The Wedge rocked the Valley in 2007

More than a dozen shows came to the venue.

By GUY D’ASTOLFO

VINDICATOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER

Youngstown’s rock’n’roll revival reached new heights in 2007.

The much-maligned Chevrolet Centre played host to a mix of musical styles as promoters continued to probe community tastes. The concert list included Chicago, the Doobie Brothers, the Isley Brothers, Kool and the Gang with KC and the Sunshine Band, Stevie Nicks, Kenny Loggins, Kenny G, Lonestar, Korn and Great White.

In Trumbull County, redneck woman/country superstar Gretchen Wilson hit one out of Eastwood Stadium in August. And the nearby Eastwood Expo Center was pressed into service in an experiment that would later be abandoned.

But the most notable development was the emergence of The Wedge in Austintown as the most active venue in the Valley, and really, one of the better rooms in the two-state region.

In fact, with its multiple bars (including one right in front of the stage, very unusual and cool) and excellent sight lines, the 1,200-capacity club became Youngstown’s version of the House of Blues.

Promoter Corey Ward occasionally strayed from the alt-metal genre in the 15 shows he booked there: Breaking Benjamin (sold out), Dope, Smile Empty Soul and The Exies, Chevelle and Finger Eleven (sold out), Papa Roach and Blackstone Cherry (sold out), The Deftones, Drowning Pool, Candlebox, Social Distortion (sold out), Stone Sour, Hurt, Nonpoint with Skindred, Fuel, Alter Bridge and Boyz II Men.

Attendance was strong, although it did wane in the latter few months of the year with bands like Alter Bridge and Fuel attracting so-so crowds.

An economic downturn in the perennially depressed Mahoning Valley — and maybe a little overscheduling — were the culprits. Ward said he’ll absorb the lessons of the marketplace and keep the rock shows coming.

Speaking of attendance woes, a Puddle of Mudd-Saliva concert at Chevrolet Centre in October drew a crowd so meager it would have looked anemic at The Wedge (for the reason why, see above).

Starting with No. 10, let’s look back at the top concerts of the year in the Mahoning Valley:

10 (tie). Saliva (Feb. 25, Eastwood Expo Center) and Ludacris (April 5, Chevrolet Centre): Things got a little ugly with fights and all, but Saliva threw down. As for Luda, some folks were worried that trouble would follow his hip-hop crew into Chevy Centre, but the show was all peace and love.

9. Mobile (Aug. 30, Mount Union College): On a late summer night at the start of the fall semester, about 40 students gathered in a coffee shop in MUC’s student union to witness one of the best new indie-rock bands around. Maybe 15 of those students were into it; the rest looked like they were taking a shortcut on the way to the library and decided to sit down awhile. What they stumbled across was amazing. Mobile, as few people know, won the Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys) for best new group. And in the indie-rock mecca that is Canada, that’s no mean feat.

8. Papa Roach (May 18, The Wedge): On the same night that ZZ Top was destroying a full house at the Chev, Papa Roach was doing roughly the same thing across town at The Wedge. Papa Roach found its sound with 2007’s “The Paramour Sessions” — easily its best CD — and hit the Wedge just as its wave was about to break. Seeing both bands on the same night made for an interesting contrast. The sure-footed ZZ Top added to their legend, while rough-but-enthusiastic Papa Roach (with narcissistic-to-the-point-of-annoyance lead singer Jacoby Shaddix) attempted to start one.

7. Breaking Benjamin (Feb. 9, The Wedge): BB is one of the best pop-metal bands around, combining alt-rock complexity, big metal hooks and the occasional primordial roar. They gave a workmanlike performance. By all reports, Chevelle’s April 10 show at the Wedge was every bit as good.

6. Big & Rich (Sept. 3, Canfield Fairgrounds): Lots of fun and crowd interaction from this mega-star country-crossover duo at the Canfield Fair’s old grandstand.

5. Hinder (Feb. 2, Eastwood Expo Center, with Finger Eleven): Hinder went to just about every city in North America to perform its multi-platinum debut album. Did the act let road fatigue and a limited repertoire result in a lackluster show? Nah. Hinder’s attitude was “another town, another party,” and they played with wild abandon.

4. ZZ Top (May 18, Chevrolet Centre): The announcer chose the perfect adjective when he introduced the Little Old Band from Texas: “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the fantastic ZZ Top.” These graybeards — and I mean that literally — sounded as clean live as they do on record. Dressed in a spangle-festooned black suit, Billy Gibbons proved why he is one of the greatest blues-rock guitarists of all time with his gleaming riffs.

3. Sugarland, Little Big Town and Jake Owens (Dec. 7, Chevrolet Centre): This monster country concert included three very popular acts, including the sweet, twang-free Sugarland. Jennifer Nettles, the female half of the duo, had the sold-out Chevy Centre eating out of her hands. As expected, the act did a number of covers — including U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Names” — and slathered them all with that Sugarland glaze. Easily digestible and no trans-fats.

2. Social Distortion (July 19, The Wedge): We were lucky to get this one. The Wedge was sweaty hot for this coolest of old-school punk bands. Mike Ness, the visionary of Social D, imparted more wisdom than anger. He also delivered one of the most memorable lines heard at a rock show this year: “Remember when punk rock was dangerous?” he asked. “Now it’s cute.” Not for Social Distortion, it isn’t.

1. Tool (July 1, Chevrolet Centre): Big-time show, and a long one, too. Fans came from far and wide to catch these hypnotic prog-metal virtuosos. It was an unforgettable concert — the aural equivalent of a Jackson Pollock painting — with mind-bending laser effects. Even the staunchest of infidels was converted.