Event preview: Bayou Country Superfest

No shoes, no problem—Kenny Chesney returns to close out Saturday at Bayou Country Superfest. Courtesy Sony Music Nashville Group

By Mark Clements

Tiger Stadium will again transform from one of the loudest venues in college football to one of the largest concert settings in the South as Bayou Country Superfest returns for a sixth year.

The two-day festival will run Saturday-Sunday, May 23-24, with headliners Kenny Chesney, Blake Shelton, Brantley Gilbert and Miranda Lambert.

Chesney, who headlined the inaugural Superfest back in 2010, tops the bill for Saturday’s slate of performers. Kristian Bush of Sugarland opens the festivities that afternoon, followed by Colt Ford, Tyler Farr and Gilbert.

The concert kicks back up Sunday afternoon with Cassadee Pope, David Nail, Kip Moore and Lambert, leading into Shelton’s closing performance in the evening.

Lambert has played at the event in previous years, and Gilbert is returning to Baton Rouge for the first time since 2012.

For concertgoers looking to get into the action early, Bayou Country Superfest hosts Fan Fest in Lot 101 outside of Tiger Stadium both days. It begins at 11:30 a.m. and offers a tailgate-like atmosphere prior to the festival, with food, drinks and live music from several local country music artists leading up to the start of the main event.

There will also be an artist meet-and-greet area at Fan Fest, as well as a souvenir tent and prize giveaways from local radio stations. bayoucountrysuperfest.com

Party like it’s ‘1989’

One other Superfest alum will also be making an appearance before the weekend’s festivities start. Country/pop superstar Taylor Swift takes her “1989” world tour through Tiger Stadium on Friday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m.

Swift, who joined Chesney as a headliner for Bayou Country Superfest in 2010, will perform a standalone concert the night before, marking her first trip to Louisiana since playing in New Orleans in 2011.

Australian indie-pop artist Vance Joy and Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes will open for Swift.

Tickets for Swift’s show are sold separately from Bayou Country Superfest tickets and are available at ticketmaster.com.

Last year, Swift released 1989. The album marks a new direction for the singer. Once a country sweetheart, Swift is now dominating the pop charts with songs such as “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space” having no trace of her old sounds. Fans and critics don’t seem to mind, however. Rolling Stone and Pitchfork were just two of the many publications that put the album on their respective year-end best album lists. The album continues to dominate the Billboard charts, too, selling more than 4 million copies to date.