Morgan Wallen was unable to headline the first night of Gulf Coast Jam Presented by Jim Beam, held in Panama City Beach, due to being placed on six weeks of vocal rest, but he will get another chance. The “Last Night” singer has been announced as a headliner for 2024 instead.

The news was announced during Gulf Coast Jam’s opening night.

“As we said last year, Morgan Wallen is one of the most requested headliners we have ever had in the history of Gulf Coast Jam, and his star is continuing to shine even brighter,” Gulf Coast Jam Executive Producer Rendy Lovelady says. “We’ve been working feverishly with Morgan and his team over the last three weeks to figure out a way to get him down here next year, and we’re happy to announce he is locked for 2024!”

Kenny Chesney filled in for Wallen, with Lovelady praising the country music superstar for stepping in last minute, when Wallen was unable to perform.

“We have truly tried to book him for 11 years,” Lovelady said in a video shared on social media. “We’ve had him at our other festival, Bama Jam, but we could never get him to come here. Picked up the phone, and I’m telling you — now you’ve got to understand, negotiating with headliners is complicated. It normally takes months of going back and forth, back and forth. I want you to know, we called Kenny, told him our situation, and I’m telling you, 12 hours later, Kenny Chesney was playing Gulf Coast Jam.”

 

Lovelady also announced to the more than 30,000 people that Wallen had already confirmed for next year’s event.

“All of a sudden I get a phone call from a man, saying, ‘I have an artist that might could play next year.’ Lovelady said, revealing that it was Wallen. “So when I tell you God works in a mysterious way, He does. So not only did we get one of the biggest names in country music to replace Morgan Wallen, but then, we found somebody to play our headlining slot. And you’ve got to understand, that is a bigger deal, because without a headliner, there isn’t 30,000 people. And we’re really thankful for that.”

Wallen was not only able to play fairs and festivals he had booked, but he also had to postpone several shows on his  One Night At A Time World Tour, due to his vocal issues. He is currently planning on resuming his tour on June 22 at Wrigley Stadium in Chicago.

“They told me that if I do this the right way, that I’ll be back to 100 percent,” Wallen said when announcing his vocal rest. “And they also said that if I don’t listen, and I keep singing, that I’ll permanently damage my voice. So for the longevity of my career, this is just the choice I had to make. I hate it, but I love you guys, and I appreciate all the support that you always give me. I’ll see you soon, and I’ll be back better than ever.”

Next year’s Gulf Coast Jam will take place from May 30 to June 2. Tickets are available now at GulfCoastJam.com.