Tim McGraw, Dierks Bentley to Headline Free Concerts at NFL Draft with Gospel Great CeCe Winans to Sing National Anthem
18 Nashville-Based Acts – From Country, Rock, Pop, Americana, Blues and More – to Perform at Main Stage, Fan Zone
NASHVILLE – GRAMMY-winner Tim McGraw and multi-Platinum singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley will headline free outdoor concerts as part of the 2019 NFL Draft at the Draft Main Stage in downtown Nashville, the NFL and Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp announced today. Gospel music great CeCe Winans will sing the National Anthem to help open NFL Draft activities on Thursday, April 25.
In total, 18 Nashville-based acts representing diverse genres of music will perform during the three days of activities on the Draft Main Stage and at NFL Draft Experience, a free admission football festival held around Nissan Stadium. They include country/rock “Nashville” TV show star Chip Esten, alternative country/Americana artist Rayland Baxter, pop and indie rock artist Mikky Ekko, and country singer-songwriter Charlie Worsham. McGraw serves on the Nashville Local Organizing Committee for the Nashville Draft.
Nashville Mayor David Briley: “We cannot thank Tim and Dierks enough for donating their time and talent to elevate the fan experience as Nashville hosts the NFL Draft this April. We are equally thrilled that fans will get to soak in even more great live music across the river at the Draft Experience stage, where we will have acts ranging from rock to pop to Americana to blues. There is no music scene in the world like ours and showing it off was a big reason we wanted to host the NFL Draft and the NFL wanted to come to Music City.”
Downtown Nashville’s Lower Broadway and the area outside Nissan Stadium will host free, public activities for the 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville April 25-27, 2019. The 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville will serve as the official kickoff to the NFL’s 100th season. The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, in partnership with the Tennessee Titans, led the bid process for the NFL Draft on behalf of the city. No other NFL Draft has integrated free live music to the degree that will be included in the Nashville Draft.
McGraw will perform a free outdoor concert on Lower Broadway on Friday, April 26 at the Draft Main Stage, which is where the player selections will take place. Bentley will perform on Saturday, April 27. The McGraw and Bentley concerts will both begin at the conclusion of selection activities on Friday and Saturday.
The 20th running of the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & ½ Marathon also is taking place April 27-18, and the Bentley concert will double as the traditional headlining concert for the running event’s participants.
“This year’s St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & ½ Marathon and NFL Draft festivities are going to be memorable as we celebrate 20 years and the NFL celebrates 100 years in this amazing city,” said Keats McGonigal, Senior Regional Director for Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series. “We are excited to partner with the NFL Draft on numerous events and concerts during draft week. This is especially true on Saturday night, which gives our runners the exciting headliner they love to experience in Music City.”
McGraw, who serves on the Nashville Local Organizing Committee for the Nashville Draft, has had 43 number one radio singles, 16 number one albums and countless industry awards and accolades. McGraw recently performed for the NFL’s official Tailgate party at Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta.
Bentley has earned billions of digital streams and countless nominations from the ACMs, CMAs, GRAMMYs, Billboard Music Awards and more. Bentley is currently on his 2019 BURNING MAN TOUR, which included a stop a sold-out stop on Friday, Feb. 22 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena after earning a capacity headlining debut in 2016.
Another musical act will perform on Thursday before player selections start at the Draft Main Stage. Details to be announced in the coming weeks.
Draft Main Stage on Lower Broadway
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- Friday, April 26: Tim McGraw
- Saturday, April 27: Dierks Bentley
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NFL Draft Experience presented by Oikos® Triple Zero outside Nissan Stadium
Thursday, April 25:
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- New North (country, soul, rock, Americana, fusion)
- Striking Matches (pop, alternative, blues, rock)
- Mikky Ekko (pop, indie rock)
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Friday, April 26:
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- Willie Jones (country, R&B)
- Kid Politics (indie pop)
- Jessi Wilson (blues)
- Charlie Worsham (country singer-songwriter)
- Jonny P (soul)
- Rayland Baxter (alternative country, Americana)
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Saturday, April 27:
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- Katie Schecter (rock, pop)
- Jason Eskridge (soul, acoustic, pop, folk)
- Three Star Revival (soul/jam/funk/Americana/rock)
- Andrew Combs (indie folk)
- Chip Esten (country/rock star of “Nashville” TV show)
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NFL Draft in Nashville
The NFL Draft Experience presented by Oikos® Triple Zero, is a free admission, three-day football festival held outside Nissan Stadium. Representing the largest festival footprint ever created by the NFL, fans can participate in interactive exhibits, immersive games, virtual reality experiences, free player autograph sessions and more.
