Three-time Grammy-winning, platinum-selling country singer Brad Paisley brings his βTruck Still Works World Tourβ to the AVA at Casino del Sol on Saturday, Aug. 23.
It is his first Tucson show in three years, and itβs one of the last in the U.S. before he takes the tour to Canada for shows through December.
Paisley is one of those old-soul-in-a-not-so-old body kinda country singers, a bit twangy with a contemporary lens that manages heartbreak from a fishing boat and first dates with a wink-wink. (βFirst date, first kiss, first taste of lovinβ/You were my first, cousinβ).
Grammy-winning country singer Brad Paisley is playing a show at the AVA at Casino del Sol on Saturday.
In a career spanning a quarter century, heβs racked up two dozen No. 1 hits and 11 platinum or double platinum (a million sales) albums.
βTruck Still Worksβ is a sequel to Paisleyβs hit βMud on the Tires.β The single dropped last September and is a preview of Paisleyβs upcoming 13th album.
Saturdayβs show at the AVA, 5655 W. Valencia Road, begins at 8 p.m. with opening act Jake Worthington. Tickets are $51.40 to $257.40 through casinodelsol.com.
Paisleyβs show is one of three country concerts heading our way this weekend.
Rebel Heart
The weekend kicks off Thursday, Aug. 21, when the Maverick King of Clubs hosts the Tucson debut of So-Cal modern country cover band Rebel Heart.
Darren and Millena Hicks have performed as Rebel Heart for 13 years. They are making their Tucson debut at The Maverick on Thursday.
The band, led by husband and wife vocalists Darren and Millena Hicks, performs Top 40 country hits from the 2000s through today, covering everyone from Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves and Cam to Zac Brown Band, Kenny Chesney and Florida Georgia Line.
Occasionally, theyβll throw in a classic by George Strait, Merle Haggard or Dwight Yoakam on request or if they think it would fit their audience.
How would they know?
βWe read the crowd,β Millena explained during a phone call from home base in Santa Clarita, a stoneβs throw from Magic Mountain. βWe look at the style of dancing and we can tell from how they are dancing.β
If they are dancing the Cowboy Cha-Cha β think Electric Slide and Boot Scootinβ Boogie from the 1990s β then Rebel Heart will slip in a β90s country song.
When the crowd leans younger, the band draws from a rotating setlist of more than 70 contemporary songs, including Old Dominionβs βHotel Key,β Zac Brownβs βToes,β Dixie Chicksβ βGoodbye Earl,β Darius Ruckerβs βWagon Wheelβ and Jake Owensβ βDown to the Honky Tonk.β Theyβll even throw in a little Journey when the mood strikes, Millena said.
The couple has a few original songs that sometimes find a place in their shows, including βFind Me A Man,β but Millena said the goal is to keep people dancing.
Darren and Millena have been performing as Rebel Heart for 13 years.
βI think when we started nobody else did the modern (country) thing,β said Millena, who will retire in January from the Los Angeles Sheriffβs Department and focus on the band full-time.
Darren retired from a career in studio lighting and handles Rebel Heartβs bookings, including regular gigs in Lake Havasu City and the coupleβs every-other-month residency at Gillies in Las Vegas. He landed The Maverick show after a pilot friend visiting Tucson raved about the iconic Tucson country bar.
βMan, you have to play there,β the friend told Darren.
In addition to the Hickses, Rebel Heart features a backup singer, fiddler, lead guitar, bass player and drummer. The band plays at 8 p.m. at The Maverick, 6622 E. Tanque Verde Road. There is no cover charge.
Dry Heat Country Fest
The Rialto Theatre on Friday, Aug. 22, is putting on an all-ages country music festival of sorts to show off Tucsonβs homegrown talent.
The Brian Beckman Band β Beckman is second from left β are part of Fridayβs Dry Heat Country Fest at Rialto Theatre.
Dry Heat Country Fest features:
- Brian Beckman Band, which has been making the rounds to Tucson honky tonks from The Maverick and Eddies to Maranaβs Whiskey Roads.
- The County Line, which has been playing its original country music in Tucson for more than a dozen years.
- The Alex Taylor Band from Tucson.
- Kurt Legnon, originally from Beaumont, Texas, and now of Sierra Vista.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and music starts at 7 at the Rialto, 318 E. Congress St. Tickets are $9.30 through ticketmaster.com.
