2025 Summer Arts Festival Friday Night Outdoor Concert w/Paul McDonald & Mourning Doves (CANCELLED)
Venue: Henderson Lawn, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg
Organizations: Paul McDonald and the Mourning Doves, Summer Arts Festival
Date: Friday, July 18, 2025
Time: 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Event Types: Music
Cost: Free
Description:
UPDATE: Due to the weather forecast for this evening, the Friday night concert on Henderson Lawn with Paul McDonald and the Mourning Doves has been canceled.

The Summer Arts Festival continues their 2025 Friday Night Outdoor Concert Series with Americana band Paul McDonald and the Mourning Doves on Friday, July 18, 2025 outside at Henderson Lawn on the campus of Virginia Tech.

Once the golden boy of the southern circuit, this rakish troubadour with a rasp like polished gravel caught fire in the public eye during American Idol’s 2011 run, flashing a crooked grin and a wardrobe born of velvet thrift. But the bright lights blurred, the cameras turned, and the man behind the voice slipped into the shadows — where he did what real artists do: he lived, he lost, and he wrote.

Born in Alabama and baptized in the dive bars of the southeast, McDonald first made noise with the Grand Magnolias, a roots-rock outfit with gasoline in its veins. Post-idol, he chased something shinier in Los Angeles, paired up with Hollywood actress (yes, that Nikki Reed), and dabbled in the sort of sun-drenched pop alchemy that never quite fit the soul of a man raised on petty, parsons, and pain. After the spotlight soured, he retreated to Nashville, that holy city of reinvention, where he went underground for a while — emerging to jump on a stage here and there before stitching himself back together with worn boots, hard songs, and a new band called The Mourning Doves.

Now, in 2025, the giant has stirred. His new single, “Dark Side,” crackles with the urgency of a man who’s seen hell and hums like a resurrection hymn. But it’s just one flame in the fire.

Paul McDonald isn’t a comeback story. He’s a continuation. A sleeping giant who’s finally awake and singing louder than ever.

Links:

• https://www.thepaulmcdonald.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/thepaulmcdonald
• https://www.youtube.com/@PaulMcDonaldMusic
• https://www.instagram.com/thepaulmcdonald/

Admission is free and all are welcome.

Bring chairs or a blanket, a picnic, and settle in for an evening of live music.

In the event of inclement weather, this event will be canceled.

Friday Night Outdoor Concerts on Henderson Lawn are presented by Virginia Tech and the Town of Blacksburg as part of the 2025 Summer Arts Festival.

For more information, visit: https://news.vt.edu/articles/2025/05/sopa-summerartsfestival2025.html or https://www.facebook.com/VTperformingarts or contact Ariana Wyatt at ariana1@vt.edu.