Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan to play Sanford Stadium concert on UGA campus
ATHENS — Country music stars Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan are teaming up for a stadium show at one of college football’s most iconic venues.
The pair announced Saturday during a segment on “SEC Nation” they will co-headline a concert at Sanford Stadium, the 93,033-seat home of the University of Georgia Bulldogs, on April 25, as the kickoff to a new series of events the school is calling Live Between the Hedges.
“When you were announcing it, I got chill bumps,” Bryan said to “SEC Nation” host Laura Rutledge.
The concert will also feature Zach Top and Lauren Alaina.
“The idea of bringing concerts back to Sanford Stadium has been in the works for a long time, and I am excited to see it become a reality,” Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks said earlier this year.
Sanford Stadium last hosted a concert in 2013, featuring Aldean, Bryan, Jake Owen and Thomas Rhett.
“To be able to go back and do it again, Luke and I doing it together, that’s going to be pretty incredible,” Aldean said. “… My favorite show I’ve ever done.”
Ludacris played a short set in Sanford Stadium in 2016 as part of the football team’s annual spring game. James Brown performed during halftime of the 1977 game against Kentucky.
For Bryan and Aldean, the show is another homecoming. Bryan, from Leesburg, and Aldean, from Macon, are longtime friends and have previously toured together.
“As we worked on bringing concerts back to Sanford Stadium, it was important that we find a group with Georgia roots,” Brooks said. “We have always had a strong partnership with Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan and appreciate their passion for their home state and this university. Zach Top and Lauren Alaina are the perfect complement to what will be a fun night in Athens.”
Earlier this year, country star and UGA graduate Megan Moroney played two nights at the new 8,500-seat Akins Ford Arena downtown. Billy Strings is scheduled for two February shows at the same venue.
Local officials expect the Sanford Stadium concert to draw tens of thousands of people and provide a lift to hotels, restaurants and shops. More than 60,000 people attended the 2013 show.
“It will be a huge economic boost for the month of April,” said Katie Williams, executive director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau. “People love to be in Sanford Stadium, so I’m excited they’re bringing it back.”
Ticket presales for Aldean’s and Bryan’s fan club members will begin at 10 a.m. Sept. 29.
Tickets for the public go on sale at 10 a.m. Oct. 2.
About the Author
Fletcher Page is Athens bureau chief covering northeast Georgia for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
