Country Thunder and Innings reveal headliners
Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Toby Keith and Cole Swindell will headline Country Thunder Arizona in Florence the weekend of April 5-8.
Also announced were Brett Young, Tracy Lawrence, Big & Rich, Lindsay Ell, Cody Johnson, Neal McCoy, Lukas Nelson, Bryan White, Michael Ray and Michael Tyler.
“We are so proud to create the ultimate festival experience for our fans in Arizona,” says Country Thunder Music Festivals CEO Troy Vollhoffer. “We are incredibly excited to announce this dream lineup.”
Bryan’s latest album, “Kill the Lights,” topped Billboard’s country charts, his third consecutive release to do so, on its way to going double platinum.
By the time he gets to Florence, he’ll have dropped the long-awaited followup, “What Makes You Country.”
Bryan’s hits include country chart-toppers “Rain Is a Good Thing,” “Someone Else Calling You Baby,” “Kick the Dust Up” and “Strip It Down.”
Aldean’s fourth album, “My Kinda Party,” was the biggest-selling country album of 2011, and sent three singles, led by the quadruple-platinum “Dirt Road Anthem,” to the top of Billboard’s country charts.
Subsequent hits include “Tattoos on This Town,” “Fly Over States,” “Take a Little Ride,” “The Only Way I Know,” “Night Train,” “When She Says Baby” and “Burnin’ It Down,” all of which have gone at least platinum.
Keith’s first single, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” was the most-played country single of the ‘90s. But his biggest hit came 18 years later with “Red Solo Cup,” a double-platinum novelty song extolling the virtues of the plastic cup that holds his beer.
Swindell topped Billboard’s country charts with “Chillin’ It,” his debut single, returning to the top with “You Should Be Here” in 2015. Both songs went platinum, as have several other singles – “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight,” “Ain’t Worth the Whiskey” and “Middle of a Memory.”
Country Thunder tickets and more information at countrythunder.com.
Chris Stapleton, Queens of the Stone Age and the Avett Brothers are the headliners scheduled to perform at the inaugural Innings Festival the weekend of March 23-25 at Tempe Beach Park.
The lineup also includes Counting Crows, Young the Giant, The Head and the Heart, The Decemberists, Dispatch, Cold War Kids, Local Natives, Lord Huron, Sylvan Esso, Luke Combs, Citizen Cope, the Gin Blossoms, Eagles of Death Metal, Craig Finn and many more.
The three-day festival is produced by C3 Presents, the team behind Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Music Festival, as well as The Music City Food + Wine Festival and The Austin Food + Wine Festival.
It’s set to feature 36 performers on three stages, culinary demos with chef Beau MacMillan, curated food vendors, family activities and appearances by professional baseball players.
That last part is important because Innings Festival is aimed at a cross section of music lovers and baseball fans including enthusiasts traveling from across the country to watch their favorite teams during Cactus League spring training.
“The Innings Festival is the perfect combination of music, baseball and the amazing location of Tempe Town Lake and downtown Tempe,” said Tempe mayor Mark Mitchell. “Thousands of Cactus League fans – locals and visitors alike – will be able to come to experience the gorgeous weather, beautiful setting, great food and awesome music. We are excited to welcome performers of this caliber and their fans to celebrate this first ever Innings Fest and we look forward to making this an annual event.”
Three-day general admission tickets are $139-$199 plus fees. Single-day tickets are $99 plus fees.
General admission, VIP and platinum tickets are on sale now at inningsfestival.com.