Garth Brooks Adds Second Show in Boise After Initial Sell-Out

Garth Brooks Adds Second Show in Boise After Initial Sell-Out

Posted on May 23, 2019

Tickets for Garth Brooks’ upcoming show in Boise, Idaho, on July 20 sold out in under an hour. Fear not, Idahoans.

Due to popular demand, Garth is adding a second show in Boise on July 19 at Albertsons Stadium at Boise State University. This will be the first time Garth plays Boise in more than 20 years, and it’s the first major concert event at Albertsons Stadium.

Tickets for the new Boise date go on sale on May 31 at 10 a.m. MT for $94.95.

Garth’s Stadium Tour, which features in-the-round staging, has already visited St. Louis, Glendale, Gainesville, Minneapolis (x2) and Pittsburgh, with upcoming sold-out shows in Denver (June 8), Eugene (June 29) and Boise (July 20).

photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

Watch Pink & Chris Stapleton’s Live Debut of “Love Me Anyway” at Madison Square Garden

Watch Pink & Chris Stapleton’s Live Debut of “Love Me Anyway” at Madison Square Garden

Posted on May 22, 2019

During her sold-out show at Madison Square Garden on May 21, P!nk invited Chris Stapleton onstage to perform the live debut of their new song, “Love Me Anyway.”

The duet is featured on Pink’s new album, Hurts 2B Human. Pink co-penned the tune with Allen Shamblin and Tom Douglas, the songwriting tandem behind Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me.” The heavy-hearted piano ballad features Chris’ harmony vocals.

This isn’t Pink’s first foray working with a country artist—she collaborated with Kenny Chesney in 2016 for the duet, “Setting the World on Fire,” which hit the top of Billboard’s Country Airplay chart later that year.

Watch a clip of the Pink and Chris’ performance below.

photo by Kevin Mazur & Zachary Mazur/Getty Images; video courtesy RCA Digital Marketing Team

With New Tour, Album & Baby on the Way, Brantley Gilbert Says “Busy Beats Bored”

With New Tour, Album & Baby on the Way, Brantley Gilbert Says “Busy Beats Bored”

Posted on May 22, 2019

“Busy beats bored,” according to Brantley Gilbert. One thing is for sure, Brantley will not be bored over the course of the next few months.

Brantley will kick off his Not Like Us Tour with Lindsay Ell and Michael Ray in June, in addition to playing numerous summer festivals and fairs. Brantley is also hard at work on his upcoming fifth studio album, with lead single, “What Happens in a Small Town,” featuring Lindsay Ell, climbing to No. 22 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart this week.

Brantley & Amber at the 2019 ACM Awards in Vegas: photo by Arroyo/O’Connor, AFF-USA.com

But that’s not all: Brantley and wife Amber are expecting their second child—a girl—around September. However, it doesn’t sound like Brantley is sweating his full plate of professional and personal responsibilities.

“Aw, man, I don’t even know yet what to expect with the new baby [laughing],” says Brantley. “I guess we’ll find out, but, you know, the way I look at it is busy beats bored, and for what we do for a living, it’s hard for there to be a lot of structure ’cause a lot of it is last minute stuff. But as long as my top two priorities are being the best husband and the best dad that I know how to be, then we’ll figure the rest of it out.”

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Blake Shelton’s Ole Red Nashville to Host 50+ Free Performances During CMA Fest, Including Scotty McCreery, Chris Young, Midland & More

Blake Shelton’s Ole Red Nashville to Host 50+ Free Performances During CMA Fest, Including Scotty McCreery, Chris Young, Midland & More

Posted on May 22, 2019

Blake Shelton’s Ole Red Nashville is once again teaming with Spotify to host more than 50 artists during CMA Fest on June 6–9.

Ole Red’s “Spotify House” will include an A-list group of performers throughout the week, including Midland, Old Dominion, Lauren Alaina, Hunter Hayes, Lil Nas X, Brantley Gilbert, Maddie & Tae, Scotty McCreery, Chris Young, Morgan Wallen, Cody Johnson, Tenille Townes, Riley Green, Lindsay Ell, Carly Pearce, Danielle Bradbery, Mitchell Tenpenny, Filmore, James Barker Band, Cassadee Pope and more.

