Drake at Bridgestone Arena, 9/18/2018
If you've noticed a deluge of concert announcements, you're not alone. Here's our rundown of some noteworthy stand-alone shows and festivals in Middle Tennessee to mark down on your calendar.
Sevier Park Fest kicks off at 10 a.m. on May 6 at the 12South hangout. Will Hoge, Lilly Hiatt, Banditos and other performers will take two stages alongside a smattering of local vendors and community groups. Tickets are on sale at sevierparkfest.com/tickets, at just $10 for adults 18 and up, while kids get in free.
CMA Fest will take over Lower Broadway, Nissan Stadium, Ascend Amphitheater and several free venues June 8 through 11, bring scores of country stars and up-and-comers. As usual, there’s a mix of multiple-award-winners and rising stars looking to raise their platform outside Music Row: Keith Urban, Ashley McBryde, Luke Bryan, Jimmie Allen, Eric Church, Chapel Hart, Miranda Lambert and Hailey Whitters are all slated to perform. A wide range of ticketing options is available at cmafest.com/tickets, including single- and multi-day passes for Nissan Stadium and Ascend Amphitheater.
Drake and 21 Savage will bring the It’s All a Blur Tour — Drake's first since 2018 — to Bridgestone for a Juneteenth concert. Tickets for the June 19 show go on general sale at noon Central Time on March 17 — check the Ticketmaster site for details, presale information and prices.
Update, April 24: Drake's June 19 show has been moved to Monday, Oct. 2 — tickets sold for June 19 are good for this date, and additional tickets remain. A second date has been added for Sunday, Oct. 1, and tickets go on sale for that Friday, April 28.
Jimmy Eat World and Manchester Orchestra will bring angsty rock and power chords to Ascend Amphitheater on July 28. The tickets go on sale to the general public March 16 at 10 a.m., and there are a variety of presale options beginning March 14. (Waiting in line for presale tickets is also a great opportunity to spin “The Middle” over and over again.)
Franklin’s laid-back Pilgrimage Festival will return to The Park at Harlinsdale Farm Sep. 23 through 24, and tickets are available at pilgrimagefestival.com/tickets. The Lumineers and rising country star Zach Bryan headline, and Yola, Margo Price, Hailey Whitters and The War and Treaty will help complete the lineup. Two-day general admission tickets are available starting at $239 plus fees.
Counting Crows, just before Pilgrimage 2018 got rained out
Counting Crows and Dashboard Confessional — an odd team-up of ’90s rockers and Aughts emo heroes — heads to the Grand Ole Opry House on Aug. 14. Tickets will be available at 10 a.m. on March 17 via AXS.
Grundy County’s subterranean venue The Caverns will once again host Cave Fest Oct. 6 through 8, with an extensive bill that includes Sam Bush, Leftover Salmon, The Infamous Stringdusters, Peter Rowan and The Travelin’ McCourys. The general sale for tickets opens March 15 at noon Central Time, ensuring that this could be a very expensive St. Patrick’s Day week for Middle Tennessee music lovers.
