Brad Paisley, performing in Rosemont, Illinois, in 2018, is finally returning to Tucson after canceling a show here 16 years ago.

Talk about a long-awaited do-over: Country singer Brad Paisley is finally coming to Tucson β€” 16 years after he canceled his 2006 concert at Tucson Arena.

He’s playing the AVA at Casino del Sol on Saturday, Aug. 13, in what will be only his third Tucson concert in his nearly 25-year career.

He was here in 2002 for the KIIM FM Country Music Festival. He returned in 2005 as part of Reba McEntire’s β€œTwo Hats and A Redhead Tour” with Terri Clark and was set for a solo show at Tucson Arena in early May 2006 before canceling two weeks earlier.

Paisley was touring Europe late last month and couldn’t be reached for comment. It was his ninth European tour, and later this year he will embark on his first-ever trek through Australia.

Paisley, a three-time Grammy winner with dozens of Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association awards to his credit, will draw from his dozen career albums that include his hits β€œI’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song),” β€œMud on the Tires,” β€œThe World,” β€œLetter to Me,” β€œWater,” β€œAnything Like Me,” β€œThis is Country Music” and β€œPerfect Storm.” He also might pull out β€œFreedom was a Highway,” his 25th No. 1 single that he recorded with country singer Jimmie Allen.

Paisley will go on stage at 8 p.m. Saturday at the AVA, 5655 W. Valencia Road. Lawn seats are sold out; standing-room-only tickets in front of the stage are $145 and reserved seats are $45 to $250 through casinodelsol.com.

Other concerts worth considering this weekend:

The acoustic duo Riso β€” Matt Rolland and Rebekah Sandoval Rolland β€” are playing songs off their new album β€œNew Eyes” at 191 Toole on Friday, Aug. 12.

The husband and wife acoustic duo Riso β€” Matt Rolland and Rebekah Sandoval Rolland of Run Boy Run fame β€” are celebrating their weeks-old album β€œNew Eyes” with a show Friday, Aug. 12, at 191 Toole, 191 E. Toole Ave. Ryan David Green of Ryanhood will open the show at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and $18 through ticketmaster.com.

Shamarr Allen must really like us. The New Orleans jazz/hip-hop trumpeter is playing a show on the Hotel Congress Plaza, 310 E. Congress St., on Thursday, Aug. 11 β€” roughly eight months after his last Tucson concert as part of the Tucson Jazz Festival. Allen is coming this time around with the Jazz Festival, Hotel Congress and Rhythm & Roots. The concert begins at 7 p.m., and tickets are $17.51 through hotelcongress.com.


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Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Twitter @Starburch