It’s hard to believe that Levitt Pavilion Arlington has been bringing free concerts to downtown Arlington for 10 years and they are set to kick off the 10th season on May 18th. This year’s Baylor Orthopedic & Spine 10th Anniversary Concert Season will feature mostly artists who have performed at the Levitt before and who are audience favorites. Starting the season is Texas’ own master storyteller, Americana Music Award winner and brand-new inductee into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame, Ray Wylie Hubbard. Although Hubbard will always be known for penning “Up Against the Wall (Redneck Mother),” Ray Wylie is an Americana music icon with 17 albums full of songs that tell stories like only Ray Wylie can. His latest album, released last year, is Tell the Devil I’m Getting There as Fast as I Can. Ray Wylie’s season-opening concert is at 8 p.m., sponsored by R.J. Construction.
Opening weekend continues at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 19, with Pure Prairie League, the country/rock artists known for “Amie,” “Falling In and Out of Love” and “Let Me Love You Tonight.” Since they began making music 43 years ago, Pure Prairie League is considered one of country/rock’s pioneering forces. Their concert is sponsored by Baylor Orthopedic & Spine Hospital at Arlington, who are back as 2018 concert season title sponsor. On Sunday, May 20, Arlington crowd-pleaser, Ruthie Foster, brings her powerhouse blues back to the Levitt stage at 8 p.m. sponsored by Frost Bank. Ruthie has been nominated for a Best Blues Album Grammy three times in a row. Earlier this year, she was recognized by United States Artists as “an inspiring American artist,” and was awarded a grant as a 2018 Fellow.
Levitt Pavilion Arlington’s 2018 Summer Concert Season includes free concerts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights May 18 through July 22. Concerts through July 3 are at 8 p.m., then start at 8:30 p.m. through July 22. Family Movie Nights are on Thursday, June 7 through July 5 and include two sing-a-longs, Frozen and Mamma Mia, as well as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Early Man.
Artists returning to the Levitt to celebrate the pavilion’s 10th birthday include The Stray Cat Lee Rocker, Hayes Carll, The Peterson Brothers, Vocal Trash, Prophets and Outlaws, Jaime y los Chamacos, The O’s, Radney Foster, Marcia Ball, Trout Fishing in America, Little Joe y la Familia and Spoonfed Tribe. Cory Morrow, Texas music artist who opened for last year’s Robert Earl Keen concert, will close the summer concert season with his own concert on July 22. The summer season includes the Downtown Arlington Music Fest, June 8-10, featuring Texas State Musician Joe Ely, Bowling For Soup and Delta Rae as well as Light Up Arlington! with music by The Roomsounds and the Chris Watson Band amid the city’s Independence Day celebration events and fireworks.
The summer concert season also includes the Levitt National Tour with Paul Thorn & Blind Boys of Alabama on July 1. Acclaimed Southern raconteur Paul Thorn and his five-piece band teams up with five-time Grammy-winning gospel legends, Blind Boys of Alabama, for a one-of-a-kind musical collaboration of exhilarating, soulful shows blending old-school gospel with rock, blues and country.
See what else is going on around town HERE!
Be sure to go here to checkout discounted ticket prices for events in Dallas and Fort Worth! Also, keep in mind that Groupon and LivingSocial always have great deals on local shops, restaurants, spas and more. GoldStar also offers half-priced entertainment! For other ways to save on going out, try Pogo Pass or City Pass!
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