Jackie Popovec made a grand entrance at the Greater Youngstown Italian Fest on Saturday night.
Clad in a sparkling gown, the lead singer of The Vindys was slowly delivered to the stage while standing on the back of a golf cart and belting out Schubert’s “Ave Maria” – in Italian! – like an opera singer.
Popovec tends to make every audience feel like it just saw the best Vindys’ performance ever, and this was a prime example.
Most members of the audience Saturday had never seen the band before, and the spectacle was one they’ll never forget. It was custom-made for an Italian festival.
Popovec said later that she has sung “Ave Maria” many times at family weddings, funerals and other events as she was growing up.
The Vindys are a hard act to follow, but the Warren Italian American Heritage Festival will do its best.
The four-day event opens at 4 p.m. today on Courthouse Square in downtown Warren.
There’s a full schedule of entertainment, bocce and pageants, and a lot of good food.
On the main stage, the Rat Pack, a tribute show to Frank Sinatra & Co., will perform at 9:15 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
The festival has a small admission fee. To learn more, click HERE.
The little village of New Waterford, which is between Columbiana and East Palestine, likes to bring in national acts every summer for concerts in its park.
On Saturday, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus will headline the village’s Amped Up festival, which will also include Tantric and Youngstown’s Turbo Lovers.
The post-hardcore band had a hit in 2006 with “Face Down.” But the act has been making a lot of noise lately, releasing the single “Slipping Through (No Kings)” earlier this summer.
The urgent song – co-written by lead vocalist, guitarist and founding member Ronnie Winter – looks at the splintered factionalism that is gripping society.
“It’s about what’s going on in our country,” said Winter in a press release. “The destruction of it. Everything we ever stood for is ‘slipping through.’”
The lyrics oppose federal efforts to deport undocumented immigrants who entered the country illegally.
The single comes on the heels of the Red Jumpsuit’s 2020 EP “Emergency.”
Formed in Jacksonville, Fla., in 2004, the band has earned Gold and Platinum singles – including “Face Down” and “Your Guardian Angel.” Its debut album, “Don’t You Fake It,” is also certified Platinum.
The new single will be included on a new album due in the coming months.
Amped Up is a three-day festival that starts Friday with country artists Lewis Brice and Mark Mackay.
Sunday’s concert will be headlined by Morgan Myles, who finished third on “The Voice” in 2022, along with local acts The Conkle Brothers and The Berrys.
The festival is the brainchild of Shane Patrone and Jason Gorby, who are the mayor and city administrator of New Waterford, respectively.
Both are lifelong residents, and being civic minded they wanted to improve their hometown. So they started having concerts a few years ago.
“New Waterford is such a nice little town,” Patrone told The Business Journal in an interview last year. “The park is very nice; there’s not much crime; the Crestview schools are very good; and taxes are low. But there’s not a lot to do.”
The city had been “stagnant” for a long time, Patrone said, and he wanted to spur the type of growth seen in neighboring Columbiana.
“You have to be known for something to get attention, and I told Jason [Gorby] four years ago we have to do something to put us on the map,” he said.
Tickets for Amped Up are $10 for one night, or $23 for a weekend pass. The park is at 3760 Village Partk Drive. To buy tickets, click HERE.
Another interesting concert on Sunday features a terrific lineup of quirky and rocking ladies.
Brea Fournier & the Dream Ballet of Brooklyn, Anya Van Rose of Canton, and Candace Campana of Youngstown will play West Side Bowl, 2617 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown at 8 p.m.
I have a feeling you’re gonna like Fournier. Check her out HERE.
Tickets are $15 at the door, $12 in advance at eventbrite. Click HERE.
On Tuesday, Train returns to the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre for a 7:30 p.m. concert, with opening act Edwin McCain.
Train is known for its hits “Hey, Soul Sister,” “Meet Virginia,” “Save Me, San Francisco” and “AM Gold.”
The San Francisco-based act, led by Pat Monahan, last played the Amp in 2021. For tickets, click HERE.
For a complete look at everything going on in the Mahoning Valley, check out The List.
Pictured at top: Train, led by Pat Monahan (center), will return to Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre on Tuesday.