Lee Brice has announced a long-term endorsement deal with Bud Light as he gears up for the release of his album Hard 2 Love, which hits stores tomorrow (4/24).

Brice will join a current lineup of country stars currently endorsed by the Anheuser- Busch subsidiary including Tim McGraw, George Strait and Dierks Bentley.

Over the next few weeks, Brice has a full schedule of national TV appearances including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Fox & Friends, Huckabee, IMUS in the Morning, The Better Show, and CNN’s Showbiz Tonight.

Brice’s upcoming tour stops:

04/23 – New York, NY – Joe’s Pub
04/26 – Louisville, KY – 4th Street Live
04/27 – Savannah, GA – Desperado’s
04/28 – Charlotte, NC – Coyote Joe’s
04/29 – Biloxi, MS – Mississippi Coast Coliseum
05/04 – Murray, KY – CFSB Center
05/10 – Ruston, LA – Rabb’s Steak and Spirits
05/11 – Jasper, TX – Jasper Lions Club Rodeo Ground
05/12 – Mission, TX – Las Palmas Race Park
05/18 – Topeka, KS – Landon Arena
05/19 – Batesville, MS – Springfest
05/23 – Ship Bottom, NJ – Joe Pop’s Shore Bar
05/24 – Foxborough, MA – Toby Keith’s I Love this Bar & Grill
05/25 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun – Wolf Den
05/26 – Roanoke, VA – Elmwood Park
06/01 – Bloomington, IN – Bluebird Nightclub
06/02 – Harlan, KY – Harlan Poke Sallat Festival
06/08 – Sparta, IL – World Shooting & Recreation Complex
06/09 – Lincoln, NE – Celebrate Lincoln Festival
06/16 – N. Lawrence, OH – Clay’s Park Amphitheater
06/17 – Big Flats, NY – Tag’s Summer Sound Stage
06/22 – Oshkosh, WI – Country USA
06/24 – Cardott, WI – Chippewa Valley – Country Fest
06/29 – Bluefield WV – Mitchell Stadium
06/30 – Huntington, WV – Harris Riverfront Park

Lauren Alaina missed junior prom this past Saturday night (4/14) because she was in Louisville, KY with Sugarland’s In Your Hands tour.

Alaina improvised by finding a partner from the audience to come onstage so she could officially have her prom dance.

After her set, she discovered the Lanesville High School Prom was being held just six blocks away from the concert venue. With the permission from the Lanesville High School Principal, she and fellow tour opener Canaan Smith made a surprise appearance at the Lanesville prom, dancing on the floor for about 20 minutes before heading back to the Sugarland show.

The 17-year old American Idol runner-up opens for Alan Jackson in Pensacola, FL (May 4) and Columbus, GA (May 5) before picking back up on Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party tour May 10-19. She will continue with Sugarland when the tour heads to Los Angeles on May 22.

(L-R): Bentley and Schiflett. Photo: Ryan Silver

Dierks Bentley journeyed to California on Friday (4/13) to kick off the US leg of his headlining 2012 Country & Cold Cans Tour for a sellout crowd at LA’s Nokia Theatre. His tourmates Eli Young Band and Will Hoge warmed up the audience before Bentley played his set, which included several surprise guest appearances.

Among those joining Bentley for performances was Foo Fighters’ lead guitarist Chris Shiflett on FF’s “Big Me” and a cover of the Flying Burrito Brothers’ “Sin City.” The show’s encore featured actor Garrett Hedlund performing “Hard Out Here.” The star-studded party continued after the show with friends Kirsten Dunst, Eric Stonestreet, and Foster the People.

While he’s out touring the West, Bentley will support Record Store Day this Saturday (4/21) with a special acoustic performance at Seattle’s Easy Street Records Queen Anne location.

“Record Store Day is such a great event that has hardly had any attention in country music,” said Bentley. “Some of the coolest exclusive product comes out on this day at indie retailers, and I wanted country fans to be able to get in on the action. I may have a few surprise special guests up my sleeve too. I’m really excited to take over Easy Street for an hour that afternoon…Seattle is such a great music town.”

Photo: Republic Nashville/Randee St. Nicholas

Martina McBride kicked-off the first of several intimate theater performances yesterday evening (4/12) in Panama City, FL. Tonight (4/13) the tour makes a stop in St. Augustine, FL, and tomorrow (4/14) it will hit Durham, NC.

The songstress will take her fans through a unique journey of music she wrote and recorded for her album Eleven (Republic Nashville) in one-night only experiences. Each night, Martina will change up her set to perform fan favorites from her catalog of eleven studio albums. Fans will also hear stories behind the songs, including her current single “Marry Me,” which is a duet with Pat Monahan from Train.

“I believe the concert experience is about sharing,” said McBride. “It’s not just an artist up on stage singing songs for an audience. There has to be a connection for it to work…for both of us. In an arena, I always feel like my mission is to keep people up on their feet all night. These theater shows are going to be more about making memories I hope they never forget.”

Martina McBride Theater Event Schedule:

April 13           St. Augustine, FL                    St. Augustine Amphitheater
April 14           Durham, NC                           Durham Performing Arts Center
April 28           Ivins, UT                                   Tuacahn Center for the Arts
May 12           Clear Lake, IA                        Surf Ballroom
May 13           Wabash, IN                            Honeywell Center
May 17           Austin, TX                                Austin City Limits Live
May 18           Houston, TX                            Arena Theatre
June 13          Vienna, VA                            Wolf Trap Filene Center
June 14          Kettering, OH                         Fraze Pavilion
June 22          Interlochen, MI                      Kresge Auditorium
August 24       Wallingford, CT                      Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre
August 25       Hyannis, MA                          Cape Cod Melody Tent
August 26       Cohasset, MA                       South Shore Music Circus