If you are going to be in the Portland metropolitan area in the month of January you will find no shortage of things to do. Most people are well aware of all the touristy things to do such as visiting the many nearby wineries and microbreweries, the Oregon Zoo, Portland Japanese Garden, the International Rose Test Garden, skiing at the legendary Mount Hood, as well as hiking to the nearby Columbia River Gorge. What many do not realize is the depth of live entertainment that Portland has to offer. From concerts, to theatre, to sports Portland has plenty to offer people of all tastes.

Portland is home to one of the fastest growing music scenes and January is booked solid with a nice mix of acts taking stage. Concerts of interest include the popular Guns N Rose tribute band Appetite for Destruction (1/14/2012), ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro (1/21/2012), and Martin Sexton at the Aladdin Theater, and punk rockers NOFX (1/23/2012) and Fitz and The Tantrums (1/24/2012) at the legendary Roseland Theater. Last, but certainly not least, indie alt rockers moe will be performing at McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom. If you’re a fan of microbrews and good music you will certainly have to check out McMenamin’s – a true Portland tradition.

Portland is also home to a budding standup comedy circuit and offers some of the best live comedy in the Pacific Northwest. This month the Aladdin Theater will host both Jeff Ross (1/18/2012) of Comedy Central Roasting fame and Suzanne Westenhoefer ( 1/13/2012). The always funny Demetri Martin will be bringing his comedy styling’s to the Newmark theater on January 27th and the fluffy one Gabriel Iglesias will perform at the historic Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on January 13, 2012.

January is also a great month for fans of the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers will host some of the best teams in the NBA with games against the Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers (1/5/2012), Blake Griffin and the LA Clippers (1/10/2012), Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic (1/11/2012), and the Memphis Grizzlies (1/24/2012). The Rose Garden will also feature other games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns.

Other events in Portland in January include multiple performances of the musical Westside Story at the Keller Auditorium, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Portland Invitational (1/21/2012) at the Rose Garden, and the Mythbusters: Behind the Myths Tour (1/21/2012) at the Keller Auditorium. The Mythbusters show is generating a lot of buzz as both stars of the hit Discovery Channel show Jaime Hyneman and Adam Savage will be there for a, "unexpected evening of on-stage experiments, audience participation, rocking video and behind-the-scenes stories."

Although tickets to many of these events are sold out be sure to check out Tickifieds Portland to find deals on tickets to Portland and Oregon area events.

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