Soundboard

Country Fans Go Nuts: Big festival lineups announced

Tom Giffey, photos by Luong Huynh |

Blake Shelton at Country Fest 2014
Blake Shelton at Country Fest 2014.

Unless Johnny Cash starts touring again as a hologram to do duets with Taylor Swift, next summer’s lineups at Country Fest and Country Jam could hardly get bigger. Both Chippewa Valley music festivals unveiled their lineups in the past week, and they’re chock full of country stars:

Above: Cat-loving Country Fest attendee (2014).
Above: Feline enthusiast/Country Fest attendee (2014).

Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Keith Urban, and Rascal Flatts will headline a dude-heavy lineup at Country Fest, which will be June 25-28 on the fest grounds outside Cadott. All four hitmakers have played the Fest before, but for a few of them, it’s been a while; Rascall Flatts last performed there back in 2006. The just-announced mainstage lineup includes Rascal Flatts, Brett Eldredge (who was named Best New Artist at the Country Music Association Awards this week), and The Voice winner Danielle Bradbery on June 25; Tim McGraw, Billy Currington, and Neal McCoy on June 26; Keith Urban, Lee Brice, and the Swon Brothers on June 27; and Toby Keith and Thomas Rhett on June 28. The party is only seven months away, so go to countryfest.com for the full lineup and ticket information.

A few weeks later, another hot crop of chart-toppers will hit the stage at Country Jam just outside Eau Claire. While headliners Blake Shelton and Eric Church had previously been announced, the big news is that Lady Antebellum will close out the opening night of the festival on Thursday, July 23. The chart-topping trio will be joined July 23 by up-and-comers Hunter Hayes and Sam Hunt. Shelton – a guy even non-country fans know from his hosting gig on NBC’s The Voice – will perform Friday, July 24, topping a bill featuring Kip Moore, Cassadee Pope, and LoCash Cowboys. Church will close out Jam on Saturday, July 25, topping a day that will include Jerrod Niemann and three TBA performers. Tickets are already on sale, so go to countryjamwi.com for more info.