In the following months, campus will be home to a slew of performances, ranging from country music concerts to heavy metal performances to historical plays. Here are some upcoming acts to keep an eye on this semester:
“People Where They Are”
“People Where They Are” is the upcoming production from Clarence Brown Theatre; located just off of Pedestrian Walkway near the Whirlwind statue, Clarence Brown hosts professional theatre companies.
The production was written recently and specifically for Clarence Brown Theatre by playwright Anthony Clarvoe. The story itself takes place in Tennessee; the play recounts the tale of Highland Folk School, a school in Grundy County that hosted early civil rights discussions, some of which were attended by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. The play depicts the story of “southern heroes” gathering in secret and plotting to change their own lives, as well as the lives of the American people.
“People Where They Are” will began Oct. 2nd and run through Oct. 20th.
Thomas Rhett
Country-pop artist Thomas Rhett will be performing on Oct. 10th in Thompson-Boling Arena as part of his 2019 Very Hot Summer Tour promoting his most recent album, “Cedar Point Road”.
Rhett has quickly risen to country fame in recent years. He’s won a slew of various musical awards since 2016; most recently, he was awarded Music Video of the Year for his song “Marry Me” at the 2018 CMA Awards. He also hosted the 2019 CMA Fest, alongside country artist Kelsea Ballerini.
Rhett will be joined by artists Dustin Lynch, Rhett Akins and and Russel Dickerson.
The Avett Brothers
This folk rock group, led by brothers Scott and Seth Avett, will be performing in Thompson-Boling Arena on Oct. 27th. The duo has an impressive repertoire of musical history; they’ve been active since 2000 and have recorded more than a dozen albums. The brothers have played at several prominent music festivals, including Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival and Forecastle Festival just this past summer.
The Avett Brothers will be accompanied by Trampled by Turtles, also a folk rock group which performed at Bonnaroo earlier this year.
Garth Brooks
On November 16th, Neyland Stadium will host a concert for the first time in 16 years. The featured artist will be none other than country legend Garth Brooks. A great deal of excitement has already formed around the concert; when tickets went on sale last week, excited fans crashed the Ticketmaster website with the sheer number of people attempting to buy tickets at once.
Tickets will go on sale again on Friday, Oct. 25th at 10 a.m.
Five Finger Death Punch
This heavy metal musical group, quite different from the country acts aforementioned, will be performing in Thompson-Boling Arena on Nov. 29th. The band, whose name is derived from kung fu cinema, is highly successful; three of their albums released since 2010 have been certified gold.
They will be joined in Thompson-Boling by bands Three Days Grace, Bad Wolves and Fire From The Gods.
