BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A country music singer who had a triple-platinum hit in 2020, and was chosen the Academy of Country Music's New Male Artist of the Year will play a headline show at Musikfest, it was announced Monday.
And a Grammy Award-winning soft rock group that has headlined Musikfest three times before — including a festival-closing show a few years ago — is coming back along the track, it was announced.
Parker McCollum, whose Country chart-topping hit "Pretty Heart" also was nominated as the Academy of Country Music's Single of the Year, will perform on Musikfest's main Steel Stage on Aug. 7.
And soft-rockers Train, known for the hits "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)," "Hey Soul Sister" and "Drive By," will headline Aug. 3.
Tickets, the prices of which were not immediately announced, go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Friday at the ArtsQuest websiteand the ArtsQuest Center box office at 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem.
The announcements are the fourth and fifth headliners announced for the festival, held in downtown and South Side Bethlehem.
For its 43rd year, Musikfest will run July 31-Aug. 9. It has not been announced whether there will be a preview night on July 30.
Previously announced were former "Saturday Night Live" comedian John Mulaney on Aug. 1, iconic comedy musician Weird Al Yankovic on Aug. 4 and fast-rising country music star Bailey Zimmerman on Aug. 6.
Early success
McCollumn released his debut album, "The Limestone Kid," in 2015, and his third album, 2021's "Gold Chain Cowboy," achieved gold sales and produced two gold hits: "I Can't Breathe" and "Hell of a Year."
But he found phenomenal success with his 2020 hit "Pretty Heart," which went triple platinum and topped the Country Airplay chart.
He followed that with three more platinum hits — 2021's "To Be Loved by You," "Handle on You" and "Burn It Down," all of which topped the Country Airplay chart.
His follow-up album, 2023's "Never Enough," peaked at No. 12. His most recent self-titled disc, released in June, peaked at No. 6 and produced the hit "What Kinda Man," which peaked at No. 2.
Lasting success
Train last headlined Musikfest in 2023, and also in 2006, coming just a few hundred tickets short of a sellout at the former 6,500-capacity RiverPlace main stage, and Musikfest's then-new Steel Stage in 2011, drawing a crowd of 5,750.
Train also played in the Lehigh Valley at Sands Bethlehem Event Center, now Wind Creek Event Center, in 2018.
Train’s most recent studio album, "AM Gold," was released in 2022.
The group released five gold and platinum albums in a 30-year career.
Train first hit the charts in 1998, when its self-titled debut album sold platinum and produced the No. 2 adult hit "Meet Virginia."
Its second album, "Drops of Jupiter," went double platinum, with the gold No. 1 title track, which won two Grammy Awards, including Best Rock Song, and was nominated for three others, including Song and Record of the Year.
Train's 2003 album "My Private Nation" also went platinum with the gold No. 1 hit "Calling All Angels," which was nominated for two Grammys.
But after its 2006 release "For Me, It's You," the band took a three-year break from recording.
Its 2009 comeback album "Save Me San Francisco" spent 74 weeks on the Billboard charts, producing the six-times-platinum hit "Hey Soul Sister," the No. 1 gold hit "If It's Love," the No. 3 platinum hit "Marry Me" and the Top 10 title track.
"Hey Soul Sister" won a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
The 2012 album "California 37" became Train's highest-charting disc, peaking at No. 4 on Billboard's overall chart, and also had three gold or platinum hits, with the triple platinum "Drive By," the gold songs "50 Ways to Say Goodbye" and "Bruises."
And in 2016, Train had yet another comeback with its Top 10 album "A Girl, A Bottle, A Boat," and the platinum, Top 10 hit "Play That Song." Its most recent single is "Lottery."
In all, Train has had 25 Top 40 hits on Billboard's Adult chart.
Singer Pat Monahan is the band's only original member. Guitarist Jimmy Stafford, the only other band member who had been in Train since its founding, left the band in 2016.
