Red, White, and Boom 2016 | Kentucky’s Largest Country Music Festival

September 12, 2016

red white boom 2016

Over Labor Day weekend, my husband, our friends, and I attended Red, White, and Boom 2016. Red, White, & Boom has been a country music festival in Lexington ever since the Fourth of July in 2004. It first started as a one day event, then it expanded to two days, and now it is three days long. It used to happen on the Fourth of July, but this is the first year for it to take place over Labor Day weekend. Red, White, & Boom is sponsored by WBUL-FM 98.1. It used to be devoted to acts exclusively on a hopeful ride or on a graceful descent. But this is the first year, where there are three mega-popular headliners: Eric Church, Jason Aldean, and Florida Georgia Line. In 2016, it lasted three days with twelve different artists. For the nights that we attended (Saturday and Sunday), we stood relatively close to the stage.

The concert/festival took place at Whitaker Ballpark, and the stage for 70 feet tall. It was like there was a seven-story tall building in the outfield complete with jumbotrons and lighting. It would be just like you were seeing a concert at Rupp Arena. People from all over the United States came out for this event. There were even people that came from England to attend this festival!

rwblineup

I didn’t attend on Friday, but Maren Morris, Cam, Kacey Musgraves, and Eric Church performed. My husband, lots of our friends (about twenty of them), and I actually saw Cam perform over Memorial Day at Brimstone’s White Knuckle Event (along with Kip Moore). The White Knuckle Event is Brimstone’s event that is held over Memorial Day weekend. OHV enthusiasts from all over the world gather in Huntsville, Tennessee during May to enjoy the Cumberland Mountains, competitive events, and the latest country hits from Nashville’s finest (Us and quite a bit of our friends are actually going back later this month for their fall event called, Brimstone Paragon to go riding and to see Hank Williams Jr.). For those that don’t know (or haven’t seen my instagram posts that I posted back in May), Brimstone has over 19,196 acres nestled in the remote wilds of Northeast Tennessee and located in the Heart of Appalachia. There is also over 300 miles of OHV (Off Highway Vehicles; side-by-sides, dirt bikes, ATVs, etc) trails and roads with numerous overlooks and culture exploration points of interest.

Now, back to the performances from Red, White, and Boom…

{photo by: paul hooper}

Jordan Rager kicked off Saturday at Red, White, and Boom. Rager was actually mentored by Jason Aldean’s father, and his first single was a duet with Aldean. He sang some songs such as ‘Southern Boy’ and ‘Now That I Know Your Name.’

{photo by: paul hooper}

Granger Smith/Earl Dibbles Jr. performed second on Saturday (My husband, a lot of our friends, and me actually saw him perform at Bogart’s in Cincinnati back in February of this year). He sang some of his well known songs such as ‘Blue Collar Dollars,’ ‘Backroad Song,’ and ‘If the Boot Fits.’ He also performed songs made famous by his alter ego, Earl Dibbles Jr. such as; The Country Boy Song, City Boy Stuck, Country Boy Love, and Merica.

{photo by: paul hooper}

Due to Hurricane Hermine, Florida Georgia Line and Cole Swindell were supposed to be in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday night. However, the tropical storm caused their shows to be canceled, so they went ahead and drove into Lexington. During Thomas Rhett’s performance, he surprised everyone by bringing Florida Georgia Line on stage and singing their song, ‘Round Here,’ which he had written. Then a few minutes later, he surprised everyone again by bringing Cole Swindell on stage. Swindell then began singing Thomas Rhett’s song, ‘Get Me Some of That,’ which he had written for him.

{photo by: paul hooper}

Aldean was the headliner was Saturday night. He had a 90 minute set, which included some of his greatest hits and new songs of his new album; such as, ‘Lights Come On.

On Saturday night, there were approximately 14,000 people in attendance.

{photo by: paul hooper}

On Sunday night, the first performer was Canaan Smith, who was energetic throughout his set. He ended his set with his current hit, ‘Love You Like That.’ He then surprised the audience with his rendition of ‘Mad Love’ and a cover of Zayn Malik’s hit ‘Pillowtalk.’ He then surprised everyone by swigging a bottle of bourbon, and then destroying a drum with a sledgehammer.

{photo by: paul hooper}

The second performer of the night was Jon Pardi, who is a crooner that could be reminiscent of country music from days’ past. He is well known for his number one song, ‘Head Over Boots.’

{photo by: paul hooper}

Cole Swindell performed third and he sang all of his well-known hits, which ranged from upbeat party songs to a kiss-off to an ex to a heartfelt ballad, such as; ‘Chillin’ It,’ ‘Hope You Get Lonely Tonight,’ ‘Ain’t Worth the Whiskey,’ and ‘You Should Be Here.’ Not only did he perform his songs, but he performed songs that he has written for other artists, which included Thomas Rhett’s ‘Get Me Some of That’ and Luke Bryan’s ‘Rollercoaster.’ Cole Swindell actually performed at one of the Red, White, and Boom’s original July 4th festivals as an up-and-coming artist.

