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It is his first Tucson show in three years, and it’s one of the last in the U.S. before he takes the tour to Canada for shows through December.

Paisley is one of those old-soul-in-a-not-so-old body kinda country singers, a bit twangy with a contemporary lens that manages heartbreak from a fishing boat and first dates with a wink-wink. (“First date, first kiss, first taste of lovin’/You were my first, cousin�).

In a career spanning a quarter century, he’s racked up two dozen No. 1 hits and 11 platinum or double platinum (a million sales) albums.

“Truck Still Works� is a sequel to Paisley’s hit “Mud on the Tires.� The single dropped last September and is a preview of Paisley’s upcoming 13th album.

at the AVA, 5655 W. Valencia Road, begins at 8 p.m. with opening act Jake Worthington. Tickets are $51.40 to $257.40 through .

Paisley’s show is one of three country concerts heading our way this weekend.

Rebel Heart

The weekend kicks off Thursday, Aug. 21, when the hosts the Tucson debut of So-Cal modern country cover band .

The band, led by husband and wife vocalists Darren and Millena Hicks, performs Top 40 country hits from the 2000s through today, covering everyone from Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves and Cam to Zac Brown Band, Kenny Chesney and Florida Georgia Line.

Occasionally, they’ll throw in a classic by George Strait, Merle Haggard or Dwight Yoakam on request or if they think it would fit their audience.

How would they know?

“We read the crowd,� Millena explained during a phone call from home base in Santa Clarita, a stone’s throw from Magic Mountain. “We look at the style of dancing and we can tell from how they are dancing.�

If they are dancing the Cowboy Cha-Cha — think Electric Slide and Boot Scootin’ Boogie from the 1990s — then Rebel Heart will slip in a ‘90s country song.

When the crowd leans younger, the band draws from a rotating setlist of more than 70 contemporary songs, including Old Dominion’s “Hotel Key,� Zac Brown’s “Toes,� Dixie Chicks’ “Goodbye Earl,� Darius Rucker’s “Wagon Wheel� and Jake Owens’ “Down to the Honky Tonk.� They’ll even throw in a little Journey when the mood strikes, Millena said.

The couple has a few original songs that sometimes find a place in their shows, including “Find Me A Man,� but Millena said the goal is to keep people dancing.

Darren and Millena have been performing as Rebel Heart for 13 years.

“I think when we started nobody else did the modern (country) thing,� said Millena, who will retire in January from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and focus on the band full-time.

Darren retired from a career in studio lighting and handles Rebel Heart’s bookings, including regular gigs in Lake Havasu City and the couple’s every-other-month residency at Gillies in Las Vegas. He landed The Maverick show after a pilot friend visiting Tucson raved about the iconic Tucson country bar.

“Man, you have to play there,� the friend told Darren.

In addition to the Hickses, Rebel Heart features a backup singer, fiddler, lead guitar, bass player and drummer. The band plays at 8 p.m. at The Maverick, 6622 E. Tanque Verde Road. There is no cover charge.

Dry Heat Country Fest

The on Friday, Aug. 22, is putting on an all-ages country music festival of sorts to show off Tucson’s homegrown talent.

Dry Heat Country Fest features:

• , which has been making the rounds to Tucson honky tonks from The Maverick and Eddies to Marana’s Whiskey Roads.
• , which has been playing its original country music in Tucson for more than a dozen years.
• The Alex Taylor Band from Tucson.
• originally from Beaumont, Texas, and now of Sierra Vista.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and music starts at 7 at the Rialto, 318 E. Congress St. Tickets are $9.30 through .