Creighton isn’t mentioned in country star Cole Swindell’s hit “She Had Me At Heads Carolina,” but with the excitement from concertgoers at Pittsburgh Brewing Co.’s Iron City Stage on Sunday, one might think otherwise.
“This is the kind of crowd you dream of,” he said to about 7,000 concertgoers on the brewery’s back lawn.
Swindell took the stage Sunday night after opening performances by 7 Mile Run and Ashley Cooke.
Swindell’s arguably the most well-known singer to visit the Alle-Kiski Valley in recent memory: He’s got eight No. 1 country music hits and three more Top 10s.
He opened his 90-minute show with “Flatliner,” a song he co-wrote with Dierks Bentley. He then went into “Love You Too Late” and “How Is She” before giving a shoutout to the crowd and Pittsburgh Brewing Co. owner Cliff Forrest. He thanked the crowd for being part of the brewery’s biggest concert to date and complimented the venue’s scenic view looking toward the Allegheny River.
“This is my kinda spot with my kinda people,” he said.
Swindell then sang “Ain’t Worth the Whiskey” and “Forever To Me,” a new track released this year for his wife, Courtney Little. Swindell and Little married in June.
Hits then included “Middle of a Memory,” “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight,” “20 in a Chevy,” “Break Up In The End” and “One Day.” Swindell then took a minute to share his background story. When he first moved to Nashville, he began selling merchandise for Luke Bryan before becoming a songwriter for other country artists.
Cole Swindell opens with “Flatliner” pic.twitter.com/BKZDjhrTb0
— Kellen Stepler (@KellenStepler) September 2, 2024
Swindell then sang snippets of songs he co-wrote, which included Luke Bryan’s “Roller Coaster,” Thomas Rhett’s “Get Me Some Of That” and Florida Georgia Line’s “This Is How We Roll.”
Swindell kept the party going with his own songs “Chillin’ It” — his debut single from 2013 — “Let Me See Ya Girl,” “Single Saturday Night” and “Stereotype” before things got a little more intimate. To the crowd with cellphone lights on, Swindell sang “You Should Be Here,” a song he wrote in 2016 on the unexpected loss of his father.
He said that songs like “You Should Be Here” are the reason many love country music, because even though they come from unfortunate circ*mstances, they’re experiences everyone can relate to. Emotionally, he shared that Monday was the anniversary of his father’s death.
“I think they are here, they’ve just got way better seats than us,” he said.
Swindell then lightened the mood back up with “Never Say Never,” a duet where the audience sang Lainey Wilson’s part; “Drinkaby” where he flashed a Terrible Towel and delved into some ’90s classics: Brooks and Dunn’s “Neon Moon,” George Strait’s “Carrying Your Love With Me,” Joe Diffie’s “Pickup Man,” Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” John Michael Montgomery’s “Be My Baby Tonight” and Garth Brooks’ “Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘til the Sun Comes Up).”
Swindell brought it home with his hit “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” a remake of Jo Dee Messina’s 1996 classic “Heads Carolina.”
‘Unexpected gem’ of a venue
“She Had Me at Heads Carolina” is 7-year-old Eloise Sachs’ favorite Swindell song. Eloise and her sister, Anastasia, 8, were working on a poster for Swindell in the parking lot before the concert.
Their mother, Madi Yerkins of West Deer, was impressed that someone of Swindell’s caliber performed just five minutes from their family’s home.
“It’s so exciting,” she said. “It seems like it’s getting bigger and more popular. We’re excited to see who else we can get in this area.”
And Swindell brings it home with “She Had Me at Heads Carolina.” pic.twitter.com/yEte0brUMn
— Kellen Stepler (@KellenStepler) September 2, 2024
The advent of events this year at the brewery has rejuvenated life into the small municipality of East Deer. The facility sits at the former Pittsburgh Plate Glass Works No. 1, now known as PPG Industries. It opened in 2022 when Pittsburgh Brewing moved its operations from Latrobe.
Swindell headlined the inaugural concert series, which also featured performances by a Jimmy Buffett tribute band in June and Led Zeppelin and Doors tribute bands in July.
A car cruise in August drew nearly 10,000 people.
And there are no plans of stopping the facility’s growth.
Crews have worked to establish river access by clearing trees and brush and are in the process of building a permanent boat dock. Officials also plan an amphitheater to be complete by next summer, at which point it will hold as many as 15,000 people.
Friends Kasey Bobolsky of Portage and Amanda Thompson of Colver were impressed with the concert venue and, jokingly, wished they were on one of the growing chorus of boats that began to line the Creighton riverfront before the concert.
“It’s nice. You get a full view. It’s really pretty,” Bobolsky said.
The pair have been Swindell fans for the past number of years and were looking forward to his show. Thompson recalled seeing Swindell with Luke Bryan at Acrisure Stadium, then called Heinz Field.
‘This is gorgeous’
The venue also was a pleasant surprise for friends Junior Mora and Rob Thorhauer, who both are from Kennedy and don’t often get out to the Allegheny Valley. They’ve been Swindell fans for a few years and won tickets to this show via radio station Y108.
“You see it from the highway sometimes and that’s a whole other perspective. Seeing it here is a different experience,” Mora said.
The country music complemented the parklike venue well. Attendees brought lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the show.
And while attending the concert was a “last-minute decision” for newly married couple Daniel and Olivia Hoffman of Ross, it’s one they didn’t regret.
Daniel said the couple’s wanted to visit the Iron City facility for a while and the trip Sunday exceeded expectations.
“We had no idea all this was back here,” Daniel said. “We drive on (Route 28) all the time.”
“It’s perfect for Labor Day,” Olivia said. “This is gorgeous. It’s an unexpected gem.”
Kellen Stepler is a TribLive reporter covering the Allegheny Valley and Burrell school districts and surrounding areas. He joined the Trib in April 2023. He can be reached at kstepler@triblive.com.
