Scott Tady: Beaver's Poolhouse Civic Center stage shined opening night

As concertgoers, we've all witnessed moments where a singer asks audience members to hold aloft their flashlight cellphones then suddenly the venue is lit up like the nighttime sky.

It felt extra special seeing that happen last weekend in Beaver, at the brand-new Pool House Civic Center, with native son Don Gatlin on stage fronting the Kenny Rogers Band.

A crowd of several hundred people heeded Gatlin's call to wave their illuminated phones and bask in a moment of beauty late in the successful debut concert of the civic center, built at the former Beaver pool.

A master of ad-libs in addition to being a commanding vocalist, Blackhawk grad Gatlin brought nonstop entertainment, leading the Through The Years band featuring Rogers' longtime touring/recording musicians Steve Glassmeyer (keys), Chuck Jacobs (bass) and Gene Sisk (keys) through a songbook of Rogers classics like "Lucille," "She Believes in Me," "You Decorated My Life," "Daytime Friends" "Islands in The Stream," "The Gambler" and "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In."

Spectators in the highest elevated front five rows sat at table-and-chair setups spread out on artificial turf carpeting. Those seated further down the hill could bring their own chairs or pay $5 extra for a provided chair.

The acoustics were good, though Gatlin quickly discerned a noticeable echo from the valley whenever he spoke between-song banter. Gatlin addressed that comically, impersonating baseball legend Lou Gehrig's "today, I consider myself the luckiest man (man, man...) on the face of the Earth (Earth, Earth...)" speech from a very echo-y Yankee Stadium.

The show began with The Project Band demonstrating skilled musicianship and engaging personality. Members sported tie-dye and hippie wigs as they performed a set of classic rock that included Jefferson Airplane, Moody Blues, Pink Floyd and The Eagles. In a genius stroke of self-marketing, The Project Band made sure every table in the audience had a printout of the band's specific setlist for that evening, plus a contact business card and upcoming gig and website info. Other bands should do this.

A second opening act, the J. Craiger Band, kept the vibe energetic with a set of outlaw country music ending with a fiery dual guitar solo from the instrumental segment of "Freebird."

Concertgoers I spoke to said they enjoyed the show and Beaver County's newest stage.

Let's hope we see more concerts there soon.

One that's scheduled: The Women’s Center of Beaver County will host a fundraiser Sept. 14 featuring Beaver County rock band The Extractions.

Verve Pipe in Zelie

You still can lasso tickets for the Zelienople Horse Trading Days performance by The Verve Pipe this Saturday (July 20).

With a reputation for exciting live performances, The Verve Pipe are recognized worldwide for radio hits "Photograph" and 1997's chart-topping heart-tugger "The Freshmen."

Zelienople rock trio This-That & the Other Thing kicks off the show at 5:30 p.m., with general admission tickets $30 and early entry $40, at horsetradingdays.com.

The concert finishes off the three-day Horse Trading Days in downtown Zelie, a festival featuring a dog show, cornhole tournament, vendors and a hot dog eating contest.

Train kept a-rollin'

Pat Monahan waited just three songs to make an Erie reference when his multiplatinum pop-rock band Train headlined Stage AE on July 11. Can't blame a guy for being proud of his hometown.

Monahan's vocals were solid, attaining a particular height and heft on "When I Look to The Sky."

As always, it was fun watching his spirited stage moves − like flinging $600 worth of official concert T-shirts into the crowd and doing his trusty stand-on-one-leg-horizontal stretch and 360-degree spin for the "Drops of Jupiter" finale.

Train weaved into "Angel in Blue Jeans" Hozier's hot single "Too Sweet," and took a "Hey, Soul Sister" sidetrack into Redbone's "Come and Get Your Love."

In five-part vocal harmony, Train soared Eagles-style on the intro to "Seven Bridges Road," setting up for later a full-on cover of "Hotel California" with Monahan taking over the drums while singing, channeling his inner Don Henley. Monahan pointed at the crowd, cueing them to sing the "some dance to forget" line.

They didn't budge the pop-culture needle, but Train stayed in its lane and delivered an entertaining performance.

Opening act Yacht Rock Revue held the crowd's attention and even got people dancing with a set of yacht rock classics such as "Brandy" by Looking Glass, "Kiss You All Over" by Exile, "Ride Like The Wind" by Christopher Cross and "Africa by Toto.

Yacht Rock Revue did a likable original, "Tropical Illusion," that fit in stylistically.

I was surprised they didn't ironically banter more.

When the singer announced they had just one song left, my mind began racing, trying to guess what would be the most epic yacht rock song worthy of a finale.

"Southern Cross" by Crosby Stills & Nash?

"Still The One" by Orleans?

Maybe "Summer Breeze" by Seals & Croft?

Nope, Yacht Rock Revue chose perfectly with Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street," complete with soaring sax solos.

More: Beaver Falls' Vanesa Campagna co-wrote song in acclaimed Celine Dion documentary

Kind of fresh, kind of wow, Charley

Charley Crockett told his Stage AE audience last Monday he was honored to be categorized as a country singer, though he feels he's still a folk singer, which is what he started as while busking on street corners.

"But it ain't nothing but the blues," Crockett quickly added, segueing into "Travelin' Blues," one of those old-timey tunes where country, folk and blues all intersect delectably.

A song earlier, he did the twangy, lustful "Jukebox Mama," complete with his sideways two-step dance and a surprise falsetto. Crockett made sure Pittsburgh concertgoers knew that song was done originally by Luke Wray, whom he called an American icon, correcting himself to say, "a Native American icon."

Crockett's voice − smooth and rugged like a top-shelf whiskey − reflected his Texas roots, with his band including steel guitar and occasional trumpet that never failed to earn an extra audience cheer.

Caught up in elation, Crockett aimed his acoustic guitar like a hunting rifle periodically and did a nifty gesture a few songs in where he acted like his hard-beating heart kept making that guitar bounce.

With his single "$10 Cowboy," the title track from his April album, getting Adult Album Alternative radio airplay, the 40-year-old Crockett is riding a career high and definitely a headliner to watch.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Tady: Beaver's Poolhouse Civic Center stage shined opening night