{photo by: paul hooper}

The biggest audience of the weekend came to see the country duo Florida Georgia Line on Saturday night, bearing 90-degree weather and close crowds. They was approximately over 16,000 people in attendance. I heard one report of 60,000 people, but I’m not sure which one is accurate.

Florida Georgia Line is one of country music’s biggest names. I’m sure everyone knows and has heard of FGL. Their songs have to do with partying, Fireball, whiskey, summer, and trucks. They are all catchy and infectious, and you can’t help but have a good time, when you hear one of their songs. They sang all of their biggest hits; ‘H.O.L.Y.,’ ‘Confession,’ ‘Dirt,’ ‘Anything Goes,’ and much more. FGL’s tour right now is called “Dig Your Roots.’ After performing a couple of songs, the duo shared baby pictures, pictures with their mothers, and pictures of them when they were learning to play guitar. Each picture led to a throwback song, which they essentially covered. The songs included: Nelly’s ‘Ride With Me,’ Montell Jordan’s ‘This Is How We Do It,’ House of Pain’s ‘Jump Around,’ and Backstreet Boys’ ‘Backstreet’s Back.’ It was a fun mash-up of songs that everyone knows. Of course, they had to end the night with probably their most well-known song of all, ‘Cruise.’

Just about every artist sang music off their new yet-to-be released albums, so we were among the first to hear their new tunes, which I think was pretty cool. They are already starting to plan the acts for next year (obviously, since you have to book the acts really far in advance in order to have them perform). There are already radio commercials stating that it is going to be bigger than ever! I can’t wait to go next year, and next year, we plan on getting VIP passes (special VIP section + all you can eat and drink). If you aren’t VIP, then you are general admission. You could stand anywhere you want; right at the front of the stage (if you get there first), in the stands, or back in the field on a blanket. The majority of people gathered around the stage standing in close proximity to each other. We got lucky both nights we went, and were relatively close to the stage. There were people everyone, and as the night got on, it got more and more crowded. So, if you want to go, you may not want to leave your spot, or else you might not be able to make it back through the crowd. I would suggest using the buddy system to push your way through the crowd (Luckily, when we left our spot, we were able to make it back just fine. However, I would do it at your own discretion hahaha. We were on a mission, and we WERE going to make it back to where we were).

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{a picture taken by a helicopter flying over the event on Sunday night}

Red, White, and Boom was initially a free show, which then grew to a mini-festival with minimal admission. Now, in 2016, it was $64.50 (single-day admission), $179 (three-day admission), and $358 (three-day VIP pass). If you love country music, this is one festival that you don’t want to miss. It’s not just everyday that you can see that many big names for such an affordable price. You have to remember that four acts perform on each night, and twelve acts perform over the entire weekend. You just can’t beat it!

  • Brandy Burke September 12, 2016 at 12:54 pm

    Jason Aldean, Eric Church and Florida Georgia Line all in the same place! I bet it was absolutely sold out packed space!

  • Rebecca Wilson September 12, 2016 at 5:03 pm

    This looks like it was such a fun event! I would have loved to have seen this in person.

  • Karen Yannacio Morse September 12, 2016 at 5:26 pm

    This looks like such a great event! I really want to see Florida Georgia LIne – and every time they come in my town its sold out or the tickets are crazy pricey. One day…

  • Kristin & Megan September 12, 2016 at 6:28 pm

    Ohhhh I love a good country music festival. I used to always love going to George’s. In fact, I’m headed to Vegas to see him in a few months! Can’t wait!

  • Ellie Augustin September 12, 2016 at 6:55 pm

    What a fun event. With my oldest starting college it’s a miracle I can afford a latte right now but this sounds like so much fun.

  • Julie DenOuden September 12, 2016 at 9:03 pm

    I love country music festivals!! And this is such a fabulous line-up…I’m actually a little jealous of y’all!

  • Roxanne Ferber September 12, 2016 at 9:41 pm

    I am not a huge country music fan- so I only recognize a few names in the list. But I do LOVE a good music fest!! 😉 Looks like fun!

    • Whitney @ Fabulous in Fayette September 14, 2016 at 10:59 pm

      All of our friends and us are huge country music fans, so this was right up our alley!

  • Carolyn Fennell September 12, 2016 at 10:24 pm

    My favorite would have been Florida Georgia Line. I haven’t been to a concert in years so I would have loved to see all these musicians at one time. How fun!

  • Taylor Smith September 12, 2016 at 10:47 pm

    I love country music so much. I have never been to a concert (of any kind!) in my whole life…so I definitely need to go to something like this!

    • Whitney @ Fabulous in Fayette September 14, 2016 at 11:00 pm

      I didn’t go to many concerts growing up. I went to one when I was like 14 or 15 – and that one was super small. And then I didn’t go to a real big concert until I was about 20!

