Jay Leno shows continue Gallo Center’s winning streak

The Gallo Center keeps putting its best foot forward – or, more accurately, given its season opener, its best chin.

After a record-breaking season that saw the downtown Modesto performing arts center do its best ticket sales yet, the venue is poised for an ever more impressive turnout with its new slate. And, if the two sold-out shows by the gala season opener Jay Leno this weekend are any indication, it is well on its way.

Landing Leno, the former longtime “Tonight Show” host and acclaimed stand-up comedian, was a coup for the center, which has brought in stars including Tony Bennett, Bernadette Peters, Natalie Cole, Johnny Mathis and Steve Martin, among others, to kick off past seasons.

“I work very hard to find a special artist for our season opener, so I always expect them to be popular. I thought Jay Leno would do well, and fortunately, he did,” said Gallo Center CEO Lynn Dickerson.

Leno hosted “The Tonight Show” for more than 20 years, starting in 1992. He built the acclaimed late-night talk show into a ratings powerhouse topping all competitors for more than a decade. In 2009, he left the franchise briefly to host “The Jay Leno Show,” which aired ahead of the new “The Tonight Show” with his successor Conan O’Brien. But the new incarnation was short-lived and Leno returned to host again in 2010 for another four seasons before retiring in February 2014.

Throughout his 22-season run as America’s most popular late-night host, Leno continued doing regular stand-up shows. In 2006 he began hosting the Web series “Jay Leno’s Garage,” based on his other passion: car collecting. Since retiring, he has returned to stand-up and continues to host the car review series, which now airs weekly on CNBC.

Leno told Newsday earlier this year that doing stand-up while still hosting helped keep him sharp. But now people sometimes wonder what his live stage shows will be like.

“It’s funny. People ask me, ‘Do you bring a couch on stage and interview people?’ I say, ‘No, I do a stand-up act.’ It’s hilarious,” he said.

Leno will perform two shows, at 4 and 7 p.m., for the gala opener. Both sold out quickly. Dickerson said the variety in programming has been key to the center’s success, particularly its past few seasons.

“Our programming is resonating with more and more people, thus exposing the Gallo Center to a broader audience. Also, patrons are surprised we have been able to attract some of the big names that we have,” she said. “And, hopefully, patrons are having a good experience while at the center.”

Since 2015-16 tickets opened up to the public earlier this spring, the center has done over $2.8 million in sales. That puts it 28 percent ahead of the pace of last year, when some $5 million was made by the end of the season.

Including Leno, 14 performances have sold out so far this season. They include Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas, country legend Kenny Rogers, Mexican pop superstar Gloria Trevi, popular funnyman Gabriel Iglesias and parody hitmaker “Weird Al” Yancovic.

“I’ve been pleasantly surprised that this season is tracking so far ahead of last season, which was such a very successful year,” Dickerson said. “It got off to a roaring start from the very beginning of the season launch.”

This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 9:42 AM with the headline "Jay Leno shows continue Gallo Center’s winning streak."