The legendary Marc Anthony is headed for San Jose’s SAP Center, where he will perform for thousands after the Sharks take on the LA Kings earlier in the afternoon. People all over this Earth have danced to Anthony’s music. Quinceañeras, Christmas parties, family reunions and backyard barbecues have all been soundtracked to the Latin star’s music. Known equally for his acting career as for popular hits such as “Vivir Mi Vida,” “Tu Amor Me Hace Bien” and (the title of his newest tour) “Pa’lla Voy,” the party doesn’t stop when Anthony is in town.

Marc Anthony
Fri, 8pm, $61+
SAP Center, San Jose

The first time Trans-Siberian Orchestra took the stage in the late ’90s—a sold-out theater in Philadelphia—no one in the band knew what to expect. They had a few platinum records already, but it was orchestral metal Christmas music. Who exactly was the audience for this?

Guitarist Al Pitrelli recalls peering through the curtain before the show to get a look at the crowd. He saw an older couple in their early 70s with matching crocheted reindeer sweaters sitting next to a young guy wearing a Slayer hoodie.

“I nearly had an anxiety attack,” Pitrelli says. “Oh my god, we’re dead, because the audience was so diverse. Either they thought they would come to see some Russian orchestra or Slayer. Either way, this is going to be a really long two hours of my life.”

The show went so well that the Tampa, Florida-based Trans-Siberian Orchestra got a standing ovation. The thing that terrified Pitrelli was precisely what makes the project so amazing: like Christmas itself, Trans-Siberian Orchestra has universal appeal.

“It wasn’t any particular demographic. People love this music, and they love the story,” Pitrelli says.

The group’s 1996 song “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24,” an emotional, squealing electric guitar-infused medly of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” and “Shchedryk,” has become one of the most recognizable and loved Christmas tunes in the past few decades—no small feat. Christmas music tends to be passed down from generation to generation. It’s not often that newer songs penetrate this ritual and become a part of families’ new tradition. But people have now made listening to and seeing Trans-Siberian Orchestra part of their holiday tradition. The band comes to the SAP Center on Dec. 1, celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut album Christmas Eve and Other Stories.

A year earlier, Paul O’Neill had envisioned “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” as a song for his metal band Savatage. He enlisted Pitrelli to help fulfill his vision. The song landed on Savatage’s 1995 record Dead Winter Dead. It also got instant, heavy radio play.

“It became the number one song in America in a matter of moments,” Pitrelli says. “Every radio station played it, even talk radio. Country, gospel, Christian, Top 40, you name it. They couldn’t get enough of it.”

O’Neill re-released the song as part of the concept album Christmas Eve and Other Stories with Pitrelli and a massive band with metal instrumentation, countless singers, and a full orchestra under the name Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The record tells a stirring tale of loss, love and the power of Christmas. It was an instant hit, and went on to sell over 3 million copies.

“Paul created something nobody was expecting—nobody ever heard. He got everyone’s attention, and they fell in love with it,” Pitrelli says.

The group completed their Christmas trilogy with The Christmas Attic (1998) and The Lost Christmas (2004). Both went double platinum.

“I felt like I was in the Steely Dan of Christmas,” Pitrelli says.

Even after a few hit records, the idea of somehow translating this project to a live setting seemed absurd. Then someone dared O’Neill to do it. The first shows were in theaters with a few thousand capacities and somewhat scaled-down versions of the band. It did so well that he was able to move to arena-sized venues and make it as big of a production as he could imagine.

The show varies year to year, but often Christmas Eve and Other Stories is its centerpiece. The show has continued even after O’Neill passed away in 2017—because that’s what he wanted.

This year, Pitrelli also feels people are going to be particularly emotional.

“I think the biggest part of the production is going to be the emotion behind the performance,” Pitrelli says. “We’re also celebrating the return of live music in our world. Once something is taken away from you, you realize how much you love and cherish it. I’m going to have the opportunity to put a guitar around my neck very soon and look back at something we thought may be gone forever. It’s going to be a very special year for everyone onstage and in the audience.”

Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Wed, 7:30pm, $36+
SAP Center, San Jose

Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Farruko—AKA Carlos Efrén Reyes Rosado—is going to rock out the SAP Center this Wednesday. This heavy hitting artist has collaborated with many Latin music legends such as Don Omar, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin and more. The energetic and electronic beats of Farruko’s music can be heard playing loud at the discoteca, its booming bass sounds, glittering synths and trumpets audible on his massive Summer hit “Pepas.” Farruko comes to the SAP Center touring his new album released earlier this year, and is expected to bring a great show.

