Here are 7 acts we know are coming to Fayetteville this year (so far)

While Cumberland County officials develop plans for construction of a new multipurpose event center that will replace the existing Crown Theatre and Arena, the current venue and other spots in Fayetteville will host national acts this year.

Several comedians including Rodney Carrington and Kountry Wayne will stop in Fayetteville, while Grammy award winners Boyz II Men will be here in the spring.

Though the concert season is still being planned, including the headliners at the annual Dogwood Festival, Juneteenth observance and Fort Bragg’s Independence Day Celebration, here’s a look at who is scheduled to come to Fayetteville in the upcoming months.

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Rodney Carrington

Comedy fans can check out comedian Rodney Carrington’s tour at 7 p.m. Friday at the Crown Theatre, 1960 Coliseum Drive in Fayetteville.

Carrington, who “integrates his country roots” into his “witty and sarcastic humor,” is “one of the top 10 highest-grossing touring comedians for the past two decades,” who’s earned RIAA gold record certification and platinum status for his comedy albums, starred on his own ABC sitcom and has appeared on other TV shows, according to a news release.

Tickets are between $49.50-199.50 and can be purchased on Ticketmaster.com.

The music of ABBA

Fans of the disco-era Swedish band ABBA, whose songs inspired the musical “Mama Mia!”, can check out the “Direct from Sweden: The Music of ABBA” show at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Crown Theatre.

Audience members are encouraged to wear '70s-era outfits while singing along to ABBA hits like “Dancing Queen,” “Mama Mia” and “SOS.”

Tickets are $38-78 and can be purchased at the Crown Complex Box Office, at Leisure Travel Services on Fort Bragg, and online atTicketmaster.com. 

Kountry Wayne

Comedian Kountry Wayne will be at the Crown Theatre on March 3 as a part of his “HELP IS ON THE WAY” comedy tour produced by Live Nation.

Wayne, whose digital sketches have drawn in millions of viewers on social media, was named one of Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch” in 2021, is the cohost of the comedy clip show “I Love US” on BET+ and is preparing to costar in the Universal Pictures movie “Praise This,” according to a news release.

Tickets are $38.50-$267.50 and can be purchased at the Crown Complex Box Office, at Leisure Travel Services on Fort Bragg and online atTicketmaster.com. 

Royal Comedy Tour

Produced by North American Entertainment Group Inc., the Royal Comedy 2023 Tour features Sommore, Bruce Bruce, Lavell Crawford and Special K.

The show will be 8 p.m. March 11 at the Crown Theatre.

Sommore is an award-winning comedian featured in films including "Soul Plane," "Something New" and "Friday After Next,” and her self-produced comedy special, "A Queen With No Spades," recently premiered on Showtime.

Bruce Bruce is a comedian featured on IFC’s “Maron” and in constant reruns of “Comic View” on BET.

Lavell Crawford has been featured on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” Comedy Central’s “Workaholics,” AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” "Shaquille O'Neal Presents: All Star Comedy Jam" on Showtime and BET’s “Comic View.”

A comedy writer of the “Rickey Smiley Morning Show,” Special K has been a guest commentator for CNN, performed in nationwide comedy clubs and theaters and was recently chosen as one of 16 comedians for his own half-hour comedy special on Kevin Hart’s LOL Comedy Network.

Tickets are $59-125 and can be purchased at the Crown Complex Box Office, Leisure Travel on Fort Bragg or Ticketmaster.

CAIN'S Live and In Color Tour

The CAIN’s Live and In Color Tour features Christian country trio Taylor, Logan and Madison Cain and special guests Katy Nichole and David Leonard.

The tour will be at 7 p.m. March 30 at Northwood Temple Church, 4250 Ramsey St. in Fayetteville.

CAIN is inviting the audience to be a part of the show by wearing the color orange to match the tour outfits.

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CAIN’s first single “Rise Up (Lazarus)” was No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian airplay chart, and their second single “Yes He Can” has reached the top of the charts. The trio was nominated as a favorite inspirational artist for the American Music Awards, according to the group’s website.

Preshow tickets are $134, Gold Circle tickets are $35, and general admission is $26, with tickets available at  www.itickets.com or by calling 855-484-1991.

John Crist

Comedian John Crist’s Emotional Support Tour will be at 7 p.m. March 31 at the Crown Theatre. Crist has received more than 1 billion views on his social media videos, which include the viral “Honest Football Coach,” “Every Parent at Disney” and “Brands that need to be CANCELLED,” according to a news release.

Tickets are $29.75-59.75 and can be purchased at the Crown Complex Box Office, Leisure Travel on Fort Bragg or Ticketmaster.

Boyz II Men

R&B superstars Boyz II Menwill perform at 7:30 p.m. April 1 at theCrown Theatre, according to an announcement in November.

Over their 30-year career, the group has sold more than 64 million albums and won four Grammy Awards, nine American Music Awards, nine Soul Train Awards, and three Billboard Awards, according to a news release.

Boyz II Men’s past hits include: “End of the Road,” “I’ll Make Love to You,” “One Sweet Day,” and “More Than You’ll Ever Know,” while more recent hits include “If You Leave Me Now”, with singer/songwriter Charlie Puth, “Motownphilly” with country singer Brett Young and “Love Struck.

Tickets are $59-209 and can be purchased at the Crown Complex Box Office, Leisure Travel Services on Fort Bragg andTicketmaster.

Worth mentioning

Though it’s been about eight years since Fayetteville native J. Cole performed at the Crown Theater, his nearby Dreamville Festival is scheduled for April 1-2 at Raleigh’s Dorothea Dix Park.

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General admission starts at $225, and top-tier tickets are $1,500. Tickets can be purchased online at dreamvillefest.com or by texting DREAMVILLE to 68624.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville shows to mark on your calendar this year