Country singers Cole Swindell and Gabby Barrett and the Benny Havens Military Band will perform a free concert on May 23 at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center as part of Pennsylvania’s America 250 celebration.
The show will be the first of the five-city Commonwealth Concert Series announced Thursday in Hershey by Gov. Josh Shapiro and leaders of America250PA, the official commission for Pennsylvania’s celebration of the nation’s semiquincentennial.
Other concerts will include The Fray on June 6 in Erie at the Erie Insurance Arena, The Avett Brothers on June 13 in Hershey at Hersheypark Stadium, Lady A and En Vogue on June 20 in Wilkes Barre at Kirby Park and Third Eye Blind and Nelly on June 27 in Pittsburgh at Point State Park.
“It’s important for us to be able to bring alive all that there is to offer in every community across Pennsylvania to celebrate our history and to make sure we look toward our future,” Shapiro said. “These concerts are an opportunity to do that, to salute those everyday heroes that built this country, the women and men of organized labor, the heroes that go to work every day, like our health care workers, our teachers, our vets, our military service members and first responders, the great farmers in Pennsylvania that feed not just our commonwealth but feed the entire world…Those innovators were there in the past, and they’re there today as we chart our course for the future and we want everyone across Pennsylvania to celebrate that rich history and get excited about our future. And that’s why we insisted upon these concerts being spread out all across Pennsylvania.”
The Bryce Jordan Center concert will start at 5 p.m. Tickets are free, though limited, and will be available on America250PA’s website. Tickets are required to enter the free concert.
“Each stop will reflect the unique character and energy of its region, and, more importantly, the people who define it,” executive director of America250PA Cassandra Coleman said. “In State College at the Bryce Jordan Center, we will honor Pennsylvanians who have answered the call to serve our military members, our veterans, our first responders, whose courage, dedication and sacrifice have safeguarded our communities for generations.”
Swindell and Barrett are country music artists who are touring together starting May 2026. Swindell is a multi-platinum singer-songwriter known for hits like “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” and “You Should Be Here,” while Barrett, who rose to fame on “American Idol,” is best known for Billboard Country No. 1 singles “I Hope” and “The Good Ones.”
Benny Havens Band, an ensemble of the U.S. Military Academy’s West Point Band, consists of active-duty soldiers who perform all styles of popular music to honor veterans and servicemembers and engage the public on behalf of the Academy and the Army.
“State College is America’s greatest college town, and this summer we get to show the whole Commonwealth what that means,” State College Mayor Ezra Nanes said in a statement. “Having the Commonwealth Concert Series open right here at the Bryce Jordan Center is a tremendous honor, and I can’t wait to welcome Pennsylvanians from every corner of the state to our area.”
The concert is one of numerous events planned in Centre County this year to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States.
Other America 250-connected events include:
• Memorial Day weekend in Boalsburg
• An Independence Day parade, dedication of Hometown Hero banners and a 75-minute concert featuring the Bellefonte and State College community bands on July 3 in Bellefonte.
• The Central Pennsylvania Independence Day Parade and Central PA 4th Fest on July 4 in State College
• An America 250-themed live mural production exhibition during the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts July 8-12
• A “Let Freedom Ring” theme for Philipsburg Heritage Days July 9-12
• The State Games of America, being held for the first time at Penn State and in State College July 24 to Aug. 2.
• Activities at the Centre County Grange Fair.
America 250 efforts in Centre County got underway in May 2025 with the dedication of a Liberty Tree on the grounds of the Centre Furnace Mansion in State College.
In November and December, America250PA and Centre County organizations unveiled four artist-designed commemorative Liberty Bells honoring local history — part of the Bells Across PA initiative —at Centre Furnace Mansion, Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village in Howard, downtown Philipsburg and the Bellefonte Train Station.
