Tucson’s Wooden Ball returns; teen idol brings holiday show

But we did find two concerts — one before Christmas and one after — that piqued our interest.

David Archuleta, who parlayed a star turn at age 10 in the Utah Talent Competition into successful runs on “Star Search” and “American Idol,” is bringing his “The More the Merrier” Christmas Tour to Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., on Thursday, Dec. 22.

Archuleta, who’s all grown up at 31, is using the tour as an opportunity to spread holiday cheer and joy. At the end of the evening, he takes a minute to tell his story, which includes coming out in 2021 and leaving the Mormon Church in November.

He takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $39.90 to $69.90 through rialtotheatre.com.

Archuleta’s show is the last concert at the Rialto before it goes dark for the holidays. The Rialto returns Jan. 13 with the Led Zeppelin tribute band Zeppelin USA.

After a two-year absence, The Wooden Ball returns to Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., on Tuesday, Dec. 27, with seven local artists playing stripped-down, acoustic versions of their songs.

“We’re excited to kick it back up again,” said Hotel Congress Entertainment Director David Slutes.

The 30th anniversary concert brings well-known Tucson artists in to sing a few of theirs songs unplugged, an idea hatched back in 1986 by Chris Holiman, frontman of Tucson alternative rock band River Roses.

Holiman, who still curates the band lineup and coordinates the event, said it took several years after the inaugural Wooden Ball before the event became annual in 1992.

The lineup for Tuesday’s concert, which starts at 7 p.m., is:

Singer-songwriter Howe Gelb, frontman for Giant Sand, who’s been a fixture in Tucson’s desert rock scene since the mid-1980s.

Eugene Boronow specializes in Bossa Nova with a little samba and sweet melodies.

Penelope Monroy is a singer-songwriter.

Barnaby and the Butcher is a Southwestern/Americana roots rocking band.

River Roses with Chris Holiman at the mic has been playing alternative rock in Tucson and around the state since the 1980s.

The trio A Broken Horse brings a little psyche/death rock with retro jazz, country and noir rock to the music they have been playing since 1986.

The newbie on the lineup is the alternative pop band Steff and The Articles, fronted by singer-songwriter Steff Koeppen. The band has been a regular on the Tucson scene since 2009.

Tickets to the show are $9.27 through hotelcongress.com.

Tuesday’s Wooden Ball is the first since they held the event in January 2020, months before the COVID-19 pandemic began and put all live events on pause for more than a year.