Best of 2025 in Ohio concerts. Nickelback, Nate Ruess, Tucker Wetmore

Canton Repository entertainment writer Ed Balint ticks off the best music and pop culture moments of 2025.
Nickelback put on a crowd-pleasing concert during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival.
Rising country artists Tucker Wetmore and Karissa Ella were also among the memorable concerts of 2025.

Outdoor concerts, stadium shows, future country stars and wildly bizarre medieval martial arts spectacles were among the mishmash of highlights in entertainment writer Ed Balint’s 2025.

Balint takes a victory lap through his year of fun and cultural discovery. Some events and subjects were local and covered for The Canton Repository. Others were personal adventures. Read on and take a ride through his pop culture blender of the past year.

1. Niko Moon at Centennial Plaza

Big local concerts usually start with the Concert for Legends at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, and for good reason, especially considering the crowd sizes and caliber of musical artists.

But for 2025, I begin with country artist Niko Moon’s September performance at Centennial Plaza, the crown jewel of entertainment spaces in the heart of downtown Canton.

Niko’s show was the first fully ticketed event at the outdoor venue, which is nestled amid historic buildings and unique eateries both old and new. Coordinated and managed by the operators of Canton Memorial Civic Center, the show was fabulously fun.

Moon, who plays an easygoing, island vibe brand of country, threw a party with drinks raised in the air and concertgoers of all ages grooving and dancing to his Jimmy Buffett and Bob Marley-inspired beats and melodies.

Kudos to Mayor William V. Sherer II (who attended the concert with both wife and dog) and Civic Center General Manager Blake Schilling for putting on a safe, enjoyable and family-friendly event. And I have a hunch that Schilling will be scheduling other ticketed shows in 2026. Looking forward to what he lines up.

2. Nickelback Concert for Legends

Nickelback is a frequent target of snark and derision for being a post-grunge rock band that charted hits in the aughts but lacked the artistic merit of earlier bands such as Pearl Jam, Metallica and U2.

But come on, we’re talking about rock ‘n’ roll, not metropolitan operas. It took only one song to win me over at this past summer’s Concert for Legends, which was a total rock ‘n’ roll romp during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival.

Opening with a pure adrenaline rush of a banger, “San Quentin,” the band didn’t relent for the rest of the show. Even slow-tempo numbers packed punch. Fans filled the stadium and loved it, dancing, pumping fists in the air, banging their heads and shouting out choruses.

Watch Nickelback dazzle the crowd at the Pro Football HOF Fest concert

Nickelback put on a full-blown rock spectacle Aug. 3 at the Concert for Legends. High-octane songs, pyrotechnics and video effects pleased the crowd.

One moment capped the concert − when I spotted two jovial festival volunteers twirling and spinning arm in arm to the music. And the Pro Football Hall of Fame won’t disappoint in 2026, either, when modern country music superstar Lainey Wilson headlines the Concert for Legends.

A hot, current and award-winning artist with a wonderfully engaging personality, the 33-year-old Wilson is a top-tier get for the Hall of Fame. Bravo.

3. Medieval MMA at the Village

Covering medieval mixed martial arts fighting at the Hall of Fame Village in June was a memorably bizarre assignment.

Taking place under the sports dome, the Armored MMA event attracted a robust crowd of a few thousand at the Center for Performance. Combatants donned body armor, wielded shields and stepped inside a cage to get it on.

Ring announcers and the presentation were over the top and worthy of professional wrestling. But clashes inside the cage were real, with banging, striking, grappling and hitting. The stamina and physical conditioning required of the athletes was impressive.

The event was so successful that a larger Armored MMA extravaganza followed at the Hall of Fame Village in October. AMMA Championship Fest featured both fighting and rock bands, including Lamb of God and Drowning Pool.

4. Tucker Wetmore at Stark County Fair

Tucker Wetmore put on the best Stark County Fair concert I’ve seen in five years of covering the local entertainment beat.

And that includes classic rock titans Night Ranger and Styx, who both were stellar. But Wetmore was young, fresh and feisty, singing and moving as if he was destined to be a headliner at The Country Fest at Clay’s Resort in Lawrence Township someday.

Ripping through catchy, heartfelt and raucous songs, the 25-year-old Wetmore was just as charismatic and talented as most of the opening acts I’ve witnessed at Country Fest. And I won’t be surprised if he lands a gig there in the coming years, including as a headliner. Go Tucker go!

5. Macy Gray concert

Macy Gray’s pop culture glory years were the early 2000s. And that’s when a homecoming show at the Canton Palace Theatre or Canton Memorial Civic Center likely would have been a smashing success.

After winning a Grammy Award for her hit song “I’ll Try,” Gray’s career lost momentum. But the Canton area native is still ultra talented and has released a slew of underappreciated albums.

Macy Gray plays hometown show in Canton. Set includes ‘I’m Too Sexy’

Stark County native Macy Gray played her first hometown concert with a show at Canton Palace Theatre. Songs included a cover of Right Said Fred.

Casting that aside, Gray’s Palace Theatre concert in late July was superb, despite the crowd size being smaller than what promoters had hoped for. Those in attendance treated Gray like a soul singing queen. And the unique vocalist performed passionately as if belting out a love letter to her home city and state.

Go see Macy live if you get a chance. Tickets aren’t ridiculously priced and she won’t disappoint.

