Country star Alan Jackson is heading back Down Under to headline the CMC Rocks North Queensland 2013 festival on Sept. 28.
The Reid Park, Townsville site will also play host to the likes of international artists Sara Evans and Corb Lund, and homegrown performers Jasmine Rae and Morgan Evans, organizers said today.
Country music has a big following in Australia, and Jackson is one of its biggest stars — particularly in the state of Queensland. Jackson turned heads when his March 2011 arena tour of Australia’s big-three cities rapidly sold-out and dates were added to keep-up with demand. On that trek, the largest for a country artist here in 15 years, the 13,500-capacity Brisbane Entertainment Centre hosted three Jackson concerts. The third date in Brisbane (the capital city of Queensland and 1,350km south of Townsville) sold out in just 30 minutes.
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Rob Potts Entertainment Edge and Chugg Entertainment co-promoted Jackson’s 2011 tour, which included a CMC Rocks the Hunter festival at the Hope Estate winery in Hunter Valley. The two promoters are again teaming with the Country Music Channel for this year’s fest.
“We’re thrilled to bring one of the very biggest country music superstars to North Queensland for the first time,” Potts said in a statement today. “I’m a huge Alan Jackson fan myself and this will be a once in a lifetime experience for local fans.”
In Australia, Chugg Entertainment and Rob Potts Entertainment Edge have joined forces on the biggest-name country music tours of the last few years including Brooks & Dunn, Tim McGraw and now Alan Jackson with Miranda Lambert and Jasmine Rae. Michael Chugg, executive chairman of Chugg Entertainment, has described country as “the new heavyweight” and that most of Australia’s “mainstream hasn’t even really noticed yet.”
The Country Music Channel on the Foxtel pay-TV platform is behind the CMC Rocks festival brand, which is now in its sixth year. More artist announcements for this year’s event will be made in due course.