The Spotify House daytime schedule will run from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nightly headlining shows and late-night jam sessions will be scheduled from 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. All shows will be open to the public. Space will be limited to first-come, first-served.

Located at 300 Broadway, the multi-level, 26,000-square-foot entertainment venue features a two-story bar and restaurant, retail area, performance space, dance floor and private VIP booths for small groups. The complex also includes a large, private event space and a 6,000-square-foot rooftop featuring an indoor/outdoor bar and restaurant with panoramic views of Lower Broadway.

“Lower Broadway is the centerpiece of Nashville,” says Blake. “There’s so much great music and fun going on down there all the time and it’s exciting to now be a part of it—it’s a dream come true.”

Check out the roster of artists slated to perform at Ole Red Nashville during CMA Fest.

June 6

  • 11:30 AM – Rodney Atkins
  • 1:40 PM – Jameson Rodgers
  • 3:30 PM – Maddie & Tae
  • 4:30 PM – Noah Schnacky
  • 5:30 PM – Tenille Townes
  • 6:30 PM – Dylan Scott
  • 7:30 PM – Mitchell Tenpenny
  • 8:45 PM – Hunter Hayes
  • 10:35 PM – Lauren Alaina
  • 11:45 PM – Midland
  • 12:30 AM – Lil Nas X (Rooftop show)
  • 1:00 AM – Morgan Wallen & HARDY

June 7

  • 11:30 AM – Brandon Ratcliff
  • 12:20 PM – King Calaway
  • 1:10 PM – Ingrid Andress
  • 2:00 PM – Willie Jones
  • 2:50 PM – Danielle Bradbery
  • 3:40 PM – Rachel Wammack
  • 4:30 PM – Tegan Marie
  • 5:30 PM – Morgan Evans
  • 6:45 PM – Filmore
  • 7:45 PM – Old Dominion
  • 9:00 PM – James Barker Band
  • 10:00 PM – Cassadee Pope
  • 11:30 PM – Scotty McCreery
  • 1:00 AM – Brantley Gilbert

June 8

  • 11:30 AM – Anna Vaus
  • 12:20 PM – Seaforth
  • 1:10 PM – Lindsay Ell
  • 2:00 PM – Dillon Carmichael
  • 2:50 PM – Bailey Bryan
  • 3:40 PM – Logan Mize
  • 4:30 PM – Caylee Hammack
  • 5:30 PM – High Valley
  • 6:30 PM – Cody Johnson
  • 7:30 PM – Carly Pearce
  • 9:00 PM – Tanya Tucker
  • 10:00 PM – Chris Young
  • 11:30 PM – Aaron Watson
  • 12:35 AM – Blanco Brown

June 9

  • 11:30 AM – John King
  • 12:20 PM – Ryan Hurd
  • 1:10 PM – Hanah Dasher
  • 2:00 PM – Kassi Ashton
  • 2:50 PM – Cale Dodds
  • 3:40 PM – Gone West
  • 5:30 PM – Emily Ann Roberts
  • 6:30 PM – Travis Denning
  • 7:30 PM – Devin Dawson
  • 8:45 PM – Jon Langston
  • 10:00 PM – Riley Green
  • 11:30 PM – Ray Fulcher
  • 12:30 AM – Ryan Griffin

photos by NCD

Blake Shelton Says His Creative Mom Has “Taken Her Artwork to the Next Level” With “Chickens, the Animal That Poops Breakfast”

Blake Shelton Says His Creative Mom Has “Taken Her Artwork to the Next Level” With “Chickens, the Animal That Poops Breakfast”

Posted on May 21, 2019

Where does Blake Shelton get his capacity for creativity? For the biological answer, start with his mother, Dorothy Shackleford.

Dorothy is the co-owner of Junk Stars, a store in downtown Tishomingo, Okla., where she creates unique artwork—including pet portraits—jewelry, decor items and plenty of Blake-inspired mementos. As Blake told Kix Brooks in an interview on American Country Countdown, his mom has “taken her artwork to the next level.”

“She’s an artist—my mom—she’s a great painter, and it’s something that I can remember her doing when I was a kid,” says Blake. “She’s always been creative, you know? But now that she’s been retired for a few years, she’s taken her artwork to the next level and spends more time with it. My mom will be awake until two, three o’clock in the morning every night, painting or crafting or making stuff to put in her store. She just gets lost in it.”

