Luke Combs kickstarts Pittsburgh's 2023 summer concert season
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The summer concert season is here in Pittsburgh after country artist Luke Combs kicked it off at Acrisure Stadium Saturday night.
He's the first of countless major artists stopping in the Steel City who are sure to leave behind a large impact on the economy.
From Taylor Swift to Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, and Madonna, Pittsburgh's concert line-up is stacked these next few months.
Luke Combs started things off as thousands packed the streets in the North Shore Saturday.
Alyssa Bolinger and Nick Perlich traveled from West Virginia to see Combs in person.
"It definitely is a lot more people than I expected like just walking up here, I was like, 'Whoa,'" Bolinger said.
"I wasn't a big concertgoer before, but I've enjoyed it, so getting ready to come out again, it's a good feeling," Perlich said.
It's something many haven't experienced much of since before the pandemic.
Jenna Salvatore went to the concert with three of her friends, including Nicole Park and Sydney Moran, ahead of graduating from Duquesne University.
"All the concerts were, like, canceled, postponed, and now, it's just like, we can finally enjoy music more," Salvatore said.
The fans are not the only ones ready to belt out their favorite songs; local business owners are also anticipating a spike in sales when these artists come to town.
Mike Sukitch is the owner of Mike's Beer Bar and North Shore Tavern.
"From 12:00 p.m., we had reservations and people coming in and hanging out the whole time," Sukitch said. "We have with Taylor Swift and another show, we have two at PNC and two at Acrisure, four days in a row, so it'll be quite crazy at that time."
He said the summer accounts for about two-thirds of his business. Between these concerts and the Pirates' current record, he's encouraged.
"Really the North Shore is kind of back to where it was a few years ago before the pandemic," Sukitch said.
A return to normalcy.
"I think you can just tell, like, everyone's super excited," Park said.
"Everyone seems to be in a good mood, seems to be getting along more than before," Moran said.
In two weeks, Lizzo, Brooks and Dunn, and blink-182 will all make stops at PPG Paints Arena.
