Bowersox to perform benefit concert at the Valentine

Crystal Bowersox, left, and long-time bassist Frankie May return to Toledo May 28. ASSOCIATED PRESS Enlarge

EDITOR'S NOTE: This version corrects the date of when tickets go on sale.

Crystal Bowersox will return to Toledo on May 28 to perform and raise money for the organization where her unique talents as a vocalist and musician were nurtured.

All of the proceeds from her concert that night will benefit the Toledo School for the Arts, where the 25-year-old 2010 American Idol runner-up attended high school before moving to Chicago to pursue a career as a singer/songwriter.

"As arts programming is being cut from school curriculum nationally, regionally, and locally, it is encouraging to know Crystal wants to help carry us through these challenging times," Martin Porter, director of the school at Adams and 14th streets, said in a news release.

Bowersox recently played at Monroe County Community College's La-Z-Boy Center which she sold out for two shows. Her set list was heavy on songs from her "Farmer's Daughter" disc, which was released last year.

As expected, she was a dynamo in concert and her music is a more stripped-down version of what she performed on Idol.

Concert tour dates continue to be added to her schedule, including two in Ohio next week in Springfield and Newark. A July 9 show announced for Ottawa County was canceled.

She lives in Chicago with her husband, Brian Walker, who also is a singer/songwriter, and her young son, Anthony.

What is billed as "An Intimate Evening with Crystal Bowersox" will be May 28 at the Valentine Theatre, 410 Adams St., in downtown Toledo. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. April 30 at the Valentine box office, by calling 419-242-2787, or online at valentinetheatre.com. They are $35, $49, and $69.

Contact Rod Lockwood at rlockwood@theblade.com or 419-724-6159.