God Story with Anne Wilson

Contemporary Christian and country music singer Anne Wilson entertained everyone at The Fraze Pavilion in Kettering this past weekend

I first saw Anne Wilson (pronounced Ann) two years ago at the 2024 Country Concert Saloon Stage and stuck around just long enough for a couple songs. The tune I was most familiar with at that time was "My Jesus", which was a hit single that Wilson released in 2021. The song has quite a story behind it too. Wilson, a Lexington, Kentucky native who is now 24, had an older brother that died in a car accident when she was just 15 and he was 23. The younger Wilson says her brother was her best friend and following the tragedy, she leaned on her faith in Jesus. After he passed, she felt called by God to pursue a career in music and encourage others to follow Jesus as well.

On the big screen and big stage in 2025

In 2025 Wilson returned to Country Concert again, only now as Friday's opening act on the larger main stage. This time I stuck around for Wilson's entire set and was impressed with her ability to both entertain a rowdy group of country music fans and communicate her spiritual message. I was also much more familiar with her setlist, including songs like "Sunday Sermon", "God & Country", "Rebel", "Rain in the Rearview", and "Songs About Whiskey".

This past Friday I saw Wilson perform for the third time. Only this environment was a much different scene. The Fraze Pavilion in Kettering hosted Wilson as their headliner following an opening act by Leanna Crawford. If you've never been to The Fraze, it's a much different musical experience than Country Concert. The main difference being the overall amphitheater vibe. Country Concert is a three-day festival with tens of thousands of people. The Fraze is a three-hour evening outing with a maximum of 4,300 attendees. To put it nicely, Fraze fans are probably a little more polished. On Friday they were also predominately mothers with their young daughters that were giddy to see Anne Wilson. I felt extremely outnumbered, but had my wife by my side for confidence on a date night.

Anne Wilson says you can't
take the church out of me

Before I rave about Wilson, I have to compliment Leanna Crawford for her poise getting the evening started. Crawford charged out on stage for an upbeat opening song only to quickly discover her microphone didn't work. The music stopped, things got quiet, and it was a little awkward. Crawford handled it like a true professional though, joking with the front row fans and signing autographs. Five minutes later she was back in business with a new mic. 

Fortunately, Wilson didn't have any audio problems. She hit the stage around 9:00 singing "God Story" as the entire crowd stood and cheered. My wife and I were in the seventh row and center stage. It felt like we were in the heart of the Anne Wilson fan club, as most folks around us seemed to know every word of every song. Wilson played those familiar hits I heard at Country Concert and I enjoyed some newer music I'd become familiar with like "Devil Is Too", "Hold Your Horses", and "Jesus on the Radio". 

My favorite things about Wilson are her clever songwriting and that distinctive vibrato voice. While she's most certainly a faith-based singer, it doesn't take a deeply religious person to appreciate her tremendous talent and the fun she has on stage. I also want to say, her positivity is an inspiration that I greatly admire in this day and age. Finally, the fact that I've had Wilson's playlist on repeat ever since I left the concert tells me all I really need to know. She's one that I want to see again! 

Anne Wilson made us smile. And isn't that why you go to a concert!

Downtown Dayton's biggest weekend

The band Gaelic Storm became world famous in 1997 when they appeared in the movie Titanic. They have been a Dayton Celtic Fest regular for the past 25 years.

Dayton's 25th annual Celtic Festival happened this past weekend and was perhaps their most successful one in a quarter century. The free event takes place each year at RiverScape MetroPark on the banks of the Miami River for three days, Friday-Sunday. It's presented by United Irish of Dayton and is a July version of a St. Patrick's Day party for downtown Dayton. I've been attending over the past six years and every festival keeps me coming back for more. My DNA origins are 12% Celtic, so I can legitimately say these are my people.

City officials estimate the Celtic Fest crowd at 90,000 attendees over the weekend

Almost too pretty to drink

Starting on the corner of Monument Avenue and Patterson Boulevard, 40 food and merchandise vendors stretched for two full blocks. My favorite meal this year was the Dublin Pub Rueben and world famous cheese fries. There was even a free shuttle bus for festival-goers wanting a transport to the actual Dublin Pub restaurant over on 5th Street for an authentic experience. 

That sandwich and fries had plenty of beverage options too, including a Celtic Fest Red Ale brewed by Breckenridge Brewery that became my go-to most of the weekend. The coolest beer of the weekend though had nothing to do with temperature, rather artwork. There was a dedicated Guinness beer tent that had several "Stoutie" machines. After you purchased a Guinness beer with a nitro foam head, you could walk over to the machine and have a free design printed in the foam. There was standard Guinness logos, as well as custom printed images if you downloaded their QR code. The whole process took about 20-30 seconds. It was a neat gimmick that was fun for about one or two beers.

The Elders will soon play 11 shows in Ireland from October 16-26

Shannon O'Shea was a 

contestant on America's 

Got Talent back in 2016

The best thing about Celtic Fest is of course the music. Three stages hosted a variety of local and national performers in both Irish song and dance. Included were headliners Gaelic Storm, The Elders, Socks in the Frying Pan, The Drowsy Lads, Davy Holt, and Bastard Bearded Irishmen. Gaelic Storm is wildly popular and have been regulars at Celtic Fest since the early years. After starting as just a pub band from Santa Monica, California in the 1990's, today they travel the country singing stories from more than a dozen of the albums they've released. Lead vocalist Patrick Murphy is the only remaining original member of the band, but still a treat to watch after all these years at age 55. He's a true Irishman and perhaps even a little rowdy. After playing an earlier 8:00pm show on Friday, Murphy and Gaelic Storm closed the festival on both Saturday and Sunday.

