Montgomery Gentry
With Special Guest Julianne Hough
October 10
7:30
p.m.
$25.00*
Montgomery Gentry
 Montgomery Gentry’s journey into the front ranks of American music has been
one of the most gratifying sagas of the past decade. Their road to gold and
platinum albums, CMA and ACM awards, a Grammy nomination and highly successful tours has been paved both with
musical integrity and with an abiding respect for the people and the genre they
represent.
“We’ve never sold out to anybody,” says Eddie Montgomery, whose soul-stirring
baritone and 19th-century outlaw look have become iconic among country’s rowdier
fans. “What you see with us is what you get.”
“We’ve always been consistent about choosing songs that deal with the working
class, songs people can identify with,” adds Troy Gentry, whose piercing tenor
and classic good looks provide the perfect counterpoint. “We’ve stayed true to
that.”
Now in their 10th year on the national stage, Montgomery Gentry can look back
on one of country’s most impressive legacies. They have released more than 20
charted singles, with anthems like “My Town” and “Hell Yeah” becoming indelible
parts of the honky-tonk landscape. They have hit the top of the singles charts
three times, with “If You Ever Stop Loving Me,” “Something To Be Proud Of” and
2007’s multi-week chart-topper “Lucky Man.” And now, with the release of Back
When I Knew It All, they have taken the next big step forward.
Eddie grew up in his family’s band, where he and his brother John Michael
spent their formative years in honky-tonks, falling in love with the music of
Hank Jr., Charlie Daniels, Willie, Waylon, Haggard, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Influenced by his mother’s love of music, Troy favored George Jones, Haggard,
Randy Travis and Hank Jr. and by high school, was in his first talent
contest.
The Montgomery brothers and Troy joined forces in a band called Young Country
until John Michael landed a record deal. His brother joined his band and Troy
went solo, winning the national Jim Beam Talent Contest in 1994. When Eddie
returned to Kentucky, he and Troy found themselves on stage together at various
charity concerts and they decided to join forces again.
Julianne Hough
 A triple threat as a singer, actress and dancer, Julianne Hough is already
known to millions of fans as the two-time professional dance champion on ABC-TV’s top-rated Dancing with the Stars (DWTS).
Though Julianne has been winning world dance titles since her early teens,
her ultimate goal has always been a career in country music. “I’ve grown up with
country music. I love how real everybody is, not just the artists, but the
fans.”
Growing up one of five Utah-born siblings, Julianne says her family was
sometimes referred to as the “blonde Osmonds.” An opportunity presented itself
to study performing arts in London, which started a period of intense
training.
After five years in the U.K., Julianne elected to leave behind a blossoming
international career and move back to the U.S. “I really wanted to sing.”
Talent, discipline and determination are a potent combination that generally
prove skeptics wrong, and that’s exactly what Julianne did. She moved to Los
Angeles, knowing she could earn her living as a dancer while pursuing her
musical dreams.
She started making regular trips to Nashville in the rare time she had off
from the TV show and the DWTS tour. Her Los Angeles
management firm introduced her to management in Nashville.
The debut single, “That Song In My Head,” is a buoyant effort that is
incredibly infectious. |
Rodney Atkins/Chuck Wicks
Sunday, October 11, 4:00 p.m.
$25*
RODNEY ATKINS
 There’s a very good reason that no less than four songs from Rodney Atkins’ platinum-selling 2006 album If You’re Going Through Hell became No. 1 hits—a feat that no one had accomplished since 2002. It’s the same reason that two of those songs became the most-played of 2006 (“If You’re Going Through Hell [Before the Devil Even Knows]”) and 2007 (“Watching You”), and why concert audiences all over the country are cheering him on and singing along.
It’s because Atkins has a rare gift for reflecting the lives of his listeners in his music—their hopes, their concerns, their spirit, their adversities, even their sense of humor. Simply put, as he sang in another chart-topping smash, “These Are My People.” A native of small-town East Tennessee, the adopted son of a loving family and the proud father to a family of his own, Atkins understands regular lives because he still leads one. “People always talk about image—‘You’re the guy in the ball cap, the All-American country boy,’” says Atkins, who does indeed still favor caps to cowboy hats. “But if the songs don’t connect with the folks listening, then none of that stuff matters.”
Atkins makes that connection again and again on his new album, It’s America. Just listen to the down-home philosophy of “Got It Good” and “Tell a Country Boy,” the heartfelt balladry of “The River Knows,” the fist pumping feel good “It’s America” and much more from across the musical and emotional spectrum. “I try to sing songs with an honest view of ourselves, of myself, of the struggle, of the laughter,” he says. “It’s about being human.”
He began singing in church as a boy, and learned to play guitar and write songs while in high school. Soon after he headed off to college, Atkins began making regular trips to Nashville in order to write, perform and learn the business. Word got around quickly about this talented and charismatic up-and-comer, and soon he was signed to Curb Records. Atkins’ 2003 debut album, Honesty, earned him a Top 5 hit with “Honesty (Write Me a List).”
