This year's Country Thunder has a new stage, pro bull riding and plenty of star power.
"Every night's the top of the top of country music," said festival co-owner Brian Andrews, ticking off names that included festival fave Neal McCoy, powerhouse Miranda Lambert and the legendary WIllie Nelson, who'll open for Kid Rock on the final night.
"Kid Rock is enough of a crossover that he's going to bring both" rock and country fans, Andrews said.
The festival draws tens of thousands each day, about half of them coming from Tucson and Southern Arizona.
Need more? Kevin Costner will open for country superstar Keith Urban next Friday, and Lambert heads an all-star cast that will include Gary Allan and Jo Dee Messina.
"This is going to be huge," said Lambert, who is making her third Country Thunder appearance. "We have seriously played in every slot imaginable, and now we get to play with the big kids. This is awesome. I am really excited to come back this year and put on my show and not be limited."
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Fans will get an even better view of the stage, now that it's been moved. The festival grounds now resemble a football field, with the main stage on one end and the second stage on the other.
The new configuration makes it easier to see the action straight-on. Before, with the stage in the middle, fans gathered in a big circle that spread outward. Fans on the rounder edges of the crowd had a restricted view of the stage and the jumbo screens.
Andrews, who owns Country Thunder's parent company, Premier Global Productions, with partner Troy Vollhoffer, said the new setup is "like a bowling alley - straight down."
"A lot deeper. The width is nice. It will be a lot nicer for everybody," Andrews said in a phone call from the festival grounds in Florence last week.
More changes that fans will notice:
• Nonstop entertainment from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily in a 40-by-180-foot tent next to the second stage. Look for dueling pianos, a hypnotist, karaoke and more.
• Bring on the rodeo. Professional bull riding will take place daily.
• Thrill rides will include a bungee jump atop an 80-foot tower and a slingshot ride. Andrews also is working to bring in an 80-foot Ferris wheel.
If you go
• What: 2010 Country Thunder festival.
• When: Next Wednesday through April 17.
• Where: Canyon Moon Ranch, 20585 E. Price Station Road, Florence.
• Tickets: $65 daily, except Wednesday when it's $25; $119 for a four-day festival pass. Kids are $30 for a four-day pass. At the gate or online at www.countrythunder.com
• Camping: Some spots available in the Gila RIver ($125) and Crown ($150) campgrounds. The price does not include admission to the festival. Reserve a spot at www.countrythunder.com
Rules, regulations and some suggestions
• Outside food and drinks are not allowed.
• Blankets and lawn chairs are fine.
• Keep your weapons at home.
• Bring your sunscreen along.
• Leave the audio- and video-recording devices at home.
• Don't leave the festival grounds if you have a one-day ticket; you won't be readmitted.
• Refunds won't be given if Mother Nature intervenes.
• Artists and lineups are subject to change right up to showtime.
• Festival security personnel can check your bag when you enter the festival grounds.
Schedule
Wednesday
• 6:30 p.m. - The Grascals.
• 8:15 - Eric Church.
• 10 - Neal McCoy.
• Midnight - Harry Luge.
Next Thursday
• 1 p.m. - Rio Grand.
• 2:30 - Randy Rogers Band.
• 4 - Collin Raye.
• 5:30 - Jo Dee Messina.
• 7 - Gary Allan.
• 9 - Miranda Lambert.
April 16
• 1 p.m. - Love and Theft.
• 2:15 - Trailer Choir.
• 3:45 - Randy Houser.
• 5:15 - Luke Bryan.
• 7 - Kevin Costner and Modern West.
• 9 - Keith Urban.
April 17
• 1 p.m. - Jason Jones.
• 2:30 - Kate and Kacey.
• 4 - Gloriana.
• 5:30 - Big Kenny.
• 7 - Willie Nelson.
• 9 - Kid Rock.
By the numbers
21
Number of artists you will see over the four days.
80
Number of feet you will sling in the bungee jump ride.
$5.60
Amount you'll pay per act if you buy a four-day festival pass; it's double that if you buy single-day ticket.
83
Average daytime high temperature forecast.
390
Number of campsites in the newly created Crown campgrounds.
Country Thunder timeline
• 1993: Country Thunder USA hosts its first country music festival at Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek, on the outskirts of Phoenix’s sprawling East Valley.
• 1999: Country Thunder owner Larry Barr snags a star-studded lineup: Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, and Brooks & Dunn. The supporting cast includes an emerging star named Toby Keith, Texas traditionalist Tracy Byrd and Montgomery Gentry, a duo who three weeks earlier introduced themselves with the debut single “Hillbilly Shoes.”
• 2000: Little-known Aussie country singer Keith Urban finds an early day spot on a lineup brimming with equally green newcomers. With only two songs to his credit, he manages to pull an hour-long show that stands boot-heel-to-Stetson with the evening lineup of Neal McCoy and Trisha Yearwood.
• 2001: Barr files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but he insists the festival will continue.
• 2003: Country Thunder moves to Canyon Moon Ranch in Florence. It’s half the drive to Queen Creek, and the move is good news to Tucson fans, who make up half of the festival’s attendance.
• 2004: Reba McEntire returns to Country Thunder. The lineup includes Jordin Sparks, who is a Glendale native and a future “American Idol.”
• 2005: Fans pause to remember Chris LeDoux, a longtime Country Thunder regular who died of liver cancer weeks earlier.
• 2006: Fresh from her “American Idol” win, Carrie Underwood sheds some of her girl-next-door innocence to rock out before a crowd of 35,000 — one of the largest single-day audiences in the festival’s history.
• 2007: Reba returns to headline with hick-hop country rockers Big & Rich.
• 2008: The 15th anniversary festival lineup is markedly non-star-studded. Sugarland and Dierks Bentley — opening acts on larger tours — headlined, with a supporting cast of second-tier or regional artists.
• 2009: Country Thunder changes hands, and new owners Brian Andrews and Troy Vollhoffer infuse the festival with new energy and funding. Megastars Tim McGraw and Alan Jackson head a lineup that includes the Zac Brown Band, Blake Shelton and Montgomery Gentry. The number of artists shrinks to 21 from the nearly 30 on the 2003 ticket.
• 2010: Keith Urban headlines a lineup that includes Kid Rock, Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, and Kevin Costner and Modern West.
