Bay Area arts: 9 shows and concerts to catch this weekend

From the perfect Valentine’s Day band to Opera San Jose’s take on “Salome,” there are a lot of great shows and concerts to catch in the Bay Area this weekend and beyond.

Here’s a partial rundown.

Cupid’s favorite band is back

Still looking for that perfect Valentine’s Day gift for the certain someone in your life?

Well, how about tickets to see the group that Time magazine reportedly once referred to as “the most romantic band in the world.”

No, we’re not talking about Helloween. (You’ll actually have to wait until April to see those romantic German metal men play the Bay Area.) We’re talking, of course, about the incredible ’80s pop-rock duo known as Air Supply, featuring phenomenal lead vocalist Russell Hitchcock and guitarist-Graham Russell, which is once again spending part of Valentine’s Day week with its multitude of Bay Area fans.

It’s your chance to hear such equally memorable and melodic Air Supply tunes as “The One That You Love,” “Every Woman in the World,” “Lost in Love,” “Here I Am” and, best of all, the gorgeous power ballad “Making Love Out of Nothing at All.”

Expect local “Airheads” — a moniker that, in this case, isn’t an insult but rather an affectionate nickname for the most dedicated Air Supply fans — to turn out in force to see the band as it continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary in concert.

Details: 8 p.m. Feb. 13; San Jose Civic; tickets start at $77; ticketmaster.com.

— Jim Harrington, Staff

Classical picks: Kids concert, Diablo Symphony, ‘Salome’

This week’s classical offerings include a thrilling opera, a concert made for Mariachi fans and youngsters still learning to listen. Here’s a look.

“Sounds of the Americas”: The Diablo Symphony Orchestra welcomes the UC Davis Mariachi Ensemble in this “Mariachi Valentine,” a program featuring works by Gabriela Lena Frank, Alberto Ginastera, and Gabriela Ortiz to celebrate the rhythms and melodies of Mexico and South America. Music director Matilda Hofman conducts.

Details: 2 p.m. Feb. 15; Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek; $15-$90: diablosymphony.org.

Bring the kids: It’s never too soon to get youngsters into music, and the San Francisco Symphony’s Music for Families series has events for those ages 5 through 12. This week’s program features well-known works by Puccini, Tchaikovsky, Leonard Bernstein and others; Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser conducts.

Details: 2 p.m. Feb. 14, Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco; $19.50-$89; sfsymphony.org.

“Salome” in San Jose: Opera lovers don’t get many chances to experience “Salome,” but West Bay Opera is presenting the Richard Strauss opera, translated from Oscar Wilde’s French language play “Salome,” that features the famous “Dance of Seven Veils.” Presented in German with projected English titles, performances run just under two hours, with no intermission.

Details: 7 p.m. Feb. 13 and Feb. 21, 2 p.m. Feb. 15 and 22; Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto; $54-$140; wbopera.org.

— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent

Calling all pale pachyderm fans

Lovingly painted dishware, bicycles and garden tools, a heavy cellarette that looks to be rescued from a 18th-century pirate ship — it’s all ready and waiting to be adopted into your home during Oakland’s annual White Elephant Sale.

A fundraiser that’s collected more than $30 million for the Oakland Museum of California in its six-decade run, the sale gives attendees the chance to peruse a massive warehouse loaded with all kinds of carefully organized … um, crud. There are paintings and sculptures and intricate masks from far-off lands; laboratory and astronomical equipment; second-hand furniture and mirrors; clothing (perfect for early Halloween shopping); and … well, the list goes on and on, covering nine departments and 90,000-plus square feet of shopping.

Overseeing the well-managed chaos is a staff of mostly elderly volunteers who will happily point you to the treasure of your dreams, and explain why you must buy it now. “Get the rush of adrenaline from snagging that one-of-a-kind item you can’t find anywhere else,” the sale’s organizers write. “Over the course of an entire year, our volunteers collect, sort and repair a massive selection of donated goods priced so you can score amazing deals.”

Details: Open warehouse days are 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 14, 15 and 19-21; and free-to-enter clearance weekend is 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 28 and March 1; 333 Lancaster St., Oakland; before visiting, make a reservation and purchase $5 ticket at whiteelephantsale.org.

— John Metcalfe, Staff

Best of all — no lift lines!

