven't seen TSO before, be ready for an onslaught of light and sound, all meticulously coordinated to become this fantastical hard-rock opera. I went to the show for the first time last year, then weighed the pros and cons here on The Beehive. While I won't be heading back again this year, I imagine many people will. Feel free to come back tomorrow and tell us what you thought of the show.

ALSO: If TSO isn't your particular holiday flavor, be sure to check out this rundown of holiday music happenings that appeared in The Bee last Sunday.

We've already got comments rolling in about Tuesday night's Kelly Clarkson concert at Save Mart Center. One fan is raving about the performance from the original "American Idol:"

... She was out of this world good. It wasn't a teeny bopper show, like I thought it was going to be, she rocked the joint for over an hour and a half, and sang some very cool covers ...

I'll go out on a limb here, and say she has got to have the best voice in the business today, with out a doubt. Her incredible voice filled that arena last night. Girl can SANG!

Everybody agree? Anybody think it wasn't that good? Did you like the setlist? How about her show(wo)manship? How was the crowd? Was the place full? What about the opening act? Give us your thoughts on those topics and whatever else you want in the comments.

The pop music masses are sure to be out at Save Mart Center tonight as Kelly Clarkson -- she of the original "American Idol" fame -- hits Fresno's biggest stage.

Ms. Clarkson got on a hot streak in 2009, with her hit singles "I Do Not Hook Up" and "My Life Would Suck Without You." Both came from her fourth album, "All I Ever Wanted."

In addition to Clarkson, the bill tonight has some pop up-and-comers in Eric Hutchinson and Parachute.

Tickets are still available -- costing $45 and $55. They're available via Ticketmaster.

You can see that vampire/werewolf movie ... or any of these fine options:

1. KISS SOMEBODY: Gene Simmons? Paul Stanley? Your mama. Doesn't matter to us. The big show of the weekend is KISS, playing Saturday night at Save Mart Center. But before you go paint your face, read my interview with Stanley to raise your KISS mojo. And remember to get there early to check out local band Shiver Fox opening the show.

Score one for Shiver Fox! Word came today that the Trey Tosh/Kyle Baker 70s-inspired rock band nabbed a spot opening for KISS this Saturday at Save Mart Center.

These guys are living like rock stars this past week. As you might remember, the band had its EP release party last Friday night at Starline. I had a Q & A with Trey and Kyle in last Friday's paper talking about the band's origins and its style.

It's time to get familiar with Shiver Fox, Fresno!

He came, he saw, he conquered. And Jay-Z didn't need an encore to win over the Fresno crowd. It seemed like he had them the second he stepped on stage.

Jay-Z, the biggest star in rap, had the Fresno crowd on its feet pretty much all night, zooming through a setlist of hits in the almost-two-hours he was on stage. The show might not have been a complete sellout, but it was pretty full.

Who was there? What did you think? Did he prove that he's the best rapper out there? Or have you seen better? What did you think of Hov's set list? The crowd? What about opening acts N.E.R.D., Wale and J. Cole? Chime in on any of that, plus whatever else you want. You can also upload your own photos over here.

UPDATE: My reviews, photos and videos are all below. Check 'em out.

As you know by now, Jay-Z is in Fresno tonight, but it's only the latest stopper for the superstar rapper, who this week is earning his jet-setting reputation.

Here's a video of him performing with U2 on Thursday night in Berlin at the MTV European Music Awards.

Less than 24 hours later, here's Jigga celebrating the Yankees World Series win at home in NYC. He performed "Empire State of Mind" on Friday in front of city hall.

I told you last month that Brad Paisley was coming back to Save Mart Center on Feb. 18. Today, I have all the details. Tickets cost $26.75, $47.75 and $57.75. They'll go on sale at 10 a.m. Nov. 14. Miranda Lambert and Justin Moore are confirmed as openers. You can buy tickets through Live Nation, Ticketmaster or at the Save Mart Center.

Dane Cook is at the Save Mart Center tonight. I probably should have mentioned this somewhere on The Beehive before today. But, honestly, Dane Cook doesn't excite me too much.

I'll be interested to see how show turns out, though. I have no doubts that Dane Cook is popular. I'm not so sure about the funny part. Or the worth-a-$101.75-ticket part.

Obviously, my taste is a little different than Fresno's. I don't think George Lopez is funny either, but that guy has the biggest drawing show ever at Save Mart Center at 15,000+.

So I figured we'd take a poll. Who thinks Dane Cook is funny? Who is going to pay their hard-earned money to see him? Who thinks his being in Fresno tonight is a huge deal?

And who is with me and thinks Dane Cook sucks?

Country star Tim McGraw announced a slew of 2010 tour dates -- and Fresno is on the list.

According to a tour itinerary released by McGraw's camp late Thursday, he'll back at Save Mart Center on May 25.

Lady Antebellum has been named as an opener for the tour, while Love And Theft will also be on the bill in Fresno.

McGraw's latest album, "Southern Voice," was released on Tuesday. This will be McGraw's first Fresno stop since 2007. He and wife Faith Hill played here together in 2006 and 2007.

No word yet on ticket prices or an on-sale date. We'll keep you updated when we find out. Fans should keep an eye on timmcgraw.com for pre-sale info.

Full tour dates are below:

UPDATE: The April 10 date is now confirmed by Save Mart Center. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Oct. 30 and cost $27, $51.50 and $61.50. Original post below.

I'm calling tonight the biggest concert night of the year, considering we have potential for 20,000 people to see one of three big shows.

Country superstars Rascal Flatts are at Save Mart Center. Rockers Stone Temple Pilots play the biggest concert of The Big Fresno Fair's run. And classical piano act The 5 Browns will serenade Saroyan Theatre thanks to the Fresno Phil.

Donald Munro and I collaborated to make a case for each being tonight's premiere music destination. Read it here and tell us where you'll be.

UPDATE: We have our four winners. Congrats to Melissa, Lisa, Deborah Murphy and Mary Vaux, who the Computer of Glorious Win randomly selected for the prize. We have e-mails out of confirm with each winner. The contest is now over. Thanks for playing, everyone.

UPDATE: It's official! Jay-Z will play Save Mart Center on Nov. 7.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. next Saturday. Prices are $35, $50 and $75. A special $25 discounted ticket is available to students.

Tickets will be available at the Save Mart Center box office, at Ticketmaster locations, including many Save Mart supermarkets, online at ticketmaster.com or by calling (800)-745-3000.

Word from the land of KISS, is that the iconic face-painted rockers are coming back to Fresno as part of their KISS Alive 35 tour.

According to a new tour itinerary on kissonline.com, the band will play the Save Mart Center on Nov. 21. The Save Mart Center has yet to confirm the date. No tickets details are known as this time.

Oddly, though -- Fresno wasn't on the original tour list, which showed a Nov. 21 date in Oakland. On the new list, that date has been moved to Nov. 20 with Fresno getting the Nov. 21 date, which is a Saturday night.

Fresno didn't finish particularly well in the "Demand Kiss in Your City" promotion either -- but it looks like a KISS date is still ours.

KISS was last in Fresno in December 2003, playing the then-brand new Save Mart Center with Aerosmith. That show drew over 11,000 people. "Sonic Boom," the band's first album in 11 years, is due Oct. 6.