  • Terri Steffes September 12, 2016 at 11:34 pm

    Wow, what a line up! I am super impressed with the photography. I’m just now discovering Cam. I can’t wait to learn more about her work.

    • Whitney @ Fabulous in Fayette September 14, 2016 at 11:01 pm

      We didn’t see Cam before here, but we saw her perform in Tennessee on our four wheeling trip – a much much smaller crowd, so we were super super close to her. She did a good job and was a really good performer! Plus, when she is performing live, she sings this cool fireball whiskey song! 🙂

  • Karen Coghlan September 13, 2016 at 12:21 am

    My Daughter told one of my Friends that she loved Country Music But not to tell anyone… She was 12 or 13 at the time… She was country when country wasn’t cool I guess…. This looks like fun….

  • Amanda Love September 13, 2016 at 2:51 am

    I don’t listen to country music that much but I bet a lot of people are looking forward to this! There’s nothing like good music with good people! I think it’s going to be a lot of fun, just like every year!

  • Tessa Lynn September 13, 2016 at 3:11 am

    I’m not a huge country fan but we have red white and boom in KC too, and I know a ton of people who LOVE it!

  • TheMummyToolbox September 13, 2016 at 8:24 am

    This is awesome, I am also a country fan and this is a good line-up, although Kentucky is a bit far for me being in the UK!

    • Whitney @ Fabulous in Fayette September 14, 2016 at 11:03 pm

      There was someone that came from England all the way to Kentucky to attend it!! 🙂 But definitely a super long way to travel!

  • Rose Sahetapy September 13, 2016 at 3:55 pm

    This must be an amazing experience to see the perfomance of so many country musicians on the same stage. I’ do enjoy and like many of country songs. despite I’m not really a country music listener.

    • Whitney @ Fabulous in Fayette September 14, 2016 at 11:04 pm

      You couldn’t beat it, especially for the price!! Especially since some of the artists alone, the tickets would be over $100+ if it was just their own solo show!

  • Nicole Cochingco Escat September 14, 2016 at 3:00 am

    I am a huge fan of music. I would like to go to a festival like this one, I hope we have something similar at our place.

  • Ana De Jesus September 14, 2016 at 5:10 am

    This sounds like the perfect festival for country music fans and Florida Georgia Line is meant to be great. Looks like you had a good time!

    • Whitney @ Fabulous in Fayette September 14, 2016 at 11:04 pm

      FGL was so good live!! They were definitely the ones that everyone wanted to see the most!

  • Rachel Catherine September 14, 2016 at 9:19 am

    Looks like an amazing concert! I would have love to have gone to this. I love country music.

  • Teresa Laura | MCBL September 14, 2016 at 11:39 am

    Wow, looks like an incredible concert! I don’t really listen to country music but my best friend does, and she would LOVE to attend a festival like this. So awesome!

  • CourtneyLynne Storms September 14, 2016 at 6:02 pm

    Omg how fun!!! I just love country music. This must of been a total blast to attend!!!

  • Heather McMechan September 14, 2016 at 9:18 pm

    I love Florida Georgia Line. This looks like it was amazing.

  • Whitney @ Fabulous in Fayette September 14, 2016 at 10:57 pm

    We had a blast!

  • Whitney @ Fabulous in Fayette September 14, 2016 at 10:58 pm

    It was so much fun!!

  • Whitney @ Fabulous in Fayette September 14, 2016 at 10:59 pm

    They’ll probably have it the same thing next year. They usually announce the acts in the earlier part of the year, and if I’m not mistaken tickets go on sale in June!

  • Whitney @ Fabulous in Fayette September 14, 2016 at 11:03 pm

    He would have loved this!

  • Whitney @ Fabulous in Fayette September 14, 2016 at 11:04 pm

    It was the greatest time!

  • Mandy Young Carter September 14, 2016 at 11:35 pm

    Oh my wow, what an amazing lineup. I would have loved to see half of the performances. Love your shorts!

  • Danity Donnaly September 15, 2016 at 9:16 pm

    I am not a big fan of country music, but i know someone who would be in heaven at this festival. Amber N

  • jillconyers September 16, 2016 at 10:00 am

    I’m not a big fan of country music but my daughter’s love for it more than makes up for that. We’re so so close to KY. She would love to go.

  • Suzanne Spiegoski-Decamps September 16, 2016 at 6:48 pm

    Looks like a fun country music festival! Glad you had a good time, xo.

  • Amanda Joy September 21, 2016 at 6:11 am

    That concert looks like it was so much fun! And you look so cute in your outfit!

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    Hi, y'all!

    Hey y'all! My name is Whitney, and I'm the founder of Fabulous in Fayette. I've been living in Lexington since 2008. I'm in love with my city of Lexington and love all the amazing local businesses and restaurants. It's seriously one of the best places to live!

    Not to be confused with Fayetteville, North Carolina. Fabulous in Fayette celebrates the fabulous city of Lexington, the great state of Kentucky, and Southern Living. In case you are not from here, Fayette refers to the county where Lexington is located!

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