How Country's 2021 Touring Scene Is Taking Shape
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2021 MAY 17 CountryInsider.com | Sign Up For Daily Email Here How Country’s 2021 Touring Scene Is Taking Shape. Let’s review the past few weeks. Garth Brooks sold 50,000 tickets for Salt Lake City’s Rice-Eccles Stadium in less than 30 minutes. Dierks Bentley kicked off a sold-out Southeastern club run and started selling tickets for a late- summer amphitheater tour. Dan + Shay, Brad Paisley, Zac Brown Band and others announced tours, and Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan revealed Las Vegas residencies. The CDC said people immunized against COVID-19 could go unmasked in most settings, and communities nationwide began easing mask regulations. On Saturday, Jason Aldean announced his 2021 tour during a livestreamed concert. After a year of mostly silent stages, live country music is on its way back. (Continued on page 4) COUNTRY INSIDER TOP 5: Teenage Dream: Newcomer Callista Clark Steadily Climbs The Chart With “It’s ‘Cause I Am.” ABC’s “Good Morning America” Announces Summer Concert Series Lineup. Alan Jackson To Hold Concert Benefiting Tornado-Ravaged Georgia Hometown. Ashley McBryde’s 37-Market “This Town Talks Tour” Includes Two-Night Ryman Auditorium Stand. For No. 1 Sam Hunt, Topping Charts Is Easy In The 20’s. 1 | MAY 17, 2021 CountryInsider.com Big Frank Edwards Shawn Patrick Top 5 All-Time Favs AMD & VP, Programming Top 5 All-Time The Shawn Patrick Show, By Male Artists : K-99 Country/KRYS Country Bands: Heard Nationwide Corpus Christi, TX 1. Misery and Gin - 1. Alabama Merle Haggard 2. Diamond Rio 2. Blame It on Mexico - George Strait 3. Old Dominion 3. Wave on Wave - Pat Green 4. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 4. Beer Never Broke My Heart - Luke Combs 5. The Mavericks 5. If Tomorrow Never Comes - Garth Brooks “GMA” Summer Concerts: Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Others To Perform. July will be full of country music at “Good Morning America.” The ABC-TV morning show announced its summer concert series lineup this morning, and it includes Lady A (July 2), Jimmie Allen and Brad Paisley (July 5), Dierks Bentley (July 23) and Old Dominion (July 30). The series kicks off Friday, May 28, with a virtual performance from K-pop group BTS and also includes scheduled appearances from Bebe Rexha and Sheryl Crow. Ashley McBryde’s “This Town Talks Tour” Begins June 12 In Roanoke, VA. Ashley McBryde returns to the road as the “This Town Talks Tour” kicks off June 12 in Roanoke, VA’s Dr Pepper Park at the Bridges and wraps Jan. 15, 2022, at Cleveland’s Agora Theater. Support on the 37-market tour includes Morgan Wade, Priscilla Block, Adam Hambrick and Ray Fulcher. McBryde will play two shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, supported by Lainey Wilson on Aug. 26 and Caylee Hammack Aug. 27. “We’ve missed you all so much,” McBryde said in a release. “Now, let’s be together and make some damn music!” Public sale of tickets begins Friday. Alan Jackson Announces Concert To Benefit Where He Comes From. Newnan, GA, native Alan Jackson initially envisioned staging a concert in Nashville to raise money for his hometown, which was struck by an EF-4 tornado in March. Instead, Newnan leaders convinced him to bring the concert home. “Where I Come From: Tornado Benefit Featuring Alan Jackson” will take place Saturday, June 26, at Newnan’s Coweta County Fairgrounds. Tickets go on sale Friday and will Benefit the Coweta Community Foundation, which is managing charitable efforts to help the people of Newnan in the wake of the March 26 storm that destroyed approximately 70 homes and damaged more than 1,700. Jackson released a new album called “Where Have You Gone” last week. Mav3rick Named Cherry Creek Media Wenatchee OM. Cherry Creek Media Wenatchee, WA, names Mav3rick Operations Manager of the seven- station cluster, which includes country “Kissin’ 97.7” KYSN. Mav3rick has been serving as PD/afternoon host at Cherry Creek Media country “Eagle 93.3” KGGL Missoula, MT. “Mav3rick did a tremendous job as Program Director of KGGL in Missoula,” Group OD Mark Elliot said in a release. “I have no doubt he’ll have the same success as our Operations Manager in Wenatchee.” 