Neon Nights returns to Clay's Resort with Alabama, Hank Williams Jr., '90s country bliss

LAWRENCE TWP. − Rachel Pantoja was 10 years old when she pretended she was '90s country music star Jo Dee Messina and put on a concert for her parents in the living room.

Pantoja acted the part and sang along to Messina's hits like "Heads Carolina, Tails California" and "You're Not In Kansas Anymore."

"'90s country has always been and will always be my favorite," the 29-year-old said. "I grew up on '90s country and it's just so nostalgic."

Country music:Country Fest 2022

"The '90s country was HUGE for some of the most iconic female voices we know and love today," the Canton resident wrote in an email. "There just will never be anything like it."

So it was automatic for her to buy tickets for this weekend's Neon Lights country music festival featuring eight concerts and several artists from the '90s, including Messina.

The event is at Clay's Resort Jellystone Park, 12951 Patterson St. NW, in Lawrence Township. Aaron Green and Joel Beichler, co-founders of Country Fest, also started Neon Nights.

Headliners are Alabama on Friday and Hank Williams Jr. on Saturday. Other acts include Phil Vassar, Neal McCoy, Clay Walker, Deana Carter and the Roots & Boots '90s Electric Throwdown featuring Aaron Tippin, Collin Raye and Sammy Kershaw.

More:Neal McCoy: '90s country, reciting the Pledge 2,400 days straight, Neon Nights

"We couldn't be more excited about those guys," Green said. "That's an awesome get for us and for the community."

Overall, Neon Nights "really plays off that '90s resurgence of country music," he added. "Almost a throwback version of Country Fest."

Concerts start at 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday with headliners set to take the stage at 9:15 p.m.

To purchase tickets and for more information, go to www.theneonnights.com/tickets or call the box office at 330-930-0398. Tickets also can be purchased on-site Friday and Saturday at the box office gate at Clay's Resort.

Tickets include festival camping ($225) or commuter packages ($155) and one-day tickets ($89.99). Those tickets can be upgraded to pit passes for an additional charge.

What is Neon Lights 2022 like?

Think of Neon Lights as Country Fest light.

Neon Nights is two days instead of three, attendance is lower and there's less traffic congestion, Green said. But there's plenty of fun and premium music, he said.

"It's going to be a really nice, calm crowd," Green said. "You're not going to have any traffic delays of any significant time."

"We see a lot of the artists that we don't necessarily get to see at Country Fest," Green said. "And I think we're excited because it's new and it's substantially smaller."

Neon Nights is returning to Clay's Resort for the first time since the pandemic. The event began in 2019 before it was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. Country Fest started about 13 years ago at Clay's Park and has grown into a major event, attracting some of country music's hottest talent, including Morgan Wallen, who drew a record 25,000 people at this summer's festival in June.

Of Country Fest, Green said: "What we learned is we're just going to take a really hard look at cutting back capacity because it's just a little bit difficult to get people in fast enough. We can only build so many roads and so many things to get people in."

Green, however, said Country Fest is committed to remaining at Clay's Resort "for the next many years."

"We're committed through 2025, and then we're working on another long-term extension," he said.

Describing Neon Nights as a "family-friendly environment," Green said the festival is expected to draw 8,000 to 10,000 per day, with crowds typically peaking in the evening.

Green referred to it as "almost a micro-festival."

"It's really, really unique, and I think we're excited about it because there's no one in the country doing it," he added. "We're doing it and we're doing it well."

Neal McCoy tells fans to expect a '90s country extravaganza

Neon Nights showcases a '90s-centric lineup, although the headliners launched their careers the prior decade.

McCoy entered the scene in 1994 with the chart-topping singles, "Wink" and "No Doubt About It." A few years later, he released another radio hit, "The Shake."

Carter's "Strawberry Wine" is considered to be a classic of the era; Kershaw scored the 1993 hit, "She Don't Know She's Beautiful"; Tippin struck chart gold with 1992's "There Ain't Nothing Wrong With the Radio"; and Walker debuted in 1993 with the popular single, "What's It To You."

"The folks who grew up with '90s country, we think (it's) a terrific lineup they put together," McCoy said. "Kind of a variety of all the '90s country ... and the younger folks that may not know too much about '90s country, we think if you come out, you'll see what the hoopla is all about, because we promise you there's some great acts that are going to be on there.

"... Even if you're not really open to '90s country much, if you'll just sit there for a couple days and watch what goes on, when you walk away we'll have you hooked," McCoy said. "I truly believe that."

Green said he expects a crossover of both Country Fest fans and those who are only attending Neon Nights.

"We're expecting it all," he said. "It's a trendy kind of niche."

Hank Williams Jr. concert is on the bucket list

Pantoja, who is attending her first Neon Nights, said she's especially excited to watch Williams Jr. and Walker.

Pantoja's parents, Steve and Rachelle McCallister, are also attending the festival. So is her husband, Tony.

Walker's performance will be special, she said.

"My mother has Multiple sclerosis, and she is a huge fan of Clay Walker, who also has been diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis," Pantoja said. "She loves that he is a huge advocate in spreading awareness for Multiple sclerosis."

Experiencing Hank's show also is monumental, she noted.

"My father has always been the biggest fan of Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr., and it has always been on his bucket list to watch Hank Williams Jr. perform in person," Pantoja said. "I feel like my dad and I share a special bond in country music, and seeing Hank Williams Jr. with him is going to be a memory that I will never forget."

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com

On Twitter @ebalintREP

If you go

What −Neon Nights

When and where −Friday and Saturday at Clay's Resort Jellystone Park, 12951 Patterson St. NW, in Lawrence Township near Canal Fulton. Access from state Route 21.

Who −Headliners Alabama on Friday and Hank Williams Jr. on Saturday; other acts include Jo Dee Messina, Clay Walker, Deana Carter, Phil Vassar, and Sammy Kershaw, Aaron Tippin and Collin Raye performing together.

Tickets −go to www.theneonnights.com/tickets or call the box office at 330-930-0398. Tickets also can be purchased on-site Friday and Saturday at the box office gate at Clay's Resort.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Neon Nights features Alabama, Hank Williams Jr. and '90s country acts