NFL Draft Experience hours of operation:
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- April 25 (Thursday): 12PM to 10PM
- April 26 (Friday): 12PM to 10PM
- April 27 (Saturday): 9AM to 6PM
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Activations at NFL Draft Experience:
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- Autograph Stage with current NFL players and NFL Legends
- Interactive games, Play Football clinics, and PLAY 60 Zone for the smallest NFL fans
- Photo with the Vince Lombardi Trophy
- NFL Shop at Draft with exclusive NFL merchandise
- Taste of Tailgate with Nashville restaurants and Bud Light Bars
- NFL Draft Experience music stage with Nashville-based artists of all genres
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Confirmed NFL Draft sponsors include: Bridgestone, Bud Light, Dannon, FedEx, Lowe’s, Mars, Nationwide, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Sleep Number, Verizon and Visa.
The Draft Main Stage location will be at First and Broadway. Free and open to the public to view Draft selections and the McGraw and Bentley shows. Draft picks on Main Stage will take place evenings of April 25 (Thursday) and April 26 (Friday) and during the afternoon of April 27 (Saturday).
Schermerhorn Symphony Center will be host to Selection Square, which features the team tables where representatives from each club will make their Draft selections. The NFL Draft Red Carpet will take place on April 25 (Thursday) at The Green at Riverfront Park.
Admission to the 2019 NFL Draft is free and open to the public. Fans can enhance their NFL Draft experience by visiting NFL.com/Draft to pre-register for Fan Mobile Pass, which provides updates on the Fan Mobile Pass App, event information, major announcements and access to exclusive viewing areas.
2019 NFL Draft in Nashville is expected to be the largest event in Nashville and the State of Tennessee given the anticipated attendance over three days, national networks and media coverage. The 2019 NFL Draft Local Organizing Committee has raised more than $2 million and continues to seek corporate partnerships to enhance free fan experiences and create outdoor concerts. The 40-member Committee includes honorary co-chairs Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee; Mark Ezell, Commissioner at Tennessee Department of Tourist Development; Bill Haslam, former Governor, State of Tennessee; David Briley, Mayor, Metro Government of Nashville and Davidson County; and Amy Adams Strunk, Owner, Tennessee Titans. Co-chairs are Steve Underwood, CEO and President, Tennessee Titans, and Dan Mohnke, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing and Operations, Nissan Division U.S.
Suggested Hashtag: #NFLDraft
Suggested Tweet: Go to https://www.visitmusiccity.com/nfldraft for details and start following @VisitMusicCity for updates.
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Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw’s unparalleled career includes 43 number one radio singles, 16 number one albums and countless industry awards and accolades. His unique chart achievements include having three singles in the Top 20 of the radio charts on multiple occasions, as well as having two singles spend over 10 weeks at number one. His last solo project spawned one of the biggest hit singles of all-time, “Humble and Kind,” whose message continues to impact fans around the world including a Spanish version sung by McGraw. He has routinely been cited as one of the biggest touring artists in the history of country music. McGraw recently performed for the Super Bowl Pregame Show’s Tailgate Party in Atlanta. timmcgraw.com
Dierks Bentley
Pegged as “one of Country music’s most enviable brands, equal parts affability and authenticity” (Forbes), Bentley continues to be a dominant voice for the genre with over 8.6 billion overall digital streams. Reaching a new creative high while “making music designed to challenge” (New York Times), Bentley co-wrote 10 of his current album THE MOUNTAIN’s (Capitol Records Nashville) 13 tracks, which earned him the highest debut sales of his career and became his seventh chart-topping album. Critics continue to applaud “one of the most joyful, brazen, and cohesive collections of his career” (Entertainment Weekly), as it was featured as one of “2018 Best Albums” by Esquire, USA Today, Rolling Stone, The Tennessean, and more. It was also was one of the only Country albums on Billboard’s all-genre year-end list. THE MOUNTAIN garnered multiple nominations, including “Album of the Year” nods from the ACM and CMAs and has been streamed more than 245 million times. Bentley has amassed 18 career number ones, billions of digital streams, countless nominations from the ACMs, Billboard Music Awards and more, while earning 13 GRAMMY nominations – including at least one stemming from each of his last six albums. Bentley will make notable stops throughout the country on his 2019 BURNING MAN TOUR sponsored by 5-hour ENERGY®, with special guests Jon Pardi, Tenille Townes and the Hot Country Knights, including his return to Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena after making a sold-out headlining debut in 2016. dierks.com
St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & 1/2 Marathon
The St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & ½ Marathon will celebrate its 20th year running in the Music City on April 25-28, 2019. Featuring many of Nashville’s best live bands on 27 stages along the course, the musically themed road race annually attracts more than 30,000 runners. Saturday’s marathon, half marathon and 5K conclude with a finish line festival outside of Nissan Stadium. Race week kicks off with the two-day Health & Fitness Expo on Thursday, April 25 and Friday, April 26 at Music City Center. The one mile and the KiDS ROCK Nashville presented by YMCA of Middle Tennessee takes place on Sunday, April 28 at Nissan Stadium. For more information, please visit RunRocknRoll.com/Nashville or follow @RunRocknRoll on Twitter with hashtag #RNRNASHVILLE.
The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp
The mission of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp is to maximize the economic contribution of the convention and tourism industry to the community by developing and marketing Nashville as a premier destination. Visit the NCVC’s website and follow us on social media:
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