Sheryl Crow brings Santa Clara University boosters to their feet
Most people probably don’t spend the night before their 56th birthday performing for a crowd of more than 2,000 people in formalwear. But Sheryl Crow clearly isn’t most people.
The singer rocked a full house Saturday night at San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts as the headliner for Santa Clara University’s 52nd annual Golden Circle Theatre Party.
Backed by a six-piece band, Crow played her fan favorites during the hourlong set — including “Strong Enough,” “Every Day Is a Winding Road” and “All I Wanna Do,” which got the black-tie crowd of more than 2,000 SCU boosters to their feet. Crow was charming and engaging with the audience — “I’m sorely underdressed for this event,” she joked to open the set. She even managed to be a starstruck football fan when she said, “My band is freaking out that Ronnie Lott is here.”
Crow is the latest big name to play at the event, which raises money for Santa Clara University scholarship programs and has drawn celebrities including Bob Hope, Ethel Merman, Frank Sinatra (twice), Tony Bennett and Train last year. “I’m in very good company,” Crow said.
The crowd serenaded her with “Happy Birthday” during the encore break.
Crow and her band did get to have a quieter celebration. The group had a birthday lunch Saturday afternoon at Luna Mexican Kitchen, Jo Lerma-Lopez’s popular restaurant on The Alameda, where she was presented with a birthday treat of Luna’s to-die-for Chocoflan dessert.
DRESS REHEARSAL >> Romantic pianist Katya Grineva, who has performed at Carnegie Hall 17 times, flew from New York to San Jose on Friday for several concerts in California this week. But her luggage — including her performance gowns and CDs — didn’t make it to Silicon Valley with her.
The bags were stuck in Dallas, and after several phone calls to the airlines, Grineva was told they’d be delivered to San Jose in time for a concert on Saturday. Instead, they went back to New York, adding to a tough travel month for the talented pianist: A bus she was riding in from Woodstock, New York, to New York City last week caught fire.
I hope the audience at the Women’s Club of Palo Alto gives her a pass if she’s wearing jeans for their Valentine’s concert tonight. After all, it’s the music that’s important — and Grineva’s playing doesn’t need extra dressing up.
SCOUTING TRIP >> Michael Surbaugh, the Boy Scouts of America’s chief scout executive, delivered the keynote at the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council’s annual recognition dinner Friday night in Campbell.
Surbaugh, who took over the Boy Scouts’ top spot in 2015, has probably been in the news more than his predecessors thanks to changes to the organization’s admissions policies and the controversy over President Trump’s speech at the National Jamboree last summer. But Surbaugh’s visit to Silicon Valley was entirely celebratory to honor the 378 Boy Scouts in the region who earned the prestigious Eagle rank in 2017.
AT THE MOVIES >> If you want to get an edge on your Oscars pool before the March 4 telecast, you’ll definitely want to see the Academy Award-nominated short films that will be showing at 3Below Theaters in downtown San Jose today through Feb. 20.
A beloved tradition from the venue’s Camera 3 days, the short film showcase will include block screenings for animated, live action and documentary nominees. You can get a deal on pricing if you buy tickets for all four blocks — the five documentaries run a total of more than three hours and are split into two blocks — by using the code OSCARS4 at www.3belowtheaters.com.