Garth Brooks will be headlining the inaugural Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff on Sept. 2 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, to help celebrate the start of the 2023 college football season. The event, which is expected to be an annual Labor Day weekend celebration, will include performances from Louisiana’s own Lainey Wilson and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Says Brooks: “Being asked to be part of the first ever Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff is an honor The fun will be in getting to perform with Legends Nitty Gritty and future legend Miss Wilson in front of arguably the greatest country music fans on the planet. Any trip to Louisiana is a guaranteed good time so PLEASE count me in!! Wilson also took to Instagram to share the news, writing: “Well hot dang y’all…I’m joining the one and only @garthbrooks, in my home state of Louisiana. We’re coming home to Louisiana!”
Proceeds from the event will go toward assisting the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s numerous community programs, including the New Orleans Teacher Collective. Funds will also go toward the aid of existing scholarship programs and youth events the Bowl supports annually. Sugar Bowl President Richard Briede shared in a release: “The Sugar Bowl Committee is always looking at ways to bring first-rate entertainment that will drive tourism in Louisiana While efforts have traditionally focused on sporting events, Russell Doussan and the Doussan Music Group have provided us the opportunity to add great music, another hallmark of the state, to the Sugar Bowl repertoire as we start a new football season. The Sugar Bowl is particularly pleased that proceeds from the event will help support the work our organization is doing in the community.”
Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser wrote: “We are excited to have not just Garth Brooks in the Superdome, but also our very own Louisiana Music Ambassador and Louisiana native Lainey Wilson. She rocked the world with us on our float in the Rose Parade and we know she will get the crowd rocking to welcome Garth to the stage in New Orleans. This lineup has all the makings of a great Louisiana Saturday night.”
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