Even casual country music fans will want to check out the first-ever Country Throwdown Tour that stops in the Washington area this weekend.
If you go
Country Throwdown Tour/McDonald’s WMZQ Fest Throwdown featuring Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, Jack Ingram, Little Bigtown and several others
Where: Jiffy Lube Live (formerly Nissan Pavilion), 7800 Cellar Door Drive, Bristow, Va.
When: 1 to 11 p.m. Sunday
Info: $20 and $45.50; ticketmaster.com
Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, Jack Ingram, Little Bigtown and Eric Church are among the dozens of artists scheduled to perform at the daylong event that includes attractions, vendors and pre-show tailgating parties. “When Eddie [Montgomery] and I were approached about doing the Country Throwdown Tour we immediately said yes,” said Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry. “We loved the idea of it being like a big festival, a big party.”
Built upon the premise of the Vans Warped Tour and the RockStar Mayhem Festival, this tour brings many musicians together and keeps ticket prices low. The concept is to allow fans to experience various types of country music by some of the more notable and upcoming contemporary musicians.
Festivals are generally structured so that musicians must strictly adhere to set lists because of technical and time constraints. Yet there are several elements about the Country Throwdown Tour that keeps performers fresh, including the lineup, said Gentry.
“We always get out and visit other stages and other artists,” he said. “The diversity of music is incredible.”
During downtimes many musicians work with some of the cadre of songwriters that travel with the tour. At night, a huge barbecue for the performers, the road crews and the writers often turns into a musical jam.
“That’s what keeps artists fresh,” Gentry said. “You can’t stay tunnel-visioned and stay in one groove, especially when you are doing one show [throughout a tour].”
The one set list concept is a great way for fans to become familiar with performers’ best work, though.
Jack Ingram, who generated a lot of buzz when he blazed through a live performance of his song “Barbie Doll” with Dierks Bentley during the April Academy of Country Music awards show, said fans often discover new musicians they want to follow as the result of the Country Throwdown. That’s why bringing the tour to country music fans is so important, he said.
“That’s the fun part about these shows,” Ingram said. “People may only be coming to hear me perform [my song] ‘Barefoot and Crazy,’ but the other songs might hit them across the foreheads.”
Few performers have found more ardent fan support during the Country Throwdown than Eric Church. Although he was originally scheduled to headline the “Outlaw Stage,” fans chanting “Main Stage” during his special acoustic performances and a petition sent to tour organizers moved him to the premiere stage after only three shows.
“Between every song they started chanting ‘Main Stage,’ ” Church said, sounding slightly chagrined. “Now we are plugged back in and just hit them over the head. I don’t talk much during the set; I’m not a talker. We just play. … Now they are really fired up.”