6. Discovering The Delaware

The Delaware in downtown New Philadelphia was an unexpected find in 2025.

Sleek, original and befitting of a big city, The Delaware is a destination worthy of an hour-plus drive. For those in the Canton area, take the trip. Scratch-food, funky decor and live music await.

Owner Don Whittingham has poured his heart into the venture. He’s a pleasure to chat with, recalling his days of yore performing in rock bands on the Kent State University scene.

Tempting eats include 16-hour mesquite wood smoked brisket, pizza, blackened salmon salad, New Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and apple crisp.

Entertainment includes nationally-touring music acts, including a premium Nirvana tribute band, Tommy Stinson, formerly of The Replacements and Guns ‘N Roses, Green Jellÿ and Supersuckers. Local and regional musicians also frequently play gigs there.

Put The Delaware on your must do list for 2026.

7. Downtown Canton bluesman mural

Mural Fest has been a welcome addition to summer events in downtown Canton.

But a few murals stand out for their imagination, sheer vibrance and inspiration. There are too many to mention here. Skilled muralists have included Jasmine Barrino, Kat Francis, Steve Ehret and others.

I’d be remiss not to spotlight the work of Florida-based artist Marcos Conde, who in 2025 splashed a mesmerizing image of a vintage bluesman on the Morris Loan Pawnshop building at 435 Tuscarawas St. E.

Stretching about 30 feet vertically, the mural is among Conde’s bigger works. He travels the country as a full-time artist, including painting murals in Georgia, Tennessee and Louisiana.

8. Nate Ruess at the Grog Shop

My first ever concert at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights still has me on a musical high weeks later.

The Format, an indie rock group comprised of guitarist Sam Means and Nate Ruess, wowed a sold-out crowd of around 400 diehard fans at one of only four acoustic tour stops. Ruess is best known as the dynamic voice of the pop rock band Fun., which scored a string of colossal hit songs following the release of the album “Some Nights” in 2012.

Fun. went on indefinite hiatus. Ruess briefly pursued a solo career. Fellow Fun. member Jack Antonoff has produced music for megastars Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Olivia Rodrigo and other artists.

Breaking up in 2008, The Format recently reunited and announced a new album, “Boycott Heaven,” scheduled for release Jan 23. A trio of new songs are sonically stupendous, a polished, bright, melodic alt pop rock delight with guitar crunch and power.

Ruess and Means, backed by other musicians, were in prime form on Dec. 10 at the Grog Shop. Ruess’ vocals were bold and impassioned, harkening Fun’s smash hits, “Some Nights, “We Are Young” and “Carry On.” The guy can flat out sing his tush off.

Standing a few feet from Ruess as he led singalongs to The Format’s classics and new songs will forever be seared into my musical memory. Wow! Wow! Wow! What a concert. What a night.

9. Karissa Ella performs at Country Fest

Karissa Ella is a sweetheart of a person with a voice and stage presence to match.

Interviewing the North Canton native was a pure joyride. She oozes love for Stark County and Ohio, which she sings about genuinely in her summer single, “Hall of Fame.”

North Canton native Karissa Ella performs dream gig at Country Fest

Hoover High grad Karissa Ella opened the third day of The Country Fest on June 13. She sang originals and the covers, “Jolene” and “Redneck Woman.”

Ella played one of her biggest shows in June as an opener at The Country Fest at Clay’s Resort Jellystone Park in Stark County. Despite starting her slot beneath overcast skies and in a drizzle, she was pure sunshine, playing rousing covers of “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” “Jolene” and “Redneck Woman,” as well as original material like “Last Call Cowboy” and her prized ballad, “‘Til Chevy Stops Making Trucks.”

Known as Karissa Haasz in her Hoover High School days, the songstress seems to be destined for even bigger stages. Let’s hope that country music scenesters and fans give her a deserving shot.

10. Stark County’s ‘Air Bud’

Stark County has a movie star canine named Charlie.

The golden retriever from Jackson Township was selected in an online nationwide audition for the “Air Bud Returns” movie, a direct sequel to the 1997 “Air Bud.”

As soon as I pulled into the drive of Sara Wilson’s home for the initial interview, I was met with a canine cannonball. Charlie shot out from the garage and greeted me gregariously. What a sweetheart of a pooch. And he’s a supreme athlete, dashing and darting and jumping and fetching with aplomb.

Charlie is among a handful of golden retrievers appearing in the film. The local dog spent around two months filming in Canada. Stark County residents will be able to see him on the big screen in fall 2026.

11. Marlee Matlin and Stark Library authors

The Stark County Library has been on a roll when booking authors for its series at Canton Palace Theatre.

The hot streak dates to at least 2024, when guest writers and speakers included David Baldacci, Jenna Bush and Andrew McCarthy. This year kept pace, featuring Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Wilmer Valderamma, B.J. Novak and Marlee Matlin.

Every author draws a big crowd and offers a revealing question and answer opportunity in an intimate setting. Listening to big names tell their stories in downtown Canton is a thrill every time. But Matlin’s appearance topped them all.

Matlin is the first deaf actor to win an Academy Award as Best Actress in 1987 for “Children of a Lesser God.” Also known for other standout roles in movies like “CODA,” Matlin’s life story made for a compelling documentary released earlier this year. She’s also a tireless champion for closed captioning in television and streaming platforms.

Teeming with spirit, drive and optimism, she’s a beacon of hope and heart.