Blake’s fans may also recall that Dorothy teamed with her son to pen—and sing—a song, “Time for Me to Come Home,” that was featured on Blake’s 2012 holiday album, Cheers, It’s Christmas. But from what Blake told Kix, it sounds like Dorothy prefers painting chickens over penning songs.

“She painted a chicken, and on the painting she wrote: ‘Chickens, the animal that poops breakfast,'” says Blake, “This is my mom [laughing]! She said, ‘I already sold that. Can you believe somebody wants that?’ I said, ‘Man, you better make some more of ’em, I guess.’”

Check out some of Dorothy’s artwork below—and if you visit Tishomingo, stop by the store.



Luke Combs to Drop New 5-Song EP, “The Prequel,” on June 7

Luke Combs to Drop New 5-Song EP, “The Prequel,” on June 7

Posted on May 21, 2019

Luke Combs will release a new five-song EP, The Prequel, on June 7.

Buoyed by the album’s lead single, “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” which is currently No. 15 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart after two weeks, The Prequel features four additional songs that Luke co-wrote, inclduing “Refrigerator Door,” “Even Though I’m Leaving,” “Lovin’ On You” and “Moon Over Mexico.”

Luke recently made history as the first artist to simultaneously top all five Billboard country charts for multiple weeks: Top Country Albums, Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, Country Streaming Songs and Country Digital Song Sales. He is also the first country artist in history whose first five singles have reached No. 1.

The Prequel Track List & Songwriters

  • “Beer Never Broke My Heart” (Luke Combs, Randy Montana, Jonathan Singleton)
  • “Refrigerator Door” (Luke Combs, Jordan Brooker)
  • “Even Though I’m Leaving” (Luke Combs, Wyatt B. Durrette III, Ray Fulcher)
  • “Lovin’ On You” (Luke Combs, Thomas Archer, Ray Fulcher, James McNair)
  • “Moon Over Mexico” (Luke Combs, Ray Fulcher, Dan Isbell, Jonathan Singleton)

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Transfer Uroš Plavšić Signs with Vol Hoops

Transfer Uroš Plavšić Signs with Vol Hoops

Posted on May 21, 2019
Credit: UT Athletics

Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes announced Tuesday that Arizona State transfer Uroš Plavšić (pronounced: Ü-rōsh PLÄV-shich) has signed an institutional aid agreement with UT and plans to enroll for the first session of summer school.

A 7-foot center from Ivanjica, Serbia, Plavšić graduated from Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, before redshirting last season at ASU.

He first moved to the United States in October 2017 and averaged 9.6 points and 7.5 rebounds while leading Hamilton Heights to a 28-7 record and the NACA Division I national championship in his lone season there.

“Uroš is a skilled athlete with impact size,” Barnes said. “He’s a strong, physical player who can hold his own in the paint, and his offensive skill set could also allow him to play away from the basket, keeping the floor spaced. His mobility and ability to run make him a great fit in our transition offense and pressure defense schemes. And his comprehension of the game and understanding of the value of being a great teammate are more reasons we’re excited about him joining our program.”

In Serbia, Plavšić played on the Belgrade-based BC Mega Leks junior team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the Euroleague championships. He has also competed against fellow Serbian and NBA All-Star Nikola Jokić, as well as Croatian NBA center Ivica Zubac.

Plavšić was listed in the 247Sports Composite as the nation’s 21st-ranked center in the Class of 2018 and the fifth-ranked prospect in the state of Tennessee. He was rated as high as 102 nationally and was part of a four-man ASU signing class that was ranked 14th in the country.

He joins a crop of Tennessee newcomers that includes guards Josiah-Jordan James and Davonte Gaines and forwards Drew Pember and Olivier Nkamhoua.

 

UT Athletics

Listen to Brett Young’s Catchy New Single, “Catch”

Listen to Brett Young’s Catchy New Single, “Catch”

Posted on May 21, 2019

Brett Young will try to score his sixth consecutive No. 1 single with the release of “Catch” on June 3. The new tune, which was co-penned by Brett, Ashley Gorley and Ross Copperman, will be the second single released from Brett’s 2018 sophomore album, Ticket to L.A.

