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JOE NICHOLS
8 p.m., Timberwood Amphitheater. $29.99-$49.99

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This is the kind of story that could only be found in country music: raised in Rogers, Arkansas, the musician son of a small-town country bassist has his father’s passion for music, but works as a mechanic by day and a radio DJ at night. He finally scores a contract with Warner Bros. that ends up fruitless and has to take more dead-end jobs until finally, after six resilient years — and more than a few questionable haircuts — a song finally clicks with listeners the country over and our hero spends the next few years as one of the biggest country stars around. That’s how Joe Nichols provided the most inspiring country music tale since George Strait shaved his stubble and cut his ponytail in “Pure Country.” (Which, by the way, is heading to Broadway, and for a time had Nichols slated for the leading role.) Regardless, the hero of our story is riding high on the country charts with the release of his last album, “Old Things New,” which provided him with his third number-one single in “Gimme That Girl,” a sugary little ditty tailor-made for country consumption.

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