Celebrated country vocalist Sara Evans returned to the airwaves in 2013 with “Slow Me Down,” the bombastic lead single from her highly anticipated seventh studio album. As great as her voice is on record, it’s her live concerts that let her showcase what a pure and versatile storyteller she truly is. Ticket buyers are sure to be floored by her vocals, with a dynamic range that can go from angelic softness to full-voiced belts effortlessly, all done with an emotional heft that reaches into your soul and holds on until the very last note. Every tour she’s unleashed has been a vocal tour de force that has to be heard to be believed. Her upcoming album, due in the first quarter of 2014, is sure to be another classic Sara Evans’ journey through life and love and finds her reuniting with superstar Vince Gill, who sang with Sara on her first country number one hit, “No Place That Far.”
Riley Green on Tour
Country singer Riley Green is just about as Southern as Southern gets, and the Alabama boy lets it all come through every time he hits the stage. From that deep-down twang in his voice to the lyrics of songs like “Bury Me in Dixie” and “Georgia Time” that celebrate his background, you get a full picture of Green’s origins whenever you come to see him sing. He’s a storyteller at heart, and when he settles himself in front of a microphone and starts strumming his guitar, he knows how to get his stories across to an audience. He does it with a minimum of fuss and a whole lot of pure, unadulterated emotion. Throw in a truckload of Southern charm, and you’ve got a classic, winning combination.
LONESTAR
Kane Brown
When Kane Brown makes his way to the stage, it’s immediately obvious that there’s no emotional distance between the artist and the audience. Every word sounds like it’s coming straight from his core, and since so many of the country star’s hits are romantic ballads, that usually means there’s a lot of love in the air. Brown was only 22 when his self-titled 2016 debut album was released, and he speaks to a whole new generation of country fans who adore the way he finesses his R&B influences in his music. Onstage, he’s just as likely to slip into a hip-hop/R&B hit like Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson” or Khalid’s “Location,” as he is to deliver his own No. 1 country single “Heaven” or his duet with Lauren Alaina, “What Ifs.” With his multiple tattoos and trucker cap, Kane might come off like a tough guy, but only until he opens his mouth. As soon as he starts to sing, the tenderness and unguarded emotion in those songs comes pouring out. When he announced his first headlining arena outing, the 2019 Live Forever Tour (with special guests Granger Smith, Raelynn, and Danielle Bradbery), it became clear that Brown’s fresh, new sound is here to stay.
With Special Guests:
Parmalee
According to an age-old cliché, getting knocked down ain’t what matters – it’s how you get up, and Sony Music Nashville’s Nate Smith knows firsthand. With a personal journey scarred by disaster, but defined by revival, he could have stayed down multiple times through life, and instead grew into something else entirely: A beacon of country-music hope.
Featuring a mix of gritty backwoods soul, rock ‘n’ roll swagger and velvet-thunder vocals, Smith is a Nashville artist with a unique connection to life’s inner tug of war. And with his first batch of major-label music, he’s aiming to tip the scales once and for all.
“I just feel lucky that I get to be the messenger for these songs,” says the rising singer-songwriter. “I’m not here to be cool or anything like that. It’s literally just to hit people in the heart.”
With Special Guest: John Morgan
Dierks Bentley broke out in the country music scene with his 2003 debut hit single “What Was I Thinkin'” off his eponymous debut album. The Phoenix, Arizona-born artist’s playful blend of country, rock and bluegrass shines on songs such as 2005’s steamy ballad “Come a Little Closer,” 2014’s “Drunk on a Plane,” and swooning duets like 2016’s “I’ll Be The Moon” with Maren Morris. With nine Top 10 albums under his belt and 15 Grammy nominations, the singer-songwriter has also spent most of the past two decades on the road, touring with the likes of Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley and Miranda Lambert, the latter with whom he hit the road on 2013’s stacked Locked and Re-Loaded Tour. The “notorious road warrior” (Rolling Stone) — now based in Nashville — has completed over a dozen headlining tours that often evoke summer barbeques and high-energy tailgate parties.
With Special Guests:
Chase Rice
Gram Barham
BROTHERS OSBORNE IN CONCERT:
Nashville-based country duo Brothers Osborne became one of the genre’s hottest acts out of the gate. Both clocking in at over six feet tall, the brothers command the stage with ease and charisma as they tear through crowd favorites like the free-spirited “Let’s Go There”, the subtle lullaby “Love The Lonely Out Of You”, and the booze-soaked summer anthem “Rum”. Each song is crafted with catchy hooks, tight harmonies, and singalong choruses that highlight singer TJ’s dynamic baritone and guitarist John’s soulful grooves. Combining the old school twang of Merle Haggard and Hank Williams with the modern flare of Zac Brown Band, the down-home duo is showing ticket buyers a rollicking good time with their classic country shows.
HARDY
After more than 30 years of a lifestyle that often required lots of time on the road, country legend George Strait has saddled up for what he says will be his final tour, a two-year outing dubbed The Cowboy Rides Away Tour.
More than 20 farewell concerts take place between January and May of 2014, and the shows — many of which will feature a big-name special guest such as Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Martina McBride, or Sheryl Crow — are proving to be hot tickets as fans celebrate the storied career of the country mainstay. He announced his retirement from the road during a September 2012 press conference in Nashville, and played more than 20 farewell shows during early 2013.
Strait doesn’t plan to ride into the sunset — he’s just done with long tours. He recently renewed his deal with MCA Records, so he’ll keep releasing new music and plans to also play select concert dates in the future. But grueling trips aboard the tour bus are in his rearview mirror.
After the Urban Cowboy ethos dominated country music in the late ’70s, Strait emerged in the early ’80s with his take on classic country stylings, and is often credited with paving the way for other neo-traditionalist superstars like Garth Brooks, Dwight Yoakam, and Randy Travis.
Luke Bryan is one of country music’s most prolific hitmakers. The Leesburg, Georgia native began his career writing hit songs for country icons Travis Tritt and Billy Currington. Since breaking out in 2011 with the record-breaking single “Country Girl (Shake It For Me),” Bryan has produced 12 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and more RIAA-certified digital singles than anyone in country music. His accomplishments include selling nearly 13 million albums, with four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, and hits like “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day” showcase the relatable Americana and catchy hooks that have made him a five-time ACM Awards Entertainer of the Year. On the road, Bryan has played sold-out tours for over 14 million fans worldwide, including 2014’s That’s My Kind of Night Tour (the highest-grossing country tour of that year). Since 2018, the country music icon has also been a judge on American Idol alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.
With Special Guests:
Alnana Springsteen