“‘Catch’ is a song that I wrote with Ashley Gorley and Ross Copperman, and it was a song that kinda was born out of another song,” says Brett. “We were in a write and somebody threw out the word ‘catch’ as an idea, as just a word in a line of the song. Ashley Gorley stood up and said he’d be right back, and he walked outside and he came back and he goes, ‘Okay, we gotta book another write, because I’ve got an idea for a song called “Catch,” where it’s a play on the word “catch” and I think we can go a lot of places with this, I’m very excite.’”

The songwriting trio reconvened a short time later to grind out the catchy new idea.

“We got back together, and just got really excited about, not only the kinda tongue-in-cheek, play-on-word nature of it, but also I think it’s kind of normally the girl that goes out with her girlfriends hoping not to meet a guy or not to be bothered by guys, and we just thought it was kind of a fun twist on it—the guy going out to spend time with his buddies, and ends up seeing a girl and the rest was history. And so it’s a fun one for me and the play on words with ‘catch’, but also, me having spent so much of my life playing baseball.”

“Catch” follows previous chart-toppers “Mercy,” “Sleep Without You,” “In Case You Didn’t Know” and “Like I Loved You” from Brett’s 2017 self-titled debut album, as well as “Here Tonight,” the lead single from his 2018 sophomore album, Ticket to L.A.

Listen to “Catch” below.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Country Music Hall of Fame Announces Colorful New Kacey Musgraves Exhibit

Country Music Hall of Fame Announces Colorful New Kacey Musgraves Exhibit

Posted on May 21, 2019

Kacey Musgraves will be the subject of a new exhibit at the the Country Music Hall of Fame titled Kacey Musgraves: All of the Colors.

Opening on July 2 and running through June 7, 2020, the new exhibit will explore the musical and personal journey of the six-time Grammy winner, from her upbringing in Texas and her diverse musical influences to her innovatinve songwriting and award-winning albums.

“I absolutely adore the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum,” says Kacey. “It’s a privilege to have them curate an exhibit that will showcase pieces from moments all the way back to my childhood that are very special to me.”

Kacey Musgraves: All of the Colors features stagewear, handwritten lyrics and personal artifacts, including:

  • Tip jar used by Kacey and Alina Tatum when they performed as yodeling duo Texas Two Bits
  • Detention notice received for “continuous classroom disruption” during high school
  • Manuscript for “Fallin’,” a song written by Kacey with Miranda Lambert
  • Manuscript for “Slow Burn,” written by Kacey and the co-producers—Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk—of her recent album, Golden Hour
  • Satin dress embellished with sequins, beads, rhinestones and tasseled fringe, designed by Enrique Urbina. Kacey wore the dress at the 2014 Grammy Awards
  • Western-inspired black Atelier Versace pantsuit ensemble with gold-beaded fringe worn by Kacey at the 2018 CMA Awards

In support of the exhibition’s opening, Kacey will participate in a conversation in the museum’s CMA Theater on Saturday, July 6, 2019, at 2 p.m., sharing personal stories and memories associated with the exhibit. Tickets will be available on May 29.

photo by Arroyo/O\’Connor, AFF-USA.com

Brooks & Dunn to Headline Free “CMT Crossroads” With Luke Combs, Brett Young, Midland, Jon Pardi & More

Brooks & Dunn to Headline Free “CMT Crossroads” With Luke Combs, Brett Young, Midland, Jon Pardi & More

Posted on May 21, 2019

CMT Crossroads is crossing up its playbook for an event in downtown Nashville on June 4 that will feature headliner Brooks & Dunn teaming with a number of country artists.

Instead of collaborating with a cross-genre artist—as is the norm on CMT Crossroads—Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks will join forces with a number of stars featured on their recent Reboot album, including Brett Young, Cody Johnson, Jon Pardi, Luke Combs, Midland and Brandon Lancaster from LANCO.

Fans are invited to attend the CMT Crossroads taping on June 4 at the corner of 5th and Broadway in downtown Nashville. The taping begins at 8:30 p.m. CT. Fans should arrive early, as the event is standing-room only and entrance is on a first-come, first-served basis.

The hour-long show will will premiere on CMT on June 28 at 10 p.m. ET.

In addition to releasing their new No. 1 album, Brooks & Dunn have kept busy this year with a number of shows in Las Vegas as part of their residency with Reba McEntire. The duo will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in the fall.

photo by Arroyo/O\’Connor, AFF-USA.com

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