As summer nears here in Florida, many people look for having great experiences. A perfect way to do so is by attending country concerts or festivals. Concerts are a great way to enjoy some music and have a fun time with friends. Most artists are hopping on tour for the summer creating a plethora of concerts to choose from.
The majority of country concerts this year are during the summer, but two artists will be touring in Florida this spring. Very soon, Old Dominion with be playing at the Hard Rock Live on April 8th. This concert is only the third concert since the beginning of their Back to Home tour. The last country concert in the spring is Eric Church’s Holdin’ My Own tour coming to Jacksonville on May 5th. Both of these concerts are a great way to kick off the country concert season.
Out of all the country artists coming to Florida, the Midflorida Amphitheatre in Tampa is hosting the majority of concerts. The first concert to start off the summer is Brantley Gilbert’s The Devil Don’t Sleep tour. Gilbert will be stopping in Tampa on June 2nd and is featuring Tyler Farr and Luke Combs. Almost two weeks after Gilbert. Sam Hunt will be holding a concert with Marren Morris and Chris Jansen. His 15 in a 30 tour is following his Montevello tour due to the two songs he recently released; Body Like a Back Road and Drinkin’ Too Much. Hunt will be in Tampa on June 14th and he will be having a concert in West Palm Beach on June 15th. Two days after Sam Hunt performs in Tampa Dierks Bentley will be playing on June 16th featuring Jon Pardi and Cole Swindell. Like Hunt, Bentley will also be playing in the West Palm Beach Perfect Vodka Arena on June 17th. Artists Lady Antebellum and Jason Aldean will be playing in the same arenas. For the Lady Antebellum concert, they will be touring with Kelsea Ballerini and Brett Young, on July 28th in Tampa and July 29th in West Palm. Brett Young is going right off the bat of another tour playing with Luke Bryan on his Kill The Lights Tour. On August 18th, Jason Aldean will be performing in Tampa with Chris Young and Kane Brown. They will also be in West Palm on August 19th. All of these concerts will perfectly fill up the summer with some good ol’ country fun in Tampa and West Palm Beach.
After the summer time, there are still a couple of country concerts lined up. The first concert in the fall is Zac Brown Band on September 22nd in West Palm and the 24th in Tampa. The band’s Welcome Home tour is nearing the end of the tour when they stop by Florida. The next concert is Florida Georgia Line on October 12th, 13th, and 14th. On the 12th, FGL will be in Jacksonville, on the 13th they will be in Tampa, and on the 14th they will be in West Palm. Florida Georgia Line just came to Orlando in January, but because of high request, they extended their tour and are coming back to Florida. The last country concert of the fall is the infamous Tim McGraw and Faith Hill on their Soul2Soul tour. This lovely couple will be traveling down to perform in Florida on three dates. On October 19th they will be in the BB&T arena in Miami, on October 20th they will be performing in the MidFlorida Credit Union Arena in Tampa, and on October 21st they will be in the Amway Center in Orlando. Their concert is a perfect way to sum up the country concerts in Florida. Pick and Choose as you may, but all of these artists are great to add some music and fun into your spring, summer or fall!
Sophomore Samantha Nicholson, tell us her plans for attending country concerts. She says that going to concerts is always great because ” I enjoy seeing my favorite artists perform”. Nicholson plans on going to the Sam Hunt concert on June 14th in Tampa because “[he] is more upbeat and a more modern country”. Country concerts always creates a different vibe than pop or rock concerts. ” [The] different types of people creates a fun experience”, says Nicholson. This is very true, there are a variety of people at country concerts that might make it more fun or not fun at all. Nicholson tell us the other people should go to one of these upcoming concerts “to experience the lifestyle of country music and what other people enjoy”. The whole vibe of a country concert is like no other and it creates a fun experience and some good memories. If Samantha Nicholson were to attend another country concert this year, she would choose Lady Antebellum because “the opening acts are just as great and Lady Antebellum’s music is really amazing”.
Sophomore Averi Kremposky has minimal experience in country concerts, but totally loves it. Kremposky has been to the Hunter Hayes concert at Universal since it was free with Universal passes. She says she likes country concerts because, “people are nice with lots of energy and good vibes”. Averi Kremposky suggests that people should try out a country concert because, ” even though country concerts have a negative connotation, people shouldn’t knock it till you try it”. In order to have the best experience, there are some tips needed to do so. Kremposky gives some tips in order to survive the concert. “Wear shorts [due to the heat], wear a hat, and wear closed toed shoes( preferably boots)”. She also says that people need to, “be patient with the people, people get sweaty which puts them in a bad mood. Bring water because it’s hot and stadium bottled water is expensive”. Averi Kremposky knows the ins-and-outs of a country concert and knows how to enjoy it. Take her advice to have the best time listening to great music.
Sophomore Averi Kremposky