The first day of the 2015 Kicker Country Stampede is in the books. Rain showers that had been forecast for Thursday afternoon and evening held off until well after headliner Thomas Rhett finished his show. Attendees were also treated to a fireworks display that brought the festivals opening day to a close.
Rhett, the son of country singer Rhett Akins, had the crowd up dancing and singing along to his own hits and some other concert classics. At one point, he brought a young man up on the stage with him to entertain the crowd and sing along to Garth Brooks’ party anthem “Friends In Low Places”. He also made a young fan’s day when he spotted the girls sign that read “Today is my 8th Birthday”, which earned her an autograph on the spot.
Rhett, who has charted three straight number one Billboard songs, also pumped up the crowd with his version of “Round Here”, a tune he co-wrote for Friday Stampede headliners Florida Georgia Line.
The event began at 5pm with performances by bands County Road 5 and Old Dominion. Canadian country singer Dallas Smith then took the stage before Rhett wrapped things up.
Day two of the Stampede gets underway on Friday afternoon when singer/songwriter Clare Dunn takes the stage at 2:30pm. Chris Lane, LoCash, and Kansas native Jerrod Niemann will also perform before Florida Georgia Line finishes off the Friday bill. The weather forecast calls for sunshine with temperatures topping out near 80 degrees after morning showers move out of the area.
