The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo has unveiled its musical line-up … and it's good. Lady Antebellum joins the event for the first time ever, as does Texas crooner Wade Bowen. Reba McEntire returns, and Goo Goo Dolls keeps the house a'rockin. Tickets may be purchased online at sarodeo.com, ticketmaster.com, at the AT&T Center Southwest box office, any Ticketmaster location or by calling 1-877-63-RODEO.

This year the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo has committed $8.5 million to education.  The amount represents scholarships, grants, endowments, junior livestock auctions, Calf Scramble program, and show premiums paid to youth in the state of Texas.  This brings the total amount that the organization has committed since the inception of the Scholarship Fund in 1984 to over $87 million.

Two legends. One night. Face to face. Tickets go on sale Dec. 13 at 10 a.m. for what is hands-down one of the must-see shows of 2009. Ranging from $53.50 to $179, tickets to Elton John and Billy Joel's face 2 face performance can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com, www.livenation.com, the AT&T box office and all Ticketmaster locations. Phone sales at (210) 224-9600. The March 21 shows opens with a series of duets by The Rocket Man and The Piano Man, followed by each artist performing on his own with his band. The powerhouse duo has stopped in San Antonio twice before, in 1994 and 2000, and have smashed revenue records with their face 2 face tour.

Expect to hear such standards as "Your Song," "Daniel," "Candle in the Wind," "My Life" and "Uptown Girl." The headliners share a combined experience of about seven decades and more than 350 million in record sales worldwide. San Antonio is one of the few select cities chosen to kick off the tour. SS

Tickets are still available for everyone's favorite Christmas-themed rock orchestra, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Founded in 1996, a trio of songwriters developed the 60-piece ensemble, known primarily for "Christmas Eve/ Sarajevo 12/24,” an intense mix of "Carol of the Bells" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". Fans are still waiting the release of album-in-progress, Night Castle, featuring "O Fortuna" from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. The piece has been featured at many of their performances.

Prices for tickets range from $38 to $68 and are sold at stonecityattractions.com, the A&T Center Box Office and Ticketmaster. Call 210-224-9600 for more information. There are two performances on the same day at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. SS

The Alamo City is no stranger to country-tinged rock and roll and in the coming months it will again play host to much of the same. The Majestic Theatre will soon welcome Ryan Adams and The Cardinals to perform for one night only. Adams, known as a rather prolific musician, has released 11 albums in 8 years. More recently, his albums have been recorded with his backing band, The Cardinals, including Cardinology just released in October.

The Cardinals' sound draws comparisons from a gamut of groups such as The Band, The Heartbreakers, and Crazy Horse. Adams has been nominated for several Grammys throughout his career, and Cardinology was listed as #14 on Rolling Stones' Best Albums of 2008. This tour is also one that is slightly bittersweet, as it may be the last time that we will see Ryan Adams in a while. He has recently stated that he will take a break from music and The Cardinals following this tour due to slight hearing loss and general fatigue. For a young man who has worked so hard, such a break is long overdue. Catch Ryan Adams and The Cardinals while you still can, at the Majestic Theatre on March 4. MD