Farruko
Sun, 8pm, $25.50+
SAP Arena, San Jose

Jo Koy has over 30 years of comedy under his belt, and he’s hitting the road to elicit chuckles from the big stage this Friday at San Jose’s SAP Center. Known as a panelist on “Chelsea Lately” and for his multiple Netflix specials, the Seattle native has continuously sold out shows and broken attendance records for comedy venues across the country, and he’s aiming to do the same with his post-pandemic material. With this Friday’s show, Koy will bring along new heartfelt and moving stories to the stage as part of his “Just Kidding” dates, including pestering his 12-year-old to brush his teeth and wear deodorant.

Jo Koy
Fri, 8pm, $45+
SAP Center, San Jose

Harry Styles and Jenny Lewis share a few parallels: both entered show business as teenagers and made their names in music as part of a group (One Direction and Rilo Kiley, respectively). Both have a penchant for weaving bygone eras of sound and style into perfect pop fabric, making Styles’ Love On Tour an eternal combination. After a sweep of Covid cancellations, Styles and Lewis can finally perform their most recent albums from 2019—the pop icon’s Fine Line, with its literary-referencing chart topper “Watermelon Sugar,” and the indie-rock legend’s critically acclaimed On the Line.

Harry Styles + Jenny Lewis
Thu, 8pm, Sold Out
SAP Center, San Jose

The son of ranchera legend Vincente Fernandez, Alejandro followed in his father’s footsteps in the national tradition, gaining fame in his own right before successfully crossing over to pop with his classic 1997 album Me Estoy Enamorando. On last year’s Hecho en Mexico, his sixteenth, Fernandez pivoted again, recording his first-ever all-Mariachi record, which immediately shot to #1 on the US Latin charts. At SAP Center, he brings his signature baritone to the sweeping strings and horns of the Jalisco art form, alongside his classic repertoire of ranchera hits like “Nube Viajera” and “Estuve” and recent pop songs alike.

Alejandro Fernandez
Fri, 8pm, $21+
SAP Center, San Jose

Everyone needs a chance to shake their butt to some great Latin hits, and it doesn’t always have to be on the weekend. This Thursday, the shaking starts early when Colombian singer and songwriter Maluma returns to the stage at SAP as part of the Papi Juancho Tour, bringing his mix of reggaeton, Latin trap and pop hits to the masses. Though lively, a thread of melancholy runs through Maluma’s heartfelt and vulnerable reggaeton, as on the scorned ex- track “Hawái,” the other scorned ex- track “Corazón” or the deleted memories of “Borró Cassette.”

Maluma
Thu, 8pm, $33+
SAP Center, San Jose

Metal, gasoline, crashes, crazy launches, smoke and monsters—add it all together and it’s the Monster Truck Jam at the SAP Center. This year’s Jam features the infamous black and green Grave Digger, driven by Brandon Vinson, long a favorite of monster truck rallies, as well as many other classic machines like El Toro Loco (driven by Armando Castro) and the otherworldly Alien Invasion. All weekend long, the Jam brings treacherous stunts, perilous speed and menacing driving for the whole family. This exhilarating show rages through the weekend, and then the jam hits the road again.

Monster Jam
Fri-Sun, Various Times, $23+
SAP Center, San Jose

Freestyle music is an undeniable part of the culture of San Jose, long soundtracking dance nights and lowrider cruises alike (between the golden oldies). At the new Q102.1’s “Freestyle Explosion,” many of the late ‘80s genre’s biggest and boldest names come together under one roof, artists like Expose (“Point of No Return”), Stevie B (“In My Eyes”), Shannon (“Let the Music Play”), and the one and only Lisa Lisa (“Can You Feel the Beat”), along with many others, all providing rhythms to make love shine in the dark all night long. In the words of Shannon, “Let it play!”

Freestyle Explosion
Sat, 7:30pm, $42.50+
SAP Center, San Jose

Miranda Lambert became a country-music superstar with her hit 2007 album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend—which showcased her great songs and her irresistibly combustible Texas bad-girl image. By 2019, Lambert was ready for a career pivot; it came in the form of her latest album, Wildcard, a collection of exuberant and upbeat songs that break from the moody tunes she penned in the wake of her divorce from fellow country star Blake Shelton. Newly married and feeling confident, Lambert is ready to wow her fans with tasty and defiantly funny new songs, like “White Trash” and “Too Pretty for Prison.”

Miranda Lambert
Fri, 7pm, $22+
SAP Center, San Jose