Bowmanville country star joins star-studded lineup at Oshawa’s Tribute Centre Friday

Rising Bowmanville country sensation Meghan Patrick fulfilled a lifelong dream last spring with her debut at Nashville’s legendary Grand Ole Opry.

Friday night she’ll be gracing the stage at Oshawa’s Tribute Centre when she opens for multi-platinum-selling recording artist Cole Swindell, who will bring his 2024 Win The Night tour to Shwa Rock City.

It was a big night for 18-time CMA Ontario winner and back-to-back Canadian Country Music Awards Female Artist Patrick last April 11, as the Opry stage has been the launching pad for country artists for nearly a century.

“My Opry debut felt like an out of body experience, like an actual dream,” she said on social media of her special night. “It has been such a long journey to get here and it wasn’t an easy one. But stepping into that circle after fighting and clawing my way there against all odds, felt so much sweeter than if it had happened sooner and easier.”

“It’s gonna be a hard moment to beat.”

Expect Friday night to also be special for Patrick – who once included a couple of local brewers in a music video – as she opens a big night of country music at the Tribute, with the bill also including Louisiana singer-songwriter Dylan Scott, who had his first number one record in the summer of 2016 with ‘My Girl,’ a song written for his high school sweetheart-now wife.

Headliner Swindell has released eight singles that have reached number one on the country charts and has also written tunes for Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, Craig Campbell and Scotty McCreery.

Swindell, who has four LPs to his credit, was the Country Music Awards New Artist of the Award winner in 2015 and was up for a Grammy in 2019 for ‘Break Up in the End.’

“My band and crew on the road have been a big reason for the successes in my career and I never take that for granted,” he said. “It is our goal every single night to give the fans the best show we can, so the last three words we say before stepping on stage is ‘Win The Night.’ This one is for my band, my crew, my team and for the ones that continue to show up- the fans!”

Doors open at 6 p.m. for the 7 p.m. show, with tickets starting at $66.

Meghan Patrick at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville last year