Tour: Jessie James Decker

Tour: Jessie James Decker

Posted on December 3, 2018

Jessie James Decker announced a 19-date tour that kicks off on April 12 in Denver and makes additional stops in San Francisco, Atlanta, New York City, Seattle and more.

Tickets go on sale on Dec. 7, with pre-sale availability beginning on Dec. 4.

Jessie James Decker Tour

  • April 12 | Denver, CO | Ogden Theatre
  • April 13 | Kansas City, MO | Uptown Theater
  • April 14 | Omaha, NE | Kiewit Concert Hall at Holland Center
  • April 18 | Portland, OR | Crystal Ballroom
  • April 19 | Spokane, WA | Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox
  • April 20 | Seattle, WA | The Showbox
  • April 25 | San Francisco, CA | The Warfield
  • May 2 | Minneapolis, MN | State Theatre
  • May 3 | Rosemont, IL | Joe’s Live
  • May 4 | Kalamazoo, MI | Kalamazoo State Theatre
  • May 10 | Baton Rouge, LA | The Texas Club
  • May 11 | Atlanta, GA | Buckhead Theatre
  • May 12 | Orlando, FL | Bob Carr Theater
  • May 16 | New York, NY | Beacon Theatre
  • May 17 | Washington, D.C. | Warner Theatre
  • May 18 | Toronto, ON | The Danforth Music Hall
  • May 30 | Austin, TX | Austin City Limits Moody Theater
  • May 31 | Dallas, TX | The Majestic Theatre
  • June 1 | Houston, TX | House of Blues

photo by Jason Simanek, AFF-USA.com

Country Stars Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, Oak Ridge Boys & More Remember President George H. W. Bush

Country Stars Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, Oak Ridge Boys & More Remember President George H. W. Bush

Posted on December 3, 2018

A number of country stars shared their condolences and remembrances of George H. W. Bush after news broke the former President and war hero had passed away on Nov. 30.

Below, read comments via social media from Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Oak Ridge Boys, Brandy Clark, Travis Tritt and more.

photo by Jason Simanek

Reba McEntire Receives 2018 Kennedy Center Honors Award: “I Was Born an Entertainer to Help Heal Hearts”

Reba McEntire Receives 2018 Kennedy Center Honors Award: “I Was Born an Entertainer to Help Heal Hearts”

Posted on December 3, 2018

Following in the hallowed footsteps of Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn and more, Reba McEntire was honored at the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 2.

Lady Antebellum, Brooks & Dunn and Reba’s daughter-in-law, Kelly Clarkson, performed in honor of Reba.

Sometimes when we meet our heroes, it doesn’t always pan out how you hope,” said Kelly before performing “Fancy,” “but meeting Reba, being friends with her and eventually becoming family has been one of the highlights of my life – truly.”

“I’ve been here three times before tonight,” said Reba from the stage. “Once for Dolly, once for Loretta [and] Carol Burnett, once for Lily. And I sat right over there and I thought, ‘Wow, how many people have been in this room?’ I know that I was born an entertainer to help heal hearts—by singing, by acting, by letting people laugh. I love to help people with their problems when they come into a concert. I hope that they dust their problems off their feet and come in and have a good time, recharge their batteries, and when they leave they can pick their problems up that are just a little bit lighter when they go home. That’s what I was supposed to do in this life. I’m not a political person, but being here, going back to this building in Washington, D.C., I respect and I honor the people who took their time to help us, to make this country bigger, better, for all the people across the United States—east and west, north and south. Thank you all if you’ve had any part to do with that. Thank you all very, very much. Because we’re here to entertain. We’re here to make you laugh, to make you smile. And if that heart hurts, hopefully the songs that we sing, that we were moved by when we heard them the first time, by the time we sing them and it touches your heart, hopefully it touches you enough to make a difference. I am very proud of this. This moves me beyond words. I’m very honored to be a part of this class, and a part of this idea that started many, many years ago. Thank you for this honor. Thank you for our friendship. And thank you for all the friends that I’ve made, and all the years that I’ve gotten to be a part of the Kennedy Center Honors. Thank you all with all my heart.”

In addition to Reba’s award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, the 2018 class included Cher, Philip Glass and Wayne Shorter. Hamilton co-creators Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Andy Blankenbuehler and Alex Lacamoire were honored for their “transformative work.”

The 41st Kennedy Center Honors ceremony will be broadcast on CBS on Dec. 26 at 9 p.m. ET.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Darius Rucker Reunites Hootie & the Blowfish for 44-Date “Group Therapy Tour”

Darius Rucker Reunites Hootie & the Blowfish for 44-Date “Group Therapy Tour”

Posted on December 3, 2018

Darius Rucker will reassemble one of the most prolific bands of the 1990s—Hootie & the Blowfish—for a 44-date headlining tour in 2019.

