For the first time in 13 years, live music returned to the stage at Sanford Stadium on April 25 at 6 p.m. Georgia natives Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan were joined by fellow award-winning artists Zach Top and Lauren Alaina for the first Live Between the Hedges concert, presented by PruittHealth.
Bryan and Aldean first played Sanford Stadium in 2013 as part of Aldean’s “Night Train” tour, which marked the only concert ever held at the venue. Georgia Athletics partnered with Dugas-Jackson Consulting and Does Entertainment to bring them back to the stage once again.
Fans with pit tickets waited at the gates hours before the concert began with hopes of making it to the front row.
Lauren Alaina opened the concert with “Thicc As Thieves,” drawing a wave of cheers and excitement from the crowd.
During her set, she performed “Little Things” as a meaningful tribute to her father who unexpectedly died in July 2024.
“If you’re here tonight and you’ve lost someone, you know what I mean,” Alania said during her set. “Life is so short and life is so precious. Call your family. Make sure that you focus on the things that matter.”
Taylee Hixon, an attendee of the concert, traveled from Charlotte, North Carolina, to come to the show. She said she was most looking forward to seeing Jason Aldean perform.
“I’ve loved Jason Aldean for so many years and it was my birthday week last week … we [made] a four hour drive,” Hixton said.
Co-headliners Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan took the stage together, opening their set with “My Kinda Party” by Aldean.
Noah Jordan, a sophomore mechanical engineering student at the University of Georgia and longtime fan of Aldean, said he was most looking forward to hearing him perform “Why.”
“It’s a great time getting to be in Sanford with the second concert,” Jordan said. “I think they should do it more in Sanford, other SEC schools get it a lot.”
As the night began to come to a close, Aldean and Bryan welcomed Kirby Smart to the stage to call the Dawgs and give his request: “She’s Country” by Aldean.
Aldean and Bryan concluded the concert side by side, and the packed stadium made it clear that live music is welcome back between the hedges.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.redandblack.com ’
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