Garth Brooks To Headline Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff In New Orleans

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Garth Brooks. Photo: Blue Rose, Inc

Garth Brooks will celebrate the start of the 2023 college football season headlining the inaugural Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff on Sept. 2 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Opening acts for the event, which is expected to be an annual Labor Day weekend celebration, include Louisiana’s own Lainey Wilson and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Festivities for the Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff will begin at Champions Square with Tailgate Town, a football-themed interactive experience sponsored by New Orleans & Company. Tailgate Town will feature up-and-coming artists and set the stage for the main entertainment in the Superdome. It will also feature special college football and amateur sports spotlights, sponsor activations as well as other games and activities throughout the day.

“Being asked to be part of the first ever Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff is an honor,” says Brooks. “The fun will be in getting to perform with Legends Nitty Gritty and future legend Miss Wilson in front of arguably the greatest country music fans on the planet. Any trip to Louisiana is a guaranteed good time so PLEASE count me in!!”

“The Sugar Bowl Committee is always looking at ways to bring first-rate entertainment that will drive tourism in Louisiana,” says Sugar Bowl President Richard Briede. “While efforts have traditionally focused on sporting events, Russell Doussan and the Doussan Music Group have provided us the opportunity to add great music, another hallmark of the state, to the Sugar Bowl repertoire as we start a new football season.  The Sugar Bowl is particularly pleased that proceeds from the event will help support the work our organization is doing in the community.”

Proceeds from the event will go toward assisting the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s numerous community programs, including the New Orleans Teacher Collective. Funds will also go toward the aid of existing scholarship programs and youth events the Bowl supports annually.

“As the College Football Playoff looks to expand a year from now, we find ourselves in an increasingly competitive environment,” says Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley. “This has caused us to look at everything with a fresh set of eyes and to look at creative ways to drive revenue in order to remain competitive with larger cities in possession of much larger corporate bases.  The Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff provides us with just such an opportunity while allowing us to continue to do good things for our city and state.”

“We are excited to have not just Garth Brooks in the Superdome, but also our very own Louisiana Music Ambassador and Louisiana native Lainey Wilson,” says Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “She rocked the world with us on our float in the Rose Parade and we know she will get the crowd rocking to welcome Garth to the stage in New Orleans. This lineup has all the makings of a great Louisiana Saturday night.”

Lorie Hollabaugh
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