Last weekend was a good one for local acts drawing big crowds.

On Friday most of the Grays went to Kent to see Red Wanting Blue and Labra Brothers play a sold-out show at The Kent Stage.

RWB drummer Dean Anshutz lives in Youngstown, and Labras and their bandmates all are local.

RWB tweaked the arrangements of some of the old favorites, adding new or extended intros and instrumental breaks. The band also was joined by Bobby Yang on violin for several songs, and the addition of his instrument reshaped the sound of some set list standards.

“Hey 84” and “Goliath,” the two songs RWB played back in March at Westside Bowl from its upcoming album, were in the set again Friday. “Goliath” really has grown on me since hearing the studio version, and there are a few songs on the new album (slated for release in the first half of this year) that are even better than the ones already shared publicly.

In addition to the Labras own set, Adrian, Cristian, David and Antonio Labra joined RWB on stage on crowd pleasers “Finger in the Air” and “You’re My Las Vegas.”

I give RWB credit for booking Labra Brothers. It takes a band with a lot of confidence to have an opening act with as much energy and talent as the Labras bring. It was clearly RWB’s crowd, but the Labras definitely made some new fans by the end of the night.

I toyed with the idea of making the drive up to Cleveland on Saturday to see The Vindys, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t drive up expecting to buy a ticket at the door. The Vindys sold out the Live Nation venue. In addition to the Mahoning Valley faithful that were in attendance, the band has a growing following on the North Coast. The group sold out the Music Box Supper Club multiple times, but HOB is about three times larger, and a sellout there is the kind of thing that will get the attention of others in the music industry.

Since I wasn’t in the crowd, I don’t have firsthand knowledge, but there were plenty of clips to be found on social media, and it looked and sounded like the band pulled out all the stops, including some surprising covers, from Ian Hunter’s “Cleveland Rocks” to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.”

I did catch the first set of the Del Sinchak Band’s farewell concert Sunday at Penguin City Brewing Company.

The place was packed with more that 500 people turning out to see local polka legend Sinchak, who has been playing in bands for 74 of his 88 years on this globe.

A steady stream of well wishers greeted Sinchak whenever he wasn’t performing and filled the dance floor when he was.

The band – Joe Colapietro, saxophone; John Mesaros, drums; Danny Klanica, accordion; Alan Kross, bass; and Bob Baskey, accordion and keyboard – sounded great in supporting Sinchak. However, I feel safe in saying that Sinchak’s favorite bandmate Sunday, at least while I was there, was his granddaughter, Nina Sinchak, who played violin on one song. The proud grandpa was beaming as they played together.

Gary Rhamy of Peppermint Productions was there to record the performance for possible CD release. In an interview last month, Sinchak said he hoped there would be a lot of audience participation.

He got his wish. Rhamy called it a great crowd with some of the loudest participation he’s ever heard.

It was nice to see the Mahoning Valley give Sinchak a career send off worthy of his legacy.

Andy Gray is the entertainment editor of Ticket. Write to him at agray@tribtoday.com