October 2025

Emily Ann Roberts SJ McDonald Hobart Art Theater Hobart, IN Sunday October 5th, 2025 at 7:00pm Emily Ann Roberts at Country Thunder Wisconsin, 2024 Fans travelled from near and far to see Emily Ann Roberts headline her first show in Indiana. Before the lights flickered, signaling the start of the performance, guests grabbed their drinks and merchandise awaiting the night ahead. As the lights dimmed, it was time for the opener of the evening, SJ McDonald to take the stage and introduce herself to waiting fans. Jordan Larson at The Back Road Music Festival, 2025 SJ McDonald is an emerging singer-songwriter who grew up in Virginia near the Appalachian Mountains. She is known for her authentic, gritty country sound that has a blend of modern storytelling with 90’s country. McDonald has been recognized as CMT’s Next Up Now Artist and has been touring the country independently, showcasing her grit, charisma, and raw talent. Her fully acoustic set kicked off with her newest release “Honkey Tonk Pie” and moved into an unreleased song “You Say Vegas.” She also played covers of Mily Cyrus’s “The Climb” as well as Trisha Yearwood’s “She’s in Love with the Boy.” McDonald ended her set with “Rosemary,” “Beans,” and “Wild Women.” While the crowd may have not known who McDonald was at the start of her performance, they certainly became fans by the end.  She had the crowd engaged and cheering for her throughout her entire set. She is not only a talented artist, but an amazing entertainer. Emily Ann Roberts at The Back Road Music Festival, 2025 As the band took the stage, the crowd erupted in cheers, anticipating the arrival of Emily Ann Roberts. She got her start on NBC’s The Voice where she came in second place. After The Voice, she went back to finish school before pursuing music. She later married her high school sweetheart, Chris Sasser, in 2020. Roberts released her first EP Someday Dream in 2019, followed by her first album Can’t Hide Country in 2023. She has opened for countless artists in 2025 including Megan Moroney, Clink Black and Cody Johnson. In September of this year, Roberts announced the release of her new EP Memory Lane coming October 3rd after signing her first record deal with Sony Music Nashville. Emily Ann Roberts at Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts, 2025 Torey Harding at The Back Road Music Festival, 2025 Roberts hit the stage and kicked off her set with “Whole Lotta Little” followed by “Chickens.” She also sang a melody of country hits sung by female artists, including “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)” by Loretta Lynn, “Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That” by Dolly Parton, “Fancy” by Reba McEntire, “This One’s For The Girls” by Martina McBride, “Goodbye Earl” by the Chicks, and “Any Man Of Mine” by Shania Twain. The crowd was singing along with smiles on their face. “Easy Does It,” “The Fence,” “Memory Lane,” and “Pretty in Pink” were a few of the other songs off her new EP that Roberts sang throughout the night. She later performed covers of some of her favorite songs, “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford and “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton. The band then left the stage, leaving just Roberts and her guitar. She sang her song “Keep on Going” acoustic after delivering a speech about chasing your dreams no matter how hard and long the journey. She then performed an acoustic version of “There’s a Record Book” by Rhonda Vincent. Roberts closed out her set with performances of “He Set Her Off,” “Jack and Jill Daniels,” and “On Down the Road,” which is a new song she wrote to close out her shows. Instead of performing encores, Roberts decided to write her own song to end her shows. Emily Ann Roberts at Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts, 2025 After the performance, both Roberts and McDonald stayed at the venue to meet the many fans that waited. Both artists took their time talking with every one of the fans as well as posing for pictures. Fans left the theatre riding the high from Roberts show, ready to take on the week ahead. Emily Ann Roberts at The Back Road Music Festival, 2025 For additional information on these artists and events coming to the Hobart Art Theatre, please visit: Emily Ann Roberts- https://www.emilyannroberts.com SJ McDonald- https://sjmcdonald.com Hobart Art Theater- https://brickartlive.com Photographs and writing by Jaclyn Duske 

Parker McCollum Ashley Cooke Hudson Westbrook Parker McCollum Tour Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre Tinley Park, IL October 4th, 2025 at 7:30pm Parker McCollum and at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, 2025 Crowds gathered as the sun set, awaiting the night of country music ahead. Fans streamed into the venue and purchased their fan merchandise and drinks before heading to their seats to be entertained by Hudson Westbrook, Ashley Cooke, and Parker McCollum. Hudson Westbrook at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, 2025 Hudson Westbrook was the first to hit the stage for the night. Westbrook is a Texas native who found his passion for music at the age of 15. He blends sentimental and modern melodies to create his own unique sound. He released