Aaron Lewis will bring his American Patriot Tour to Marysville on Thursday, Aug. 8, as part of the All Ohio Balloon Fest. Lewis previously appeared at the event in 2019.
(Photo submitted)
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With new music and a new tour planned, 2024 is set to be a big year for Aaron Lewis and the All Ohio Balloon Fest is going to be a part of it.
“Aaron Lewis did well here in 2019 and has quite a following in Ohio, not only as a front man for Staind, but for his solo country music too,” All Ohio Balloon Fest (AOBF) Organizer Kevin Behrens said. “So, when his management offered the AOBF a chance to be part of his American Patriot Tour we felt like it was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”
After bringing a large crowd to the festival in 2019, organizers asked him back this year and he will take the stage on Thursday, Aug. 8.
Local artist Shane Stephens will serve as the opening act.
Lewis sold millions of album sales with the band Staind, topping U.S. rock charts with songs like “It’s Been a While,” “Outside,” “So Far Away” and “Right Here.” When he took a break from the band in 2011, Lewis wanted to try something different.
Crossing over into the country from another genre isn’t unheard of, but Lewis didn’t embark on a path to sell records with radio-friendly hits. Instead he chose to follow a style more in line with artists like Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard that he heard his grandfather listen to growing up. He leaned into the Outlaw Country movement with other contemporaries like Cody Jinks, Jamey Johnson and Chris Stapleton.
Though he still plays adapted versions of some of the Staind hits, Lewis’ solo projects have allowed him to bring old-school country topics like family, fishing and firearms to the stage. With four solo albums under his belt, Lewis will be releasing The Hill on March 29.
The album pens lyrics from Lewis’ position of the state of affairs in America.
In Let’s Go Fishing he sings:
“Got to work two jobs and rob a bank,
To put food on the table and gas in your tank,
And everybody knows who’s to blame.”
He later adds in the chorus:
“Let’s go Karen,
Let’s go Brandon,
And let’s go fishin.’”
“Usually in order to get bigger national acts the festival has to be a one-off of big tour dates, so to be part of a nationwide tour only furthers the story about how Marysville and Union County continue to grow in the right way,” Behrens said.
The event runs from Aug. 8-10 at the Union County Airport. Friday night’s event features musical entertainment from Jefferson Starship.
Tickets for each night of the AOBF are available at www.allohioballoonfest.com.
“The Balloon Fest has been going on in Marysville since 1975 which is longer than most people have been in business locally, so to be part of that tradition is something we are proud of,”Behrens said.