BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
If you don’t own a cowboy hat, you might want to track one down by May.
That’s when the Shaky Boots Festival, a two-day event featuring a massive collection of marquee country music artists will make its debut at the KSU Sports and Entertainment Park in Kennesaw.
Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flatts, The Band Perry, Dwight Yoakam, Jason Isbell, Old Crow Medicine Show, Sara Evans, Kristian Bush and Cracker are a handful of the acts that will perform on three stages on the site, about a mile from KSU's main campus.
Tickets for the May 16-17 festival will go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday via www.shakyboots.com. Two-day weekend passes are $169. VIP ticket packages, which include access to exclusive lounges, bathrooms and viewing areas, catered meals and complimentary beer, are $499.
Shaky Boots will be the first major-level, multiple-day country music festival to be held in Georgia. The absence of such an event is what prompted festival co-founder Tim Sweetwood to wrangle a top-drawer lineup.
"I've always been surprised that there isn't a large country festival in Georgia, so I'm excited to deliver what I think will be a great country festival for years to come," Sweetwood said.
The local concert promoter noted that he's been thinking about doing this type of festival for "quite awhile" and that the timing seemed right.
Sweetwood is also the mastermind behind the indie rock festival Shaky Knees, which launched in 2013 at Masquerade Music Park and expanded mightily last year to Atlantic Station , where more than 50 acts – including Alabama Shakes, Jenny Lewis, Modest Mouse and The Replacements – performed during a three-day span.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Shaky Knees will return for a third year May 8-10 with more information coming in the next month.
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Here is the confirmed lineup for Shaky Boots. More acts are expected to be announced.
Blake Shelton
Brad Paisley
Dierks Bentley
Rascal Flatts
The Band Perry
Dwight Yoakam
Jason Isbell
Old Crow Medicine Show
Sara Evans
Justin Moore
Joe Nichols
Eli Young Band
Kip Moore
Jana Kramer
Josh Thompson
Kristian Bush
The Devil Makes Three
Brothers Osborne
Cracker
The Cadillac Three
The Whiskey Gentry
Drake White
Amanda Shires
Claire Dunn
The Railers
Brooke Eden
Jim White vs. The Packway Handle Band
