Fall fun 2016: UB Tailgate Concerts

credit: freedigitalphotos.net/IceHawk33

The outdoor concert season doesn’t end in August – thanks to the UB Bulls Football program, it continues into fall! UB has six concerts scheduled as part of the 2016 Tailgate Concert Series, starting with the home opener on Friday, September 2 featuring country star Jerrod Niemann.

The free concerts begin three hours before kickoff in Stampede Square in the UB Stadium parking lot near Millersport Hwy. in Amherst.

The complete schedule:

• September 2 – Jerrod Niemann (game time – 7 p.m.)
• September 24 – David Nail (game time TBA)
• October 8 – Eddie Money (game time – 3:30 p.m.)
• October 15 – Brothers Osborne (game time TBA)
• October 27 – Chris Lane (game time 7:30 p.m.)
• November 12 – Nerds Gone Wild (game time TBA)

Find out more at www.ubbulls.com. 

Storytelling: Carrie Underwood with Easton Corbin and the Swon Brothers at First Niagara Center

I’ve been to my fair share of concerts – particularly country shows – over the years, but there were two acts on my bucket list that I really wanted to see: Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. Mr. Paisley continuously visits Darien Lake every year, but I’m not going out there – luckily, I was able to knock Carrie Underwood off the list in the comfortable confines of the First Niagara Center (please, Brad?!?!?).

 

Vocally and performance-wise, Carrie Underwood was everything I expected – my only complaint about the show was that the lighting was really distracting and downright annoying at times.

Also on the plus side, Easton Corbin was awesome (he was moving up the bucket list, so two birds with one stone, right?), and the Swon Brothers are definitely on the rise. Concert highlight: when Carrie pulled the three guys out for a cover of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishin’ in the Dark” – still one of my favorite country songs ever.

BfloGirlTravel: Jam in the Valley – June 30-July 2, 2016

credit: Wikimedia Commons/Dori

One of the most popular country music festivals in the area, Jam in the Valley returns with its annual Independence Day weekend lineup of country music and fireworks at Buffalo Hill Village in Varysburg, NY. Headlining the three-day show this year: Easton Corbin, Sam Hunt, Jana Kramer and Jake Owen.

Campsites are still available – find out more here.

Tickets are already on sale, with a number of options available. A three-day general admission ticket is $109 (plus $10.50 service charge), and daily admission tickets are as follows: Thursday - $25, Friday and Saturday - $50 each day (plus $10.50 service charge each day). Reserved seating for all three days is $145 (plus $10.50 service charge), with daily reserved seating as follows: Thursday - $30, Friday and Saturday - $67.50 each day (plus $10.50 service charge each day). VIP seating for Thursday is priced at $40 (plus $10.50 service charge), and for Friday and Saturday is price at $115 each day (plus $10.50 service charge each day); three-day VIP tickets are also available. Find out more about tickets here.

The complete Colton RV main stage lineup for Jam in the Valley:

Thursday, June 30

• Dylan Jakobsen – 4:10 p.m.
• The Hootz – 5:45 p.m.
• Ray Scott – 7:15 p.m.
• Easton Corbin – 9 p.m.

Friday, July 1

• Scott and Christian – 4:10 p.m.
• Old Southern Moonshine Revival – 5:45 p.m.
• Old Dominion – 7:15 p.m.
• Sam Hunt – 9 p.m.

Saturday, July 2

• Sasha McVeigh – 2:40 p.m.
• Eric Van Houten – 4:15 p.m.
• Gunnar and the Grizzly Boys – 5:45 p.m.
• Jana Kramer – 7:15 p.m.
• Jake Owen – 9 p.m.

Get additional information on Jam in the Valley as the date gets closer at jaminthevalley.com. 

Canalside announces 2016 free Thursday concerts

Catch a concert at Canalside this summer
credit: paulathompsonfreelance.com

Canalside will be hosting 12 free Thursday night concerts that run from June 9 to August 25. These concerts are free and open to the public, with a starting time of 6 p.m.

Here is a full list of the upcoming shows:

• June 9: Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaries
• June 16: Frank Turner with special guest July Talk
• June 23: Public Enemy
• June 30: Frankie Ballard
• July 7: Dweezil Zappa Plays Frank Zappa
• July 14: Shakey Graves and Preservation Hall Jazz Band & Wild Child
• July 21: The Arcs and Mariachi Flor De Toloache
• July 28: BPO “A Tribute to David Bowie”
• August 4: Tritonal
• August 11: Lowest of the Low and Serena Ryder
• August 18: Coolio
• August 25: Claypool Lennon Delirium

All concerts are free but Canalside will offer VIP tickets for $55 per concert. The VIP tickets include three glasses of beer/wine/pop/water with discounted drinks after the first three, light appetizers and finger foods from (716) Food and Sport, private bathrooms, front of the stage viewing area and a souvenir 2016 Free Thursday Canalside Concert cup.

Find out more about this summer at Canalside at www.canalsidebuffalo.com. 

Still The One: Shania Twain with Gavin deGraw at First Niagara Center

I don’t go to a ton of concerts each year – I pick and choose the best ones! After seeing Garth Brooks in March, I didn’t think my concert season would get any better, but it did Saturday night, October 3 when I got to see Shania Twain for the third time. This was billed as her final tour – which I don’t think it should be! – and since I saw her on her first two tours, it was a must-see show!

The opener was Gavin deGraw, which I thought was an interesting choice since he’s more pop-oriented than country-pop, but it turns out he’s based in Nashville now (and originally from the Catskills – New York represent!). I can’t say that I was surprised he was as good as he was, but I was surprised that he captured the crowd as well as he did. I don’t know a lot of his songs, but as long as he did “I Don’t Wanna Be” I was all good!

And Shania…what can you really say? Words can’t describe that show – well, maybe AWESOME (yes, in capital letters). And I just want to look half that good at 50. She said at one point she lost some confidence during her time off the road and away from music – believe me, you couldn’t tell – she needed confidence to pull off some of those outfits!

Here are a few more shots from the show!

All photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com.

Sleigh Ride: Lorrie Morgan Christmas Show at Seneca Allegany

I’m a big country music fan, and I’m a really big fan of stuff from the late 80s and 90s, when I got into the genre. One of my favorites at that time was Lorrie Morgan, and one of my favorite holiday albums of all time is her Merry Christmas from London CD. So when I saw that Know How Tours had a bus trip to the Seneca Allegany Casino for a show entitled “An Enchanted Christmas with Lorrie Morgan,” that trip was booked immediately!

The show was only 75 minutes in length, but it seemed longer – it was full of great holiday music with a couple of her country hits thrown in – “Except for Monday,” “A Picture of Me Without You,” “Watch Me”  and, of course, “Something in Red” (which I was totally hoping she’d do). Her voice is still as pure and powerful as it was 20 or 25 years ago.

I was happiest to hear my favorite song from her holiday album, “My Favorite Things.” I’m not a fan of The Sound of Music, and honestly Julie Andrews' version drives me nuts, but I LOOOOOOVE Lorrie Morgan’s version. She also threw in “Tennessee Christmas,” “Sleigh Ride” and an amazing version of “Ave Maria,” then came back for an encore of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.”

The show was totally worth the bus trip, but we also got $20 in free slot play and a free lunch buffet. I know why I don’t do buffets more often – I ate WAAAAAAAAAAY too much! But, I wasn’t hungry the rest of the day!

Check out other upcoming shows at the Casino at www.senecaalleganycasino.com. 

photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com