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Country star Gary Allan to perform at CAC

Back before Gary Allan was a multi-platinum artist with more than a dozen songs charted on Billboard’s Hot 100, he found himself helping his dad with a project in the garage when the radio — which was always turned on — began playing an unmistakable raspy voice that the two men knew well. The song was Allan’s cover of Waylon Jennings’ “Her Man,” which he released in August of 1996 as the first single on his debut album, “Used Heart for Sale.” It was the first time Allan had ever heard himself on the radio, and it’s a memory he holds dear to this day.

“I do not remember what we were working on, but I remember experiencing that moment with my dad, and knowing he was proud of me,” Allan said.

Though that may have been the first time Allan heard himself on the airwaves, it was far from the last. In the years since that day, he’s firmly cemented himself as a country music superstar, enjoying a career that has seen him create 10 studio albums and four No. 1 country hits over the last 28 years. Songs like “Man to Man,” “Tough Little Boys,” “Nothing On but the Radio,” “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain),” “Best I Ever Had,” “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful,” “Smoke Rings in the Dark” and “Watching Airplanes” are just a few of his many singles that continue to find regular rotation on country stations.

Luckily for his fans in the area, Allan will be bringing his live act to Williamsport in just a few weeks, when he performs at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 15 at the Community Arts Center, 220 West Fourth Street. Opening the show will be singer-songwriter Mark Mackay, while local country rock band The Heartstrings will perform in the venue’s Capitol Lounge prior to the performance.

“We have a large fan base in Pennsylvania, and they always show up excited and ready to have a good time,” Allan said.

Allan said he’s excited to play at the CAC because it’s the type of venue that allows for an intimate experience for him and the audience.

“(In a theater) I feel closer to the audience,” he said, “and at most theaters, there is no bad seat in the house.”

Allan said that he’s always created music with the intention of performing it live. For him, nothing compares to the feeling of walking on stage and hearing his screaming fans singing his songs back to him.

“I feed off that every night,” he said. “I feel the excitement of my performance, as well as the band’s, is a direct result of the crowd’s excitement.”

While his favorite songs to perform live tend to change from time to time, Allan said a few of his classic tracks like “Watching Airplanes,” “Every Storm (Runs out of Rain)” and “Right Where I Need to Be” are always a big thrill for him to play because of how well they’re received from the audience.

“(They) get the fans going from the moment we play the first few bars of the song,” he said. “That excitement never gets old.”

Though his setlists typically include a few fan-favorite deeper album cuts, new songs, and maybe a cover or two, Allan always makes it a priority to squeeze his biggest hits into every show. He said that several years ago, he went to watch a famous artist perform in concert, and 90 minutes into the show he had yet to hear a well-known song. That experience left him rethinking the way he plans his own live performances.

“I feel you have to play the songs that made the fans your fans,” Allan said. “I never want my fans to feel disappointed leaving a show.”

When he was first cutting his teeth in the music industry, Allan, like many artists, aspired to reach a certain level of fame and dreamed about what his success might look like. But for as important to him as attaining notoriety was, he also strived to have a career with longevity, which would allow him to play music professionally for as long as possible.

“I wanted a Willie Nelson-type career that just kept going and going,” Allan said. “I think one of the keys to that is staying true to yourself.

“Trends come and go in this industry, but I just want to be me,” he added. “I have passed on songs that became huge hits for other artists, but I am okay with that because I feel it was not a good fit for me.”

As the years have gone by, Allan’s show has evolved in the sense that he has a larger song catalog to pull from, and that he changes things up with his lighting and video effects. But, overall, he feels his performance style has “stayed consistent” throughout his career. He said that his goal for every concert is to simply leave fans with an experience that makes them want to come back for more.

“I hope they had a great time and are looking forward to their next show,” he said.

For more information on Allan’s upcoming performance at the Community Arts Center, visit caclive.com or call 570-326-2424.

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