As talent and production coordinator for the Riverbend Festival, it is normally Joe "Dixie" Fuller who does the courting when it comes to booking acts. But this time it was Toby Keith himself who let it be known that he wanted to play the nine-day summer event here.
Fuller, of course, was all too happy to oblige and didn't play hard to get. After a very brief courtship, both sides agreed to terms and the country superstar has been booked to play the festival on Wednesday, June 14.
"This was a perfect storm," Fuller says.
"He wants to play medium and smaller markets, and he's not about the Atlantas or bigger cities right now, and his agent reached out to us and said he personally wanted to play Riverbend because he's heard about it and how strong it is and how well we take care of people."
Fuller believes it will be the biggest night in festival history, topping previous shows by Hank Williams Jr., Widespread Panic and Lynyrd Skynyrd in regard to crowd size and vendor sales.
Riverbend 2017 is scheduled for June 9-17.
Fuller says Bill "Dex" Poindexter and the folks at WUSY-FM helped in the early communications of the Keith courtship.
Keith has been named Entertainer, Vocalist or Artist of the Year multiple times by the Academy of Country Music, the Country Music Association and the American Music Awards. Billboard named him Country Music Artist of the Decade in 2009.
His videos for "Beer for My Horses" and "Red Solo Cup" also were named videos of the year by the ACM and CMA in 2003 and 2012, respectively.
Fuller also announced that fellow country act Brett Young will play the Bud Light Stage On June 14. Young made his debut in February with his self-titled CD, which contains the hit "Sleep Without You."
These are the first announced acts for Riverbend 2017. Riverbend wristbands ($42) and Star Seating ($40 for Keith) tickets can be purchased online at www.riverbendfestival.com.
"You can buy someone Toby Keith for Christmas," Fuller says.
Riverbend Marketing Director Amy Morrow says the festival will offer a special holiday combo beginning Nov. 25, Black Friday, through Dec. 21.
"A stocking stuffer special includes two general admission wristbands and $20 in tokens for $88," she says. "The retail value is $130."
The festival will forego the early featured act on the Coke Stage on June 14 to allow Keith to do a longer set than the normal 90 minutes. Fuller also said that, since June 14 is Flag Day, Riverbend plans to honor all four branches of the military with some special ceremonies throughout the evening.
While Riverbend - and almost all festivals, for that matter - doesn't reveal how much it pays its acts, Fuller says Keith's paycheck is the most they have paid for one act. He also says organizers "found some money elsewhere and this will not soften any other nights at all."
Because of the construction work on U.S. 27, everything under the Olgiati Bridge will be moved or eliminated this year, Fuller says, meaning the Chevy Stage will once again be on the Green in front of Cold Stone Creamery. It will have shows leading up to the start of music on the Coke Stage and from 11 p.m. to midnight after the Coke Stage shuts down for the night.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.