Darius and his crew—Mark Bryan, Dean Felber and Jim Sonefeld—announced the new trek, dubbed the Group Therapy Tour, on Today on Dec. 3. The tour will kick off on May 30 in Virginia Beach, Va., and make additional stops in Atlanta, L.A., Houston, New York City, Detroit, Nashville and more. The Barenaked Ladies will serve as direct support.

“Once the four of us met and started playing shows, we toured for years before signing a record deal,” says Darius, who has scored nine No. 1 singles on the country charts over the last 10-plus years.

“There’s nothing like playing music live,” says Mark. “For the first time in nearly 20 years we’ll be coming back to Columbia, South Carolina, where it all began.”

“And we’re ready to rock,” adds Darius.

Tickets go on sale to the public on Dec. 7, with pre-sale opportunities available at 10 a.m. local time on Dec. 3.

Hootie & the Blowfish’s 1994 debut album, Cracked Rear View, is one of the Top 10 best-selling albums of all time, according to the RIAA.

Group Therapy Tour

May 30 | Virginia Beach, Va. | Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
May 31 | Raleigh, N.C. | Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
June 1 | Atlanta, Ga. | Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
June 6 | Orange Beach, Ala. | The Wharf
June 7 | Tampa, Fla. | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
June 8 | West Palm Beach, Fla. | Coral Sky Amphitheatre
June 13 | Austin, Texas | Austin360 Amphitheater
June 14 | Houston, Texas | The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
June 15 | Dallas, Texas | Dos Equis Pavilion
June 19 | Phoenix, Ariz. | Ak-Chin Pavilion
June 21 | Chula Vista, Calif. | North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
June 22 | Las Vegas, Nev. | T-Mobile Arena
June 23 | Irvine, Calif. | FivePoint Amphitheatre presented by Mercury Insurance
June 25 | Los Angeles, Calif. | Hollywood Bowl
June 28 | Wheatland, Calif. | Toyota Amphitheatre
June 29 | Mountain View, Calif. | Shoreline Amphitheatre
July 11 | Englewood, Colo. | Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
July 13 | Maryland Heights, Mo. | Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
July 14 | Rogers, Ark. | Walmart AMP
July 19 | Monticello, Iowa | Great Jones County Fair
July 20 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Riverbend Music Center
July 21 | Burgettstown, Penn. | KeyBank Pavilion
July 26 | Cleveland, Ohio | Blossom Music Center
July 27 | Bristow, Va. | Jiffy Lube Live
July 28 | Camden, N.J. | BB&T Pavilion
Aug. 2 | Guilford, N.H. | Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
Aug. 3 | Mansfield, Mass. | Xfinity Center
Aug. 4 | Saratoga Springs, N.Y. | Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Aug. 8 | Columbia, Md. | Merriweather Post Pavilion
Aug. 9 | Canandaigua, N.Y. | Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center
Aug. 10 | New York, N.Y. | Madison Square Garden
Aug. 16 | Detroit, Mich. | DTE Energy Music Theatre
Aug. 17 | Noblesville, Ind. | Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
Aug. 18 | Des Moines, Iowa | Iowa State Fair
Aug. 22 | St. Paul, Minn. | Minnesota State Fair
Aug. 23 | East Troy, Wis. | Alpine Valley Music Theatre
Aug. 24 | Tinley Park, Ill. | Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Aug. 29 | Toronto, Ont. | Budweiser Stage
Aug. 30 | Hershey, Penn. | Hersheypark Stadium
Aug. 31 | Hartford, Conn. | XFINITY Theatre
Sept. | 5 Charlotte, N.C. | PNC Music Pavilion
Sept. | 6 Birmingham, Ala. | Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
Sept. | 7 Nashville, Tenn. | Bridgestone Arena
Sept. | 13 Columbia, S.C. | Colonial Life Arena

photo by Jason Simanek

No. 11 Lady Vols battle past Cowgirls 76-63

No. 11 Lady Vols battle past Cowgirls 76-63

Posted on December 2, 2018
Lady Vols G Evina Westbrook / Credit: UT Athletics

Stillwater, Okla. — Sophomore Evina Westbrook poured in a career-high 29 points to lead No. 11/11 Tennessee to a gritty road win over Oklahoma State on Sunday, 76-63.

Junior Rennia Davis and freshman Zaay Green were also in double figures for Tennessee (6-0) with 15 each, with Green posting a new career high. Cheridene Green was a presence on the boards, pulling down a career-best 13 rebounds.

The Cowgirls (6-1) were led in scoring by Braxtin Miller, who finished the day with 29 points. Also in double digits for OSU were Jaden Hobbs, who went 4-of-6 from behind the arc for 12 points, and Vivian Gray, who tallied 14 points.