CHUCK WICKS
 A gifted songwriter and vocalist, Chuck Wicks made a compelling impression with his Top 5 smash, “Stealing Cinderella,” the fastest-rising single by a debut country act in 2007. Expanding upon his musical talents, Wicks was a celebrity cast member of the eighth season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. By the time his first album, Starting Now, was released in January 2008, he had begun a year-long 750,000 fan-packed tour opening for superstar Brad Paisley. Wicks copenned 10 of the 11 songs on his debut CD, including his second hit, “All I Ever Wanted,” and the new single, “Man of the House,” a touching story-song about a boy taking on beyond-his-years' responsibilities as his father is on military assignment.
A Delaware native, Chuck was raised on a family farm, where he grew up loving a variety of music – from traditional country to R&B – but his early career aspirations focused on his passion for sports. He attended Florida Southern College to play baseball, but by his senior year, he found that music had overtaken his athletic aspirations.
Chuck began a series of trips to Nashville, and early interest from record label RCA Nashville inspired a permanent move to Music City, where Chuck spent several years paying his dues, honing his craft, and learning – earning his place within the city’s songwriting community and ultimately landing a recording contract with RCA. |
Mitchel Musso and Nat & Alex Wolff
Saturday, October 17, 7:30 p.m.
$25*
Mitchel Musso
 Mitchel Musso, One of the Stars of Disney Hannah Montana
Mitchel Musso began his auspicious acting career at the mere age
of seven. By the age of nine, he began to audition for commercials and print work. When he is not in the latest teen magazines, he is a regular on the Emmy-nominated Disney Channel series “Hannah Montana.” He portrays the role of
Oliver ‘Smoken’ Oken and he is currently shooting the third season of the hit series. His other TV credits include the Disney Channel Original Movies “Life is Ruff” and “Hatching Pete.” Musso is also the voice ‘Jeremy’ on the Disney Channel animated series “Phineas and Ferb.”
For his debut album, Musso is working in Los Angeles and New York. The album will feature four songs cowritten by Musso, plus a collaboration with his brother Mason from Metro Station. The
music video for “The In Crowd,” the first single from Musso’s forthcoming album is currently on rotation on Disney Channel and can be heard on Radio Disney. Musso was recently tapped Male Pop Rookie of 2009 during MTV News’ special feature “Pop Week,” which included a
behind-the-scenes look at the music video shoot for “The In Crowd.”
Besides acting and being a part of the “Hannah Montana” cast, Mitchel enjoys his friends, skateboarding, and listening to his iPod.
 Nat & Alex Wolff, stars of Nickelodeon's The Naked Brothers Band
Nat Wolff
The lead singer songwriter of the band, 11 year old heartthrob Nat, is modest and soulful with a strong moral center. Nicknamed “The Girl Magnet”, he sees himself as anything but, as he finds all encounters with girls daunting to say the least. His relationship with his little brother Alex is paternalistic, and he spends a lot of time caring for him, keeping him in line, and watching out for him. Nat is in fact the parental figure for everyone in his world, from his band members to his own father. Since maturity is his trademark, Nat’s lapses into childish behavior with girls are all the more funny and touching.
Alex Wolff
The band’s drummer and “bad boy”, eight year old Alex, with his do-rags, fake piercings and pasted on tattoos, behaves the way every child would like to if they had the nerve. If Nat is the conscience of the band, Alex is the “id”, the one who does and says everything that comes into his outrageous little mind. Even though he is considered a loose cannon, his brilliance as a drummer and his big romantic heart make him a highly respected member of the band, not to mention the fact that his wild take on life keeps the rest of the band members and the audience in stitches.
www.natnalex.com
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DAVID COOK
Sunday, October 18
4:00 p.m.
$25*
 Millions of people around the country fell in love with rock belter David Cook while watching him make other people’s songs his own week after week on the seventh season of American Idol last year. Cook won the competition handily thanks to viewers connecting with his rich, unfettered voice and passionately intense performances, not to mention his down-to-earth Midwestern charm. Now, with the release of his self-titled major-label debut, this gifted 25-year-old is eager to show those fans what he can do when he’s in the driver’s seat.
“I went on Idol with a five-card hand and showed three of my cards,” Cook says. “Now it’s time to put down the other two. There’s a lot I haven’t shown the world, just as far as who I am and what I’m about. I have several layers as an artist and those layers are out there on this record. I don’t see myself ever writing an autobiography; I’m just going to let the music speak for itself.”
And it does — loud and clear. David Cook is a statement-making album, filled with bold, keenly felt songs that showcase Cook’s powerful vocal chops and considerable songwriting talent, as well as the versatility that made him a star on Idol. The first single “Light On,” with its Southern rock vibe, is light years away from the gut-wrenching ballad “Permanent,” which couldn’t be more different than the swaggering shredder “Bar-Ba-Sol.”
“I wanted to make an eclectic album that went places,” Cook says. “This is my first major-label release and that gave me some room to be a bit of a chameleon and try different things. So there’s a diversity of influences on this record.”
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*Advance purchase concert tickets include Fair gate admission.
Concert tickets may be subject to convenience and/or handling
fees. |
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