My personal favorite though was a six-person band based out of Kansas City, Missouri. The Elders travel the globe and last played Dayton's Celtic Fest more than 10 years ago. They were thrilled to return to the Gem City. How do I know? When I was standing in line for that Rueben sandwich with my wife, the person directly behind us was The Elders fiddler, Shannon O'Shea. She chatted like we were old friends. O'Shea talked about her family back home, including her mother that encouraged her daughter to start playing fiddle at a young age. With an Irish name like O'Shea, she explained she couldn't quit! It was a neat moment before The Elders took the stage to close after Gaelic Storm.

They were no Irish sing-alongs at Pins across from Day Air Ballpark, but it was a full house like most other bars in the area

In addition to the massive Celtic Fest crowd, the Dayton Dragon were home all weekend at Day Air Ballpark just around the block. That brought another 7,000 folks each night. Local eateries and watering holes like Pins Mechanical, The Foundry, Brixx Ice Company, Mikey's Late Night Slice, and others enjoyed the huge influx of customers. It was great to see downtown Dayton bustling with business on the biggest weekend of the year. If you'd like to attend in 2027, the dates are July 30-August 1.

Irish shenanigans a few seconds before the collapse!

The Best of Country Concert 2026

From the very start, there's been no better value in country music 

Another Country Concert is now history and as the slogan states, I've got a smile that will last all summer long! The event in Ft. Loramie has been an annual pilgrimage for me, my wife, and friends for many years. This past weekend we thoroughly enjoyed three days of country music and people-watching, Thursday through Saturday, from our Stage Front seats. These are the same seats we've sat in the past eight years and will again in 2027. This year we weathered heat, humidity, and even some rain. It was all worth it and below are five of my favorite moments from the festivities. 

Perhaps Rowdy Ron was looking my direction and remembering our conversation from a couple days earlier 

An emotional start to Country Concert. Prior to the opening ceremony on Thursday afternoon, I crossed paths with concert emcee "Rowdy" Ron Ackerman from Lima's T-102 FM two days earlier on Tuesday. I officially introduced myself by stating that my biological father used to emcee the concert once upon a time. Ron replied that he was co-workers with my father at the radio station. He also explained the two guys got into a lot of trouble together. So, it was pretty cool to see Rowdy Ron on stage for the opening ceremony with the president of Country Concert, Scott Barhorst. Scott delivered a heartfelt tribute on behalf of the Barhorst family to his brother Paul, who was sorely missed this year by everyone in attendance. 

I'll be looking for the next opportunity to buy tickets for Graham Barham

Most deserving to be on the big stage. I'll admit, coming into Country Concert I was already excited to see Louisiana-born singer-songwriter Graham Barham performing on the smaller Saloon stage. Barham's music is unique, as it combines country, pop, and hip-hop. His hit single "Oil Money" is a perfect example of that sound collaboration and his entire set was full of energy. Barham didn't disappoint and was also wonderful at interacting with his concert crowd. He joked about being a 27-year-old still using TikTok and later jumped off the stage to get up close with his front row fans. Country Concert is a three-day party and Barham brought the fun already at the start of Day 1.

Hudson Westbrook is a bright young talent and wasn't afraid to get wet

Well worth watching in the rain. One guy that I underestimated turned out to be one of my favorite performers of the weekend. At 4:00 on Saturday there was a steady rain falling on Country Concert with no relief in sight. Hudson Westbrook took the stage and I convinced myself to get rained on for one song while my wife and friends ran for shelter. Hudson hooked me with his opener as I danced in the downpour and decided to hang around for his entire set. Fortunately, Shelby County United Way president Karla Young spotted me getting drenched and gifted me her extra rain parka. When the show was over, Hudson Westbrook gained a new fan in me.

Our camping group solicited new lawn chair donations and we received a total of two dollars along with a scratch-off lottery ticket

There's more to Country Concert than just the music. There's also the camping and the fun. This year for the first time ever, we joined some friends for the camping part. Although we didn't actually sleep overnight, we split a campsite and camper with several other couples. This gave us a shield from the weather, a spot to eat meals together, and it also provided lots of belly laughs. Let's face it, most concert fans need a break at some point during each day. After all these years, we finally discovered a campsite is the perfect solution.

My view of the weekend's best show from Jason Aldean in my Stage Front seats

Closing the weekend with a bang. After 45 years, Country Concert knows a thing or two about how to wrap up the weekend. The Saturday night headliner is almost always the best show and this year was no different. Jason Aldean is still one of Nashville's biggest stars at 49-years-old with a catalog full of hits. From his opener of "Hicktown" through his finale of "She's Country", I sang along to every one of them. This was Aldean's fifth year playing Country Concert and I've been to four of those five performances. This was his best yet. As I walked back to my car, I thought to myself the same thing I did last year; what a great weekend and I wonder how Country Concert will top it again next year!

We'll see you in 2027 Country Concert!