his debut track “Take It Slow” which gained over 1.2 million streams in the first week. Westbrook sang songs including “Painted You Pretty,” “5 to 9,” and his current song on the radio, “House Again.” While this was Westbrook’s last show on Parker McCollum’s tour, he left on a high note gearing up the crowd for Ashley Cooke and Parker McCollum. Ashley Cooke at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, 2025 Cheers erupted as the lights dimmed, signaling the start of Ashley Cooke’s set. Cooke is a singer-songwriter from Florida who independently released her first album Already Drank That Beer in 2021. She later won Belmont’s prestigious Country showcase and released her debut album Shot in the Dark under Big Loud/Back Blocks Music. Cooke won her first CMT Award for Breakthrough Female Video of the Year in 2024 and was also nominated twice for ACM’s New Female Artist of the Year, as well as Best New Country at the iHeart Radio Music Awards in 2025. Ashley Cooke and Chauncey Arner at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, 2025 Ashley Cooke at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, 2025 Cooke kicked off her set with “Getting Into,” and followed with “The Hell You Are” and “Moving on With Grace.” She also performed some of her newest songs “Swear Words” and “The F Word,” which had the crowd on their feet. Cooke’s energy was infectious, and she made it clear that she loved being on stage. Earlier this summer, Rascal Flatts announced their new album Life Is A Highway: Refueled Duets where Ashley Cooke was featured. In honor of that, Cooke sang her duet with Rascal Flatts from that album “Summer Nights.” Later in her set, Cooke sang two songs that will be released later this year, which are “Baby Blues” and “Tin Foil Hat.” With her set coming to a close, Cooke wrapped up with “Back in the Saddle” and ended her last tour stop with McCollum with “Your Place.” Parker McCollum at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, 2025 As the lights dimmed, the stage screen exploded to life, featuring an old movie entrance with a lion below McCollum’s name. Fans cheered loudly, eager for him to come on stage. McCollum is a singer-songwriter based in Texas. In his early life, he was exposed to classic country, such as Willie Nelson, Porter Wagoner, and Buck Owens, as well as red dirt musicians such as Pat Green, Chris Knight, and Cross Canadian Ragweed. McCollum spent a vast majority of his early life working on cattle ranches and was further exposed to more classic country artists. He released his debut album The Limestone Kid in 2015 and later signed with MCA Nashville in 2019. The first single he released under the label was Pretty Heart reached number one on the US Billboard Country Airplay Charts and has become 3x Platinum. His first studio album Gold Chain Cowboy was released in 2021, with his most recent release being his self-titled album from 2025. He has been nominated for many awards, with his most recent win being Visual Media of the Year for his song “Burn it Down” at the 2024 ACM Awards. Parker McCollum at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, 2025 Hudson Westbrook and band at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, 2025 McCollum started off his set with “My Blue” which had the crowd singing along. “To Be Loved by You,” “What Kinda Man,” and “Why Indiana” are just a few of the other songs McCollum sang throughout his hour and a half set. While McCollum played his guitar for the entire show it didn’t hinder him from moving freely around the stage and connecting with audience members. He also performed one of his new songs from his new self-titled album “Hope That I’m Enough.” Later in the show, Hudson Westbrook was brought back to the stage and performed “Rest of My Life” with McCollum, and he followed with “Handle on You” and “Burn it Down.” Ashley Cooke was then brought to the stage to join McCollum in singing “Pretty Heart.” Since this was Cooke’s last show with McCollum, she pranked him by coming out dressed like him, which had the fans cheering and screaming with laughter. McCollum closed out his show with “My Worst Enemy” with crowd singing along at the top of their lungs. Chauncey Arner at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, 2025 As the show ended, the crowd slowly started to gather their belongings and exit the amphitheater. While fans didn’t want the night to end, they enjoyed a nice night of country music outdoors to end off the summer and celebrate the start of fall. Parker McCollum at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, 2025 For more information on these artists and events coming to Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, please visit: Parker McCollum- https://www.parkermccollum.com/#/ Ashley Cooke- https://ashleycooke.com Hudson Westbrook- https://www.hudsonwestbrook.com Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre- https://www.creditunion1amp.com Additional Images: Hudson Westbrook at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, 2025 Ashley Cooke at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, 2025 Parker McCollum’s Belt Buckle at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, 2025 Photographs and writing by Jaclyn Duske