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Assorted ramblings from the world of entertainment:
• It's less true than it used to be, but the Mahoning Valley tends to get acts on their way up … or, more likely, their way town, simply because of the size of the market.
This Saturday the Covelli Centre hosts a pair of performers who still may be on their way up, but they have exploded since the show was announced.
HARDY and Lainey Wilson will fill the Youngstown arena this weekend, and considering the trajectory of their careers, both acts will be too big for a 6,000-seat venue on their next tour. They definitely won't be playing places that size together anytime soon.
When the 2023 Country Music Awards nominations were announced on Sept. 7, Wilson received more nods than any other performer. She is tied for the second-most nominations in CMA history with nine, including album of the year, entertainer of the year and female vocalist of the year.
HARDY has four nominations of his own, and the pair are nominated together for both single of the year and event of the year for their collaboration on "wait in the truck." Back in March, I wrote a column about how much I love it when bands touring together also perform together and assumed it would happen with HARDY and Wilson. Based on the first couple of setlists, fans can expect to hear that hit live during HARDY's set.
Both acts also have some crossover appeal. HARDY, if anything, has had even more success with hard rock fans than country listeners with his album, "the mockingbird and THE CROW." It has spawned three top five hard rock radio hits -- "Jack," "Sold Out" and the title track.
Wilson has been getting airplay on adult album alternative stations like The Summit with "More than Friends," on which she joins Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real.
If it took 13 CMA nominations between them this month for some readers to think about attending the show, they're already too late … unless they really, really want to go.
Saturday's concert was a quick sellout, There are still tickets available for purchase through Ticketmaster resale and other broker sites, but expect to pay at least three times the original face value for that ticket.
• Also on Saturday is the 16th Pabstolutely at Royal Oaks in Youngstown.
The music festival is a favorite with local music fans and raises money for The Purple Cat and Golden String, which provide day-program alternatives for adults with disabilities.
The Feral Cats, a band made up of Purple Cat clients, will get the music started at noon Saturday, followed by Bulletfinger & the Expirations, the Filthy Lowdown, St. Dude, Trash Mountain, Punk Willie, Brood X, WE, DAGGRS, Rated Eye and LAKE LAKE before Rebreather closes out the night with a 10 p.m. set.
Admission is $10, and there also will be a basket raffle to benefit the cause. At least one of the baskets has a prize that's more than worth a trip to the festival for a chance to win.
In addition to including a hoodie, T-shirt, drink coozies, buttons and stickers in its basket, Westside Bowl is offering a season pass that will grant the winner-plus-one free admission to every show and event at the Youngstown venue, not only for the rest of 2023 but for all of 2024.
Andy Gray is the entertainment editor of Ticket. Write to him at agray@tribtoday.com