Did the Oscar-winning “Free Solo” make you break out in a cold sweat and cover your eyes while climber Alex Honnold ditched the the ropes and scaled El Capitan sans equipment? If that’s a yes, you can rattle your nerves again with North Face’s 45-minute documentary “Trango.” It’s  guaranteed to get your heart pounding, and let’s just say that anyone with a fer of heights will have some moments of panic with this one.

Directed by accomplished outdoor photographer/cinematographer Leo Hoorn, it features a Walnut Creek native — Jim Morrison — accomplishing the impossible. The Tahoe resident is one of the top ski mountaineers in the world and has descended more than a few of the most daunting and perilous mountains. In “Trango,” he joins daredevil Christina “Lusti” Lustenberger and Chantal Astorga as they vie to become the first athletes to climb and ski the 20,000-foot Great Trango Tower in northern Pakistan.

“Trango” also explores in a delicate and sensitive way what that personal triumph means for everyone, in particular a still-grieving Morrison, in this gripping account that is both visually and viscerally spectacular.

Details: Available for rent beginning Feb. 13 on docplus.com/home — search for the title “Trango.”

– Randy Myers, correspondent

Your freebie of the week

Valentine’s Day is among the more treasured holidays because, well, who doesn’t love love? But let’s face it, very little associated with the day or its traditions is ever free. Dinners? Diamonds? Chocolates? Roses? Professional wrestling tickets? Yup, they are all going to set you back a tad (even if each item, in its own special way, is totally worth it). But there are a couple of Valentine-ish things to do this weekend that are free. One – and it’s especially handy for any of those with some angst or energy to burn – is the annual Valentine’s Day Pillow Fight. The self-explanatory event takes place from 6 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Embarcadero Plaza (there’s a 5:45 p.m. stretch-and-warmup period, a great time to survey the crowd and find someone you want to wallop), and participants are asked to bring a synthetic pillow (no feathers, please). There is no real organizer of the event, which is sort of like a flashmob of love, but you can find more information at Eventbrite.com, search for “SF Valentine’s Day Pillow Fight.” If you can’t wait for Saturday to submit to your affectionate side, know that The Crossing on 250 Main St. in San Francisco, is hosting a free Goat My Valentine event from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, during which attendees can meet, pet and hug a variety of, yes, goats. Admission is free, but there is a fee if you want to get your photo snapped with a goat, with the funds going to charity. More information is at Eventbrite.com, search for “Goat My Valentine.”

— Bay City News Foundation

A legend comes to Bay Area

The great choreographer, dancer and teacher Martha Graham passed away 35 years ago but it still feels like she is an integral part of modern and contemporary dance words. The so-called “Graham Technique” remains a foundational part of the modern dance technique and the many choreographers she directly influenced – including Merce Cunningham and Paul Taylor – went on to influence many dancers and choreographers in their own right.

You have a chance to witness some of Graham’s lasting impact this weekend when the dance company that bears her name makes its first Cal Performances appearance in more than a decade. The stop is part of a tour celebrating the company’s 100th anniversary, and it will feature performances of such Graham-created classics as “Appalachian Spring,” “Night Journey” and the anti-war “Chronicle.” Also on the bill is new Graham-inspired work, “Cortege,” by the acclaimed choreography team of Baye & Asa. The company performs at 8 p.m. Feb. 14 and 3 p.m. Feb. 15 at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall. Tickets are $37-$140 – and both shows are likely to sell out, so don’t dawdle if you’re aiming to go.

Details: Tickets and more information are at calperformances.org

— Bay City News Foundation

A Stone soul picnic

Some music artists have to struggle for years and years and years before they finally break through. Joss Stone was not one of them. The British soul singer kicked open the dour to stardom and acclaim with her first album, 2003’s “The Soul Sessions,” which went platinum and was nominated for a Mercury Prize. And while it’s impossible to keep one’s career going at such a meteoric clip, Stone’s career has stayed strong. Even an album in which she ventured into reggae had strong sales. And she’s reportedly at work on a new album of disco tunes. In the live music area, Stone from 2014 to 2019 embarked on the thoroughly impressive Total World Tour, in which she reportedly performed at least once in every country of the world. The determined, 39-year-old singer with a powerful, soulful voice is on a new tour, which stops at the SFJAZZ Center for concerts at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12 and 14, and 7 p.m. Feb. 15.

Details: Tickets are $64.50-$159.50 and going fast. Go to www.sfjazz.org.

— Bay City News Foundation