Each year, Redstone Arsenal builds on its reputation for staging one of the area's best summer outdoor concerts.
This year -- with a lineup of seven country acts and an improved concert field -- is sure to be a repeat performance.
And country is yet again taking center stage.
Billed as "Brantley Gilbert and the New Faces of Country," publicity for the Aug. 26 concert is just now hitting the airwaves and will continue during a summer-long promotion campaign on local WDRM-Radio.
"It's been country for us for quite awhile," said Mark Germonprez, business operations officer for Redstone's Family and Morale Welfare and Recreation, referring to a long list of country stars that have taken to the Redstone stage.
"We've stayed country because country station WDRM, our major sponsor, has the lion's share of the radio market. We have one shot every year at doing a concert at this level so we are going for what attracts the biggest audience we can get."
Over the years, FMWR has also remained flexible about the date of its summer outdoor concert so that it can get the best acts available.
"We go to our promoter and ask them to bring us the best show and best acts they can put together and we'll make the date work," Germonprez said. "We don't stick to a certain month during the outdoor concert season because we want to be open to any quality act that's available."
This year, FMWR hit the jackpot with Gilbert and the lineup of young country acts and, so, too, have country music fans. Tickets to the concert, which will be staged beginning at 2 p.m. Aug. 26 at the activity field near Gate 10, are $15 each during the week of May 21-27. The next week, tickets will go to $20 each, and will remain there until the day of the show, when tickets will be $25 each.
For that low ticket price, country music lovers will get about eight hours of live country music, opening with a foot-stomping performance by country singer and Hokes Bluff, Ala., native Drake White.
He will be followed by the country rocker Sonia Leigh, who will bring her hit "My Name is Money" to the Redstone stage. The stage will also include 2010 American Idol favorite Casey James, whose hit "Let's Don't Call It A Night" has made it to No. 21 on the Billboard charts, followed by the dazzling harmonies of Edens Edge in such hits as "Amen"; the edgy country musician Kip Moore, who debuted his first album in April and already has a hit in "Somethin' 'Bout a Truck"; and guitar playing, country star Easton Corbin with his song list including his two No. 1 hits -- "A Little More Country Than That" and "Roll With It."
The concert's headliner -- Brantley Gilbert -- will bring his Southern country rock sound to the stage to finish up the day's lineup. Gilbert's second album, "Halfway to Heaven," peaked at No. 2 on the iTunes Country Album Charts and at No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Album Chart for all genres. Gilbert has more than 7 million Facebook posts each month and his MySpace page has garnered more than 16 million total song plays, putting him in the No. 1 spot on MySpace Music Charts for both country and Southern rock. His song "Country Must be Country Wide" has topped the country music charts and his song "You Don't Know Her Like I Do" came in at No. 13.
"All these stars are really hot right now. They are young, upcoming acts that the industry thinks will make it really big," Germonprez said. "This collection of talent is something that our promoter put together for us. You won't find this show anywhere else but at Redstone Arsenal."
Besides general admission tickets, there are also a limited number of premium tickets available at $65 each, which includes special seating in the Bell Helicopter Premium Seating Area, beverages and dinner.
Tickets can be purchased at Redstone ITR at the Community Activity Center, The Summit and post restaurants. Off-post purchases can be made through Ticketmaster outlets.
Sponsors for the concert include WDRM as the major sponsor, and the "I Am Strong" Army values campaign, Bell Helicopter, Fox 54, Knology, Miller Lite and The Huntsville Times.
Although the "Brantley Gilbert and the New Faces of Country" concert is expected to be another sellout performance for 12,000 country music fans, FMWR has not forgotten about those music lovers who prefer other music genres. On Sept. 29, FMWR will once again host "Blues, Brews and BBQ" featuring a variety of musical talent.
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