Thursday, June 23, 2011

Speedway to screen Avett Bros. show

The Avett Brothers have gotten pretty big over the past couple of years.

Their 2009 CD “I and Love and You” peaked at No. 16 on Billboard’s album charts, and earlier this year, they performed with Mumford & Sons and Bob Dylan at the Grammy Awards.
Next month, they’ll get even bigger. Enormous, in fact.

On July 9, the Concord folk-rock band will perform a sold-out show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, and that show will be broadcast live via satellite to the band’s hometown on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s new 80-foot-high, 200-foot-wide high-definition video board (the world’s largest such screen).

“The speedway has been a hometown landmark for us our whole lives and we’re proud to have an opportunity for our music to echo through that historical infield,” said Seth Avett, who fronts the band with his brother Scott. Both men grew up on a farm in Concord. “For us, performing at Red Rocks and airing live in Concord is about the most ideal situation for being in two amazing places at once.”

The superspeedway will pump the audio through “concert-grade speakers to turn the infield area in front of the video board into a one-of-a-kind concert venue,” according to a press release issued Thursday.

Promoters reportedly are expecting as many as 10,000 fans to pay $10 for tickets (or $15 in July, or $20 at the gate).

Another thing promoters are expecting – maybe hoping for is more accurate (and this wasn’t in the press release): The event might help NASCAR lure some younger, cooler new fans.

Perhaps with this in mind, Charlotte Motor Speedway president and general manager Marcus Smith said, in describing the simulcast: “It’s going to be awesome!”

Tickets can purchased at the speedway ticket office or by calling 1-800-455-3267.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

10 - 20 dollars to watch TV? Yeah no I am guessing they will be lucky to sell a 100 tickets.

Anonymous said...

this is awesome

Anonymous said...

@ Anonymous 1:19pm: I'll take 10,000 and you take 'a 100' and we'll see who comes closer. I'm betting we'll have more than 10 times 'a 100' from Mount Pleasant alone. -Goss

Anonymous said...

@ Anonymous 1:45pm: That would be a negative. Only way you get 10K out of MP is to bring all the farm animals with you. Those "concert grade speakers" are there only to mask the crickets. :)

Actually as one musician to another (especially home grown) I hope both events pack it out.

JW said...

This is freaking awesome! Esp coming from Red Rocks! Too bad I won't be in town to enjoy it but konw everyone that does make it will have a BLAST! These guys are awesome live!

Beck said...

I have an idea.....why dont they just play at the speedway in the first place. We get second "fiddle" to Colorado on a hometown band....effin nice.

Anonymous said...

WOW a HICKS in the STICKS concert- one even I will be sure to miss!

Anonymous said...

Yeah- Hancock is already turning on his one man cheering section, and group support routine- lets have it and get it over so we wont have to hear out great they are (NOT) and how much Hancock loves them (who cares)

Sarah said...

Beck, they just played Charlotte in April and they'll be in Greensboro in October... don't be greedy. And why do people who dislike their music even click on the story? Are you that hard up for something to do that you have to go around hating on people who've done nothing but work their asses off for over a decade to succeed? Enjoy your mainstream, cookie cutter, boring as hell music with no soul... I'll keep these guys.

I have no doubt they'll sell out this venue just like they sold out Red Rocks... because that's what we do here, we support our hometown boys.

Avetthead said...

Hey, y'all be looking for me on that big screen, i plan on being front row center.

BEST ACT OUT THERE!!!

I thought the Cowboy Stadium HDTV was the biggest...

Anonymous said...

This is lame. Great, we get Seth and Scott who ONLY do songs about "girls from certain locations".... Hey Seth... Hey Scott, its time for a re union tour with NEMO!!!! Call up Kenny, Noah, and John and get the band back together. Ya'll have done enough lame "folk rock" songs. And NO, MP aint gunna pack that place nor pay to see them play on TV. And NO, it's not awesome... If it would have been NEMO or MARGO then it'd be awesome. Seth and Scott are EGO MANIACS!

Anonymous said...

The Avett Bro's are lame.