Lady A and Kelsea Ballerini are just a few of the artists who will be participating in the upcoming virtual iHeartCountry Festival Presented by Capital One. Airing as a virtual stream and on-air radio special on October 23, the virtual event will also include performances by Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt, Kane Brown, Dustin Lynch, Jon Pardi, Riley Green, with special performances by Morgan Evans and Gabby Barrett. Bobby Bones will also make a guest appearance.
“Despite this year’s pandemic, we are honored to still be able to host one of country music’s most anticipated nights with an iconic lineup of the genre’s biggest artists,” Rod Phillips, Executive Vice President of Programming for iHeartCountry said in a statement. “Although fans won’t be able to celebrate in person, the show will be available to our millions of listeners across our iHeartCountry stations nationwide and through the exclusive stream on LiveXLive.”
The event will take place only a couple weeks before Nashville’s annual CMA Awards, which will also be a virtual event this year, because of COVID-19.
“Capacity inside the event will be limited to essential personnel only, as outlined by local health authorities and CDC guidelines,” the Country Music Association announced (via The Tennessean).
“As we navigate the coming months and look to properly honor our nominees and the community, we are committed to delivering the safest and most memorable live television experience our artists, creators and fans could ask for,” Sarah Trahern, CMA CEO, said of the decision. “We cannot wait to reveal our two incredible CMA Awards hosts in just a few weeks and we look forward to celebrating country music this November.”
The iHeartCountry Festival will be recorded live on one stage in Nashville. It will stream exclusively on LiveXLive.com, and be broadcast across iHeartRadio’s stations and at iHeartRadio.com. The concert will begin at 7:00 PM CT.