An entertainment health check: Fresno, 2026
Plus, MC Wicks gets the best review ever and Ralph Edwards officially a 'The Voice' finalist
Over at The Fresno Bee this week, I did a quick spot check of the city’s entertainment options heading into 2026 (click, subscribe and tell ‘em you want to read more of that kind of story).
The idea came from the stock of concert/event announcements I’d seen bubble up over the last few months.
It’s true, we hadn’t had anything majorly rattling, like Shakira playing at Bulldog Stadium (though fans would no doubt put Joyce Manor playing even a few songs at NewRock’s Sound House nearer that category than not).
Instead, we’re seeing the full compliment of the city’s venues actively filling their calendars. And that has a cumulative effect.
This is particularly obvious at the Tower and Warnors theaters, which until recently had been historically underutilized.
Both are putting a heavy emphasis on comedy, which seems to be the market right now.
On the books at the Tower for 2026 are: Bobby Lee, Jamie Lissow, Rob Schneider, Martin Amini and Henry Cho (who just landed a second show).
Warnors Theatre has booked Trevor Wallace, Tim Allen and Patton Oswalt.
Other notable comedians rolling through:
Kat Williams (Save Mart Center)
Nate Bargatze (Save Mart Center)
Gary Owen (Saroyan Theatre)
Steve Hofstetter (Strummer’s, though its literally a year out)
Jim Gaffigin (Table Mountain Casino)
Focusing on music (as per the purpose here) we’ve had a few big announcements from the Save Mart Center; Journey and Weird Al Yankovic, plus Mexican singer Codiciado.
The Wanors booked Gary Numan and a recently announced Chris Isaak, plus Mexican singer Fey.
Sanctuary is now open and operating and has announced dates with Powerman 5000 and Sponge.
Fulton 55 announced a date with 311 frontman Nick Hexum (whose solo project takes an jazzy Americana bend).
Strummer’s booked LSD and the Search for God, an evening with (the latest lineup of Greg Ginn’s) Black Flag and Dead Boys.
None of this includes any of the local shows invariably happening week to week (check out Valley Echoes or Rad Music for their calendar lists). But individual concerts aren’t necessarily the point here. As one Fresno Bee commenter put it: “Pickings are slim compared to Norcal and SoCal venues. Very slim.”
Fair enough. But it’s been awhile (back to 2018 at least) since we’ve had this many venues booking this many shows with any kind of consistency and that should feel … nice.
Everything About Hip Hop reviews MC Wicks new EP and it is … magical
OK, whatever strings MC Wicks is pulling to get coverage on his latest EP (“Ultra Violence”), we should all take note. The Fresno rapper got a shout out on the Everything About Hip Hop Instagram account and it’s … you should all just read for yourselves, but here are a few choice quotes:
“MC. Wicks didn’t drop an EP.
He dropped a goddamn pipe bomb wrapped in barbed wire and dipped in gasoline.
Ultra Violence — six tracks of pure sonic terrorism, zero filler, zero mercy, one music video that should come with a trigger warning and a therapy voucher.”
“This isn’t music for people who ‘kinda like rap.’
This is music for people who want to feel their ribcage rattle and their moral compass snap in half.”
Obviously, dude is a fan, but … man I aspire to write a review that hits like that.
“Ultra Violence” is out now.
Ralph Edwards is officially a finalist on ‘The Voice’
There is a very legitimate chance that by Wednesday Fresno may have a “The Voice” champion in its midst. Which would certainly make Vibe Check’s Valentine’s Day concert at Warnors Theatre the hott ticket.
For those not following along:
Ralph Edwards got a rare four-chair turn during his blind audition this summer and has since been tagged a season’s forerunner since. The more jaded piece of me wonders if that will affect the final outcome, because people would rather see an underdog surprise win than the sure thing.
Six finalists will perform during a live finale on Monday, with the results airing the following night. It appears there’s some kind of App-based voting process. So, if you’d like to help Edwards, get ta mobilizing.
Here’s an interview I did with Edwards for The Fresno Bee earlier this month.
That’s it for this week. Remember you can also hear me on the Homegrown Show Sundays at 8 p.m. on New Rock 104.1 FM. Tonight, I’m in studio tonight with a bunch of new music, including a single from the Bakersfield band Low Church. Follow my other writing at The Fresno Bee. If you have anything you think I need to be looking at or listening to, feel free to let me know: jtehee@gmail.com