Meme Jackson got off to a fast start for the Lady Vols, grabbing a rebound and driving the full length of the court to score Tennessee’s first points on a layup before then forcing the Cowgirls into a turnover on the inbounds pass. UT was hot from the floor in the opening minutes, hitting eight of its first nine shots and with all five starters contributing to its first 10 points.  The Lady Vols jumped out to a 14-7 lead before OSU battled back, cutting it to 14-12 off a pair of free throws by Abbie Winchester with 3:48 in the period. Tennessee battled back to extend its lead to 25-17 with just over a minute in the quarter, but OSU closed out the stanza with a 5-0 run to cut UT’s lead to 25-22 at the end of the first.

Just over two and a half minutes into the second quarter, OSU tied it up at 29-all on a Hobbs 3-pointer before taking its first lead on the next possession off a Miller layup. The teams traded baskets until Miller knocked down a trey to end the half, putting Oklahoma State up 43-40.

Westbrook kicked things off in the second half, knocking down a three on UT’s first possession to kick off a 17-3 run that put the Lady Vols up 57-46 midway through the third quarter. Tennessee capitalized on six forced turnovers in the period and took a 61-49 lead into the final stanza.

The Cowgirls chipped away at UT’s lead to start the fourth stanza, pulling within five by the 4:18 mark. Zaay Green and Cheridene Green hit back-to-back buckets to turn the tide for the Lady Vols, however, extending UT’s lead to 70-61 with 3:20 left in the game.  OSU answered with a pair of made free throws, but Westbrook poured in another six points and Tennessee sealed a 76-63 victory.

Up Next: Tennessee returns to Thompson-Boling Arena to host Stetson at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Fans attending the game can take part in WINSDAY, a Tennessee Athletics promotion in which a variety of prizes will be given away throughout the game, by registering at the FanHQ table on the concourse level. The game is available for streaming on SECN+.

Balanced Attack: All five of Tennessee’s starters contributed a basket to the team’s first 10 points, and that trend carried through the game with Westbrook, Davis, and Z. Green all finishing in double figures. UT has had at least three players in double figures in every game this season.

Dominating the Paint: The Lady Vols outscored OSU in the paint ,48-18, marking the fifth time this season UT has outscored opponents in the paint.

Westbrook’s Career Night: With 29 points on the night, sophomore Evina Westbrook set a new career high for the second time this season. Her previous career high was 20, set against UNC Asheville on Nov. 14. As a freshman her highest point total was 18 against Auburn.

No. 6 Vols Cruise to 79-51 Win Over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

No. 6 Vols Cruise to 79-51 Win Over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Posted on December 2, 2018
Vols F Kyle Alexander / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 6 Tennessee cruised to a 79-51 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi behind a balanced offensive attack Sunday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Admiral Schofield led the way with 16 points to go along with a career-high-tying four steals. Grant Williams chipped in 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Fellow junior Jordan Bowden also scored 14 points off the bench to go with four rebounds and a pair of steals.

Kyle Alexander rounded out the double-digit scoring for the Vols, recording 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks for the third double-double of his career. Point guard Jordan Bone finished with a career-high 10 assists, seven points and two steals.

The Vols (6-1) had the hot hand in the second half, connecting on 60 percent (15-of-25) of their field-goal attempts. UT shot 53 percent for the game, marking the fifth game this season the Big Orange has eclipsed 50-percent shooting.

Tennessee’s defense also had another strong performance, tallying a season-high 10 steals to go along with six blocks while forcing 14 turnovers. In all seven games this season, UT has won the turnover margin against its opponents. The Vols held Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to 32 percent shooting from the floor on the day.

The Islanders (4-4) got an early jump in the game, taking a 15-8 lead behind a trio of 3-pointers. Tennessee heated up on both ends of the floor, however, closing the half on a 26-4 run over the final 12:36 in the frame to take a 34-19 lead into break.

The Vols shot 46 percent (11-of-24) from the floor while holding Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to 27 percent (8-of-30) shooting during the opening 20 minutes. Schofield led all scorers with nine points during the half. Alexander chipped in an additional eight while grabbing four rebounds.

BALANCED OFFENSIVE ATTACK: For the fourth consecutive game, four different Tennessee players scored in double-digits. Tennessee has had at least four double-figure scorers in six of its seven game this season. Eight different Vols have eclipsed the 10-point mark in a game this year.

UP NEXT: Tennessee travels to Phoenix, Arizona, to take on top-ranked Gonzaga in the Jerry Colangelo Classic next Sunday. The game tips at 3 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN.

-UT Athletics

 

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