Country music concerts are coming to town

Toby Keith got it right when he sang about “country coming to town.” I just don’t think he… Toby Keith got it right when he sang about “country coming to town.” I just don’t think he meant to Pittsburgh.

With the end of summer just around the corner, the biggest concert season of the year is winding down, bringing with it some of the biggest names in country. From Alan and Sara to Kenny and Gretchen, country music fans’ wallets will be weeping from some of the shows that are still to come this year.

Because a season that has seen Reba, Rascal Flatts, Toby Keith, Daryl Worley and John Michael Montgomery isn’t about to let up just because the halfway point has come and gone, The Pitt News brings you details of the best of the rest of a hillbilly summer.

July 30: “Somewhere in the Sun Tour,” led by Kenny Chesney and featuring Gretchen Wilson, Keith Urban, Pat Green and Uncle Kracker; Heinz Field. The must-see tour of the year makes a stop at one of football’s finest stadiums at the end of the month. With a string of hits under his belt, newlywed Chesney is headlining a tour just as successful as last year’s “Guitars, Tiki Bars and a Whole Lotta Love” tour.

One tip for those lucky enough to obtain tickets: Be there early. Last year’s Post-Gazette Pavilion show featured three-hour lines of traffic that stretched for three miles outside of Burgettstown and a nightmare parking situation. Go early and bring along some of your favorite CDs to tailgate with the rowdiest group of fans out there.

Gretchen Wilson, just off touring with Brooks and Dunn last summer, is still riding high from her debut album, Here for the Party. Her sophomore effort, All Jacked Up, is due in stores by late September. Word has it that the woman who gave country women everywhere a reason to say “Hell Yeah” is one to see live and in concert.

Keith Urban has been one of country music’s golden boys in recent years. His last two albums, Golden Road and Be Here, both have spawned several top-10 singles, including a song about a cat and a sweater. While Chesney brings a bit of beach fun to the tour, Urban’s soft style offset’s Wilson’s in-your-face, rocking country style.

Tickets are still available for the show, ranging from $25 to $69.50.

August 18:Charlie Daniels with PovertyNeck Hillbillies; Hary Arena at Mountaineer, Chester, W.Va. Well, the Devil Went Down to Georgia, so why not send him with some hillbillies to W.Va.? While Mountaineer may be a bit far for your average Pitt student to travel to see an old guy and his band, no matter how good they are, younger country fans will be interested in Western Pa.’s newest country sensation.

The PovertyNeck Hillbillies are old-school country, in the vein of Garth, Willie and Brooks and Dunn, with a bit of rock thrown in to keep it lively. Their first big album, Hillbilly State of Mind, spawned radio hits like its title track and the exceptional “Mr. Right Now.” Their newest release, Don’t Look Back just hit record stores last month and already has heavy radio airplay with “One Night in New Orleans.”

Daniels has been a staple in country music, more specifically southern rock, for decades. With hits like “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” experience is the key word. Between the new and the old, this is one show to try to catch, between other fun activities in Mountaineer, that is.

Tickets range from $20 to $60.

August 25: “What I Do Tour” — Alan Jackson with Sara Evans; Post Gazette Pavilion. After almost two months of country-free concerts, PGP brings out the big guns with one of the most successful ladies of country and one of her male counterparts. Jackson, known for easy-going hits like the college student’s dream “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” has been a solid performer and cornerstone of the country music world throughout the last decade.

This duo proves Jackson’s recent single, “Too Much of a Good Thing,” right. Evans, who last visited Pittsburgh with Brad Paisley in July 2004, is definitely an asset when combined with Jackson. Her sassy on-stage personality and lilting voice prove to be a perfect combination to counterbalance Jackson’s sometimes easygoing, sometimes serious style.

Tickets range from $27.50 to $62.50.

September 3: Brooks and Dunn with Big and Rich and the Warren Brothers; Post Gazette Pavilion. It’s a night of duos, as PGP gets ready to finish out its season. Headliners Brooks and Dunn promise to bring a high-energy, spectacular show. Sure to “Play Something Country,” the long-time Country Music Awards Vocal Duo of the Year are whom their touring partners aspire to be one day. With their new album Hillbilly Deluxe due to hit stores just days before they visit Burgettstown, the pair is showing everyone they have a few more hits left in them. Expect everything from boot-stomping tunes to patriotic salutes.

While the main act may have their fair share of energy, no one can hold a torch to the original Muzik Mafia, Big and Rich. The “Save a Horse, Ride A Cowboy” group will keep you out of your seat and laughing for their whole set. After touring with Tim McGraw last summer, the pair has found their own bit of fame, showing they’ve made it to the Big Time. Expect cameos from the likes of Cowboy Troy and the rest of the MM, and a long version of their provocative hit.

Brooks and Dunn bring the tradition and Big and Rich bring the new wave of country, but the Warren Brothers will be the ones to rock the joint. Reunited with old touring partners from last summer, Big and Rich, the duo have been around a long time but keep flying under the radar of popular country music.

Past singles such as “Sell A Lot of Beer” get play on CMT, but despite being nominated against Brooks and Dunn each year for Vocal Duo of the Year, the brothers make their name through writing, rather than singing, for the most part. Old friends of McGraw and his superstar wife Faith Hill, they have written songs for both of them, as well as most of their own material. Their sound is traditional, but with a bit more rock than twang. Fans of Shooter Jennings, who traipsed through town on Fourth of July weekend with Toby Keith, will enjoy this performance.

Tickets will range from $25 to $49.75, but a sale date has not yet been confirmed.