Drew Cooper was all set to play the Rialto Theatre with his Safford buddies The Cole Trains this weekend.
But when the gig got canceled on Tuesday, Oct. 19, Cooper picked up a far bigger gig: opening for Nashviille star Gary Allan.
Allan is bringing his “Ruthless Tour” to the Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave., on Friday, Oct. 22. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $39 to $76 through ticketmaster.com.
Allan is the latest in a string of big-name artists whose shows Cooper has opened, including Toby Keith, Cody Canada, Midland, Jon Pardi, Dwight Yoakam, Blake Shelton and Dustin Lynch.
Allan’s tour celebrates his album “Ruthless” — his first studio album in eight years — which he released in June. This is his first Tucson show since he played Desert Diamond Casino in spring 2019.
A few years ago, Allan was a regular to Tucson, playing a gig right around or on his Dec. 5 birthday. He also filmed a video in Tucson in the early 2000s at a home on the west side.
Cooper, who released the EP “Little Flower Sessions” in summer 2020, will release his third album early next year. He also plans to release a bluesy, soulful cover of “Please Come Home For Christmas.”
Cooper’s Rialto show was canceled over concerns about the independent venue’s COVID-19 protocols that called for audience members to be vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID test 72 hours before the concert.
