The stage is pitch black as technicians frantically move the opening act’s gear off stage and replace it with the equipment of the show’s star, Brett Eldredge, while a crowd of students and their mothers wait anxiously to hear the headlining act of the 2018 WSU Mom’s Weekend.

That is just a slice of what can be expected from this weekend’s show at Beasley Coliseum, as country music star Eldredge will bring his tour “The Long Way” to Pullman.

Eldredge has been working his way up the country charts with songs such as “Drunk on Your Love,” “Wanna Be That Song” and the title track of his tour, “The Long Way.”

His new-school country voice, smooth as honey with a Tennessee whiskey edge, has been electrifying crowds across the country.

Beasley Coliseum Assistant Director Russ Driver said that Director Leo Udy works with somebody in California who knows the business and can schedule high-profile artists.

“Their ear is really on the ground with this,” Driver said, “and [they] knew that Brett was really up-and-coming and getting ready to go on his first major tour.”

They have pulled off the same feat in the past, bringing Taylor Swift to Pullman in 2007 and Dierks Bentley in 2008.

“It will be a fun event,” Driver said. “Speaking with Brett’s management, he and the band are really pumped about this and are really excited to get here, so it’ll be a good show with a lot of good music.”

Devin Dawson will open and tickets are still available for the event, but they’re going fast. Over 7,000 have already sold and more people are buying every day, Driver said.

“Really, in the coliseum, there’s not a bad seat,” he said. “We’ll have the scoreboard screens operating and four additional screens for people way up at the back and in the upper sections, so they’ll have a good view as well.”

The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $59.50, but students, faculty and staff are eligible for a $5 discount.