3 | MAY 17, 2021 CountryInsider.com The Country Touring Landscape. (Continued from page 1) “It’s been a long-ass year, and we’ve missed you shows at a variety of venues. “We’re going to mix it guys so much,” Aldean told the capacity crowd at up, knowing that there’s such a demand for music The Bonnaroo Farm from the fans and knowing in Manchester, TN, there’s a wide array of people Saturday night. out there,” says McCreery’s manager, Scott Stem. “We “It’s a great feeling, want to make ourselves being back out there,” accessible to meet the needs Bentley said during of the fans.” a recent Zoom call with press. “It’s a lot Generally, shows are rolling of different emotions, out from south to north looking at all of these (or from red state to blue) stages.” Bentley, who as restrictions ease. “As played five shows in as America opens up, touring opportunities open up, many nights last week, as well, “ says Beckham, who notes that Paisley will says he’s mostly been begin his tour with a trio of Florida dates, which able to block out those were announced before the full tour. “Normally, emotions and focus on a Brad Paisley would do a national on-sale when his performance “and seeing the elation in the fans’ announcing the tour,” he says. faces and my band’s faces, as well. I’ve tried not to focus on the circumstances of what has happened Other than routing and health regulations, one of or is happening. I’m just going out there and trying the biggest differences in the 2021 touring season to keep it heavy on the music and have a good is the time gap between announcing the shows and time. And we have – we’ve had a lot of fun.” staging them. “In recent history, some shows would announce a year out,” says Nate Towne, a partner The pace of new tour announcements has yet to at WME. “We’re certainly going back to the way it outstrip the interest of the country audience. was done in the ‘80s and ‘90s when there might be an eight- or 12-week lead “There’s such a pent-up demand for time.” entertainment,” says Rob Beckham, co-founder of The Artist Management Additionally, the outdoor Group (The AMG), whose season is starting later clients include Paisley and than usual, so it likely Chris Young. It’s a demand will extend later into that extends beyond music the year. “There may be to sports and beyond. “It’s some artists and fans going to be a very robust wearing parkas at some business for the next two to point,” Towne says. three years.” With tour How artist teams have announcements coming so quickly and so late in responded to the country’s re-opening varies the year, the touring landscape may feel more considerably. Some acts — like Chris Janson, Lee packed than usual. That’s not necessarily the case, Brice and Toby Keith — already have returned but people will have so many options so suddenly to the road. Kenny Chesney delayed his stadium — and not just in country music — that competition tour until 2022, citing the difficulty of scheduling for the audience’s attention and their money will be logistics, a reason that also sidelined Nashville’s heavy. CMA Music Festival for a second year. “The dollars people are spending in entertainment, Scotty McCreery, for instance, is putting together a whether it’s concerts or sports or whatever, will combination of fair and festival dates rescheduled probably be stretched,” Beckham says. from last year with direct support and headlining (Continued on page 7) 4 | MAY 17, 2021 CountryInsider.com Is Callista Clark The Total Package At 17? Sure Looks That Way. Callista Clark may be complicated, as she sings in Zebulon at places like the Music Barn and the Opry “It’s ‘Cause I Am,” but the key to her impressive early House. “They had a little bit of an older crowd, so my success at radio is simple: The Zebulon, GA, native mom had us learn older things that they wanted to combines an extraordinary and soulful voice with an hear, like ‘80s and ‘90s country, Motown and classic irresistible melody and a message that resonates with rock,” she says. females of all ages. Those early The single, released in February, continues to pick influences up both adds and spins. Five times, “It’s ‘Cause I Am” contributed to her has been among a week’s five most-added records. unique sound, This week, “It’s ‘Cause I Am” is among the week’s five as does the fact most-added records for a fifth time. Only Luke Combs’ that she is an old “Forever After All” and Chris Young and Kane Brown’s soul, a phrase she “Famous Friends” have done the same in 2021. Clark hears often. “But was recently selected for iHeartMedia’s “On the Verge” I am also still 17,” program, helping her claim a spot in Mediabase’s Top she says, “so I can 50 last week. write about things a 17-year-old feels “It’s ‘Cause I Am” also is taking on a life of its own on and what they go social media, where fans offer interpretations and through. snapshots of their lives.