June 2018 32 Sponsored by Cowtown Boots • Phoenix • Tempe • Tucson 96.3 Real Country Concert Page Venue: Chase Field 401 E Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ 85004 azchasefield.com KENNY CHESNEY Trip Around The Sun Tour 2018 with Thomas Rhett Old Dominion Brandon Lay June 23, 2018 Country star Kenny Chesney gradually built up a significant following via hard work, pop-friendly ballads, and a likable “Average Joe” persona. Chesney was born in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1968 and raised in the nearby small town of Luttrell, best known as the home of Chet Atkins. He grew up listening to both country and rock & roll, but didn’t get serious about music until college, when he studied marketing at East Tennessee State University. He received a guitar as a Christmas present and set about practicing, and was soon performing with the college bluegrass band. He soon started writing songs as well and played for tips in local venues — most often a Mexican restaurants. Venue: Talking Stick Resort & Casino Showroom 9800 East Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85256 (480) 850-7734, talkingstickresort.com DAVID ALLAN COE August 16, 2018 Like Merle Haggard before him, David Allan Coe served time in prison before setting his dreams on becoming a country music star. Coe headed to Nashville in 1967 and found his first big success over five years later — as a songwriter. As a singer, his biggest hits were “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile”, “The Ride”, “You Never Even Called Me by My Name”, “She Used to Love Me a Lot”, and “Longhaired Redneck”. Venue: Ak-Chin Pavilion 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85035 (602) 254-7200, http://ak-chinpavilion.com/ DIERKS BENTLEY September 29.2018 Multi-PLATINUM selling singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley has built a reputation as both a forever-young drifter and a dedicated family man, put in millions of miles on headlining tours and taken the fearless stylistic detours of a truly authentic artist. He continues that journey with his highly anticipated ninth studio album, THE MOUNTAIN (Capitol Records Nashville), set for release June 8th. Reaching a new creative high, Bentley co-wrote 10 of the 13 new tracks that are unified by themes of presence and positivity, and range in style from textured rock to acoustic folk, feeling both rooted and expansive at the same time. THE MOUNTAIN's story begins in the Rocky Mountain resort town of Telluride, Colorado, which every summer plays host to a celebrated bluegrass festival. Owing to his well-documented love of the genre, Bentley has attended the festival multiple times over the years, always making a point to slow down and tune back in to the world around him. But after performing on the festival’s main stage in 2017, the idyllic surroundings became more than a much- needed getaway. Now see him live in concert at Ak-Chin Pavilion in Phoenix. Venue: Comerica Theatre 400 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85003 (602) 379-2800; comericatheatre.com DWIGHT YOAKAM August 4, 2018 Dwight David Yoakam is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor, known for his pioneering-style of country music. His popularity starting in the mid-1980s, Yoakam has recorded more than twenty albums and compilations, charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and sold more than 25 million records. He has recorded five Billboard #1 albums, twelve gold albums, and nine platinum albums, including the triple-platinum This Time. Venue: Talking Stick Resort Arena 201 E Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ 85004 (602) 379-2000, talkingstickresortarena.com SHANIA TWAIN Jul. 30, 2018 In what promises to be one of the most anticipated tours of 2018, Global superstar Shania Twain has announced that she will hit the road to Phoenix, Arizona July 30, 2018. Shania is a five-time GRAMMY Award-winner and the reigning Queen of Country Pop. With more than 90 million albums sold worldwide and U.S. sales topping 34.5 million, Shania remains the top-selling female country artist of all time. Shania’s albums include her Platinum-selling 1993 debut, Shania Twain; the GRAMMY Award-winning, Double Diamond-selling 1995 release, The Woman in Me; Come On Over, the best-selling studio album in Soundscan history by a female artist in any genre and the best-selling country album of all time with over 40 million units sold worldwide; and UP!, Shania’s third consecutive Diamond- selling album release.