Youngstown this week: Parmalee, Chicago and more

Warren gets a Saturday double with Parmalee at the Robins and Kenny G at Packard Music Hall, and Chicago closes the week at Powers Auditorium.

Saturday night, two of the Valley's big rooms sit a few blocks apart in Warren with a show in each. That's the heart of the week in Youngstown: four shows, two nights, and a Sunday that brings out the horns.

Start at the Robins Theatre, where Parmalee plays Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Robins opened on Jan. 9, 1923, as a 1,500-seat house, the flagship of the Robins Amusement Company. After decades dark, a group bought the building in December 2017 to restore it, and the theatre reopened to a full house on Jan. 9, 2020, 97 years to the day after its first opening. A country band in a century-old movie palace on East Market Street is exactly the kind of night the restoration was for.

Across town the same evening, Kenny G brings an evening-length show to W.D. Packard Music Hall at 7 p.m., the smooth-jazz alternative for a crowd that wants to sit down and settle in.

Sunday splits between two very different nights. Chicago plays Edward W. Powers Auditorium downtown at 7:30 p.m., the biggest ticket on the week's calendar. Out in Austintown, the Gaither Vocal Band plays Highway Tabernacle Church at 6 p.m. with Gene McDonald and Kevin Williams, an early gospel night for families.

Here's the week, night by night:

Sat, Nov 14 — Kenny G, W.D. Packard Music Hall, Warren, 7 p.m. Tickets via Ticketmaster.

Sat, Nov 14 — Parmalee, Robins Theatre, Warren, 7:30 p.m. Tickets via robinstheatre.com.

Sun, Nov 15 — Gaither Vocal Band, with Gene McDonald and Kevin Williams, Highway Tabernacle Church, Austintown, 6 p.m. Tickets $38.19–$69.85 via TicketWeb.

Sun, Nov 15 — Chicago, Edward W. Powers Auditorium, Youngstown, 7:30 p.m. Tickets $87.50–$225.40 via Ticketmaster.

Saturday is a choice, not a conflict, as long as you know what you're after. If you want a band and a room with history, it's the Robins. If you want a seated night of saxophone, it's Packard. Both start within half an hour of each other, so pick one and commit.

Sunday is more forgiving. The Gaither show starts early enough that it fits families, and Chicago gives downtown its big-room night to end the week.

Four shows doesn't sound like much on paper. In practice, it's a weekend with something worth dressing up for on both nights.

Sources: Robins Theatre – Warren, Ohio (After the Final Curtain) (afterthefinalcurtain.net); Robins Theatre (Cinema Treasures) (cinematreasures.org); Robins Theatre (robinstheatre.com); JamBase: Parmalee at Robins Theatre (jambase.com); JamBase: Kenny G at W.D. Packard Music Hall (jambase.com); JamBase: Chicago at Edward W. Powers Auditorium (jambase.com); JamBase: Gaither Vocal Band at Highway Tabernacle Church (jambase.com)