Festival season hits high gear this weekend, with the Salem Super Cruise beginning today and running through Sunday.

Also, the Coop’s Carnival festival opens a four-day run today at Quaker Steak & Lube in Sharon, Pa. And the Columbiana Wine Festival will take place Saturday.

It all follows last weekend’s impressive string of concerts that opened the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre. The shows included rising country star Riley Green; Lita Ford and The Vindys; and Coheed & Cambria and Mastodon.

It was the latter show that was the most unusual.

Coheed and Mastodon had to be the heaviest rock concert in the history of The Amp. And with a sold-out crowd of folks who came from across the tri-state area, it was also one of the coolest and most memorable.

After opening act Periphery, Mastodon delivered a 60-minute onslaught of relentless heavy rock, spawning mosh pits in the standing room area in front of the stage and – amazingly – on the lawn. 

Fans got a breather in Mastodon’s more musical moments that also brought some needed contrast to their set.

The band genuinely enjoyed the vibe Sunday evening at The Amp. Bearded bassist Troy Sanders, looking like a Norse god, vowed the band would return next year, after they release their next album.

After headbanging set-closer “Blood and Thunder,” drummer-vocalist Brann Dailor came down from his kit and addressed the throng.

It had been a long time since Mastodon last played Youngstown, he said.

How long? Well, Dailor recalled the show was at the old Nyabinghi rock club on the West Side, which closed in 2006. The Nyabinghi building has long since been razed, but the bar has become only more legendary as time fades. 

Dailor also recalled – with some perverse pride about their gritty early days of touring – the Tally Ho motel in Liberty, where the band used to stay when it played Youngstown.

“What I’m trying to say is, we have a storied history with your city,” Dailor said. “We don’t see each other enough, but we will try to remedy that.”

Mastodon was billed as a co-headliner, but Coheed was in the driver’s seat and delivered an outstanding 90-minute set.

Because the sun had set by the time Coheed took the stage, the graphics on the giant LED screen at stage rear were dazzling.

Coheed offers a more nuanced form of metal, with dynamic songs that are a nice contrast from Mastodon. Sounding like the love child of Rush and Clutch, they brought crunchy guitars and a vocalist with range in Claudio Sanchez, who stalked the catwalk along the sides of the drum riser.

Super Cruise

The Salem Super Cruise is one of North America’s premier celebrations of car culture – which has always been particularly strong in this area.

It’s not just another street festival with live music and elephant ears. Instead, it’s a place for car customizers, hot rodders, muscle car fiends and vintage ride aficionados to see and be seen in their vehicles.

The Super Cruise will take over downtown Salem this evening through Sunday, with the cruise taking place in a loop up and down East State Street every night.

If you’ve never seen it, you should.

If you can’t decide whether to attend the Super Cruise or the Columbiana Wine Festival on Saturday, why not do both?

This year, the Quakertown Trolley bus will provide free rides between the two events.

The Columbiana Wine Festival will take place at Firestone Farms Town Centre from 4-9 p.m. Admission is $40, but only $30 for Quakertown Trolley riders. Admission includes tasting tickets and a commemorative wine glass. For nondrinkers, designated driver admission is available for $10.

The trolley route will begin in Salem at the City Hall rear parking lot, proceed to the Salem Tractor Supply parking lot, and then make the first trip to Firestone Town Centre at 3 p.m. The bus loop will depart from Salem at 3, 5, 7 and 9 p.m. It will depart from Homestead Kitchen at Firestone Town Centre at 4, 6 and 8 p.m.  

For a complete look at everything going on in the Mahoning Valley, check out The List.

Pictured at top: Coheed & Cambria perform at Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre on Sunday night. (Photo by J. Wright)