Scott Tady: Local band soars at Stage AE; Waylon tribute set for Aliquippa

I've attended Stage AE shows since the venue's opening, but don't recall seeing as large a crowd or feeling as proud there as I did last Monday, at the sold-out Zach Bryan show.

Sure, budding country star Bryan demonstrated an amazing connection with fans, who sang along with every song.

But even cooler: The night's successful opening act, Charles Wesley Godwin and The Allegheny High, featuring five Beaver County musicians and a Pittsburgh bandmate, having a blast on stage entertaining 5,500 people.

Put it this way: The beer line behind me remained sparse throughout Godwin and The Allegheny High's set, one true measure of a warm-up act holding a crowd's attention.

Having spent a good chunk of the last year on the road with Bryan, Godwin and The Allegheny High strode on stage with a look of confidence, promptly getting to the business of playing real-deal, Americana-style country.

The band blended the piano of Hopewell native Max Somerville and the pedal steel of Stanton Heights' Read Connolly, with the electric guitar sizzle of New Brighton's Eric Dull and Al Torrence, owner of the Music Garden Studios in New Brighton. The tight rhythm section of New Brighton's Joe Pinchotti and Chippewa's Nate Catanzarite established the groove on Godwin songs like the set-launcher "Hardwood Floors," which starts calm before busting out into a foot-stomper.

Next came "Lyin' Low," one of several songs with Torrence blazing on electric guitar while facing Godwin as he sang and strummed with zest.

Godwin's voice conjured an Appalachian-style warmth and mettle, guiding the band's fine cover of fellow West Virginian Brad Paisley's "Mud on The Tires."

As he's done throughout this U.S. tour that's included an appearance at Nashville's esteemed Ryman Auditorium, Godwin took the opportunity to individually introduce his band members, whom he first met recording his debut album at the Music Garden in New Brighton. Their on-stage bond and chemistry was palpable Monday at what I later confirmed was the largest Stage AE turnout of the season.

Motioning past the swarm of fans toward neighboring Acrisure Stadium, Godwin acknowledged his West Virginia Mountaineers recently lost a game there to Pitt, but he hoped the Stage AE audience would indulge him as he sang the official West Virginia State Song, John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads." Those 5,000-plus concertgoers sang along loudly with the choruses. Headliner, Bryan, and Godwin's tour merch manager, 18-year-old Chippewa guitar slinger Amico DeMuzio, also joined in on stage for the rousing singalong.

I nudged the two strangers standing next to me on the railing and boasted, "I know those guys on stage." They looked impressed.

The Allegheny High won't be coming down to earth anytime soon after that triumphant hometown gig.

Though Godwin and the band quickly returned to the road for a show in Boston, with a November date beckoning as Bryan's support act at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado.

I can't wait to see them as regular headliners.

Though Bryan impressed me, too. The 26-year-old has bucked the country establishment, building his audience through viral videos. He seems earnest, unflashy and fixated on his songwriting craft, strumming an acoustic guitar throughout his Stage AE set backed by a band with fiddle, banjo and upright bass.

Bryan sang songs from his 34-song "American Heartbreak" album that set the single day streaming record for a country album on both Spotify and Apple Music.

And he'll only get better. During "Quittin' Time," with its line "I've been pushing steel through a rundown Rust Belt plant/And I can't wait to head on home, so I can take my gal to dance," one of his guitar strings broke, distracting him to the point he didn't sing a few lyrics. Next time a string busts, I bet Bryan will soldier on like nothing happened.

Hear Waylon tunes in Aliquippa

The Premier Waylon Jennings Tribute, starring August Manley, returns to Kendrew's Lounge in Aliquippa on Oct. 1.

Manley, of Arizona, travels the country replicating the Outlaw Country look and sound of the late-Jennings.

"If you didn’t know any better, you might think that it’s the real deal," said Gus Eaton, one of three Beaver Valley musicians, along with John Rickard and Mike "Taco" Evans, who will back Manley on Jennings hits like "Theme From The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys"), "Good Hearted Woman" and "Lonesome On'ry & Mean."

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Last weekend at Kendrew's saw a reunion of the longtime Beaver Valley favorites the Eaton Brothers Band, with original members Gus Eaton, Bobby Eaton and Rickard, joined by the next generation with Elijah Eaton, Matt Forte and Cody Fritzley.

Red Rocks reigns

That Nov. 3 Zach Bryan-Charles Wesley Godwin show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre has sold out. To score a certified resale ticket, you'd need to pay between $439 and $6,500 (that's not a misprint.)

With a capacity of just 9,526 and the most beautiful scenery and pure acoustics of any U.S. concert venue, Red Rocks shows sell out quickly. Demand is high for music lovers wishing to checkmark a Red Rocks show off their bucket list.

I finally made it out there Sept. 1 to see Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Their voices sounded amazing together amid those towering and truly red rocks. Plant sang several Led Zeppelin songs, including "Rock and Roll" and "The Battle of Evermore."

If you go to Red Rocks, wear your best walking shoes. The climb is long and vertical from the main parking lot, and at a 6,450-foot elevation, your stamina will be tested. There are 193 steps to the concession plaza atop the general admission area.

But it's utterly worth it.

Driveway traffic into the venue is bumper to bumper a long ways, too. Though Star Lake has prepared you for that.

More:Elton John goes out with a bang at last Pittsburgh show

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at Times, and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Tady: Local band soars at Stage AE; Waylon tribute set for Aliquippa