Alan Jackson Taps Cool Openers for Upcoming 2020 Tour

If you needed any more confirmation of just how cool Alan Jackson is, for the second year in a row he’s chosen the openers for his upcoming tour not out of the mostly paltry class of up-and-coming major label talent looking for attention. Instead, he’s turned to Lower Broadway in Nashville, and the stage of his own AJ’s Good Time Bar where on a nightly basis you can see the newer and lesser-known acts in Nashville that actually sound country and uphold the standards of quality songwriting in their music.

Last year Alan Jackson tapped James Carothers, Jay Bragg, and Amanda Daughtry to fill the opening slots on his arena tour. This year it will be Cory Farley, duo Carolina Pine, and Saving Country Music Song of the Year nominees The Steel Blossoms. Canadian country artist and Columbia Nashville signee Tenille Townes will also open all dates.

Sara Zebley and Hayley Prosser of The Steel Blossoms are two former elementary school teachers who met in Pennsylvania while playing in separate projects. Immediately noticing a musical kinship between each other, the Steel Blossoms were formed, eventually relocating to Nashville and spending ample time developing their songs and sound on the road and house concerts. Evoking the timeless sorcery of two-part harmonies, and penning songs that put this gift to good use, they’ve been haunting lower Broadway for a while now, and will now get to test their music in front of arena crowds.

From a small town in Iowa where he was raised on a large beef farm, Cory Farley was first drawn to country music from hearing the old classic tunes playing on his grandfather’s radio. He started his career while living in Phoenix and attending school, and moved to Nashville in 2010 to pursue country music full time. Since then he’s become a staple of lower Broadway, playing AJ’s Good Time Bar and The Second Fiddle on a nightly basis with his band.

Carolina Pine is a classic country duo that includes Kennedy Fitzsimmons from North Carolina, and Illinois native Woody James. They moved to Nashville separately, eventually crossing paths while playing a gig together and decided to form a duo. They cite their influences as George Jones, Emmylou Harris, Daryle Singletary, Allison Krauss, and Merle Haggard. They released a couple of singles in 2019, and hope to release an album soon.

Alan Jackson Tour Dates & Openers:

(Note: The Alan Jackson camp says more dates are on the way. Also, two dates in August have been added with TBA venues, with the two previously-announced August concerts being pushed later.)

All dates also opened by Tenille Townes.

  • Friday, Jan. 10: Cincinnati, OH (Heritage Bank Center) – The Steel Blossoms
  • Saturday, Jan. 11: Columbia, SC (Colonial Life Arena) – The Steel Blossoms
  • Friday, Feb. 14: Atlanta, GA (State Farm Arena) – Carolina Pine
  • Saturday, Feb. 15: New Orleans, LA (Smoothie King Center) – Carolina Pine
  • Friday, Feb. 21: El Paso, TX (UTEP Don Haskins Center) – Cory Farley
  • Saturday, Feb. 22: Fort Worth, TX (Dickies Arena) – Cory Farley
  • Thursday, March 26: Tulsa, OK (BOK Center) – Cory Farley
  • Friday, March 27: Springfield, MO (JQH Arena) – Cory Farley
  • Saturday, April 25: Glendale, AZ (Gila River Arena) – Carolina Pine
  • Sunday, April 26: Indio, CA (Stagecoach Festival)
  • Thursday, July 9: Ft. Loramie, OH (Country Concert)
  • Friday, Aug. 7: Nashville, TN (Bridgestone Arena)
  • Friday, Aug. 14: TBA – The Steel Blossoms
  • Saturday, Aug. 15: TBA – The Steel Blossoms
  • Friday, Aug. 28: Detroit, MI (Little Caesars Arena) – Carolina Pine
  • Saturday, Aug. 29 Green Bay, WI (Resch Center) – Carolina Pine
  • Friday, Sept. 11: Des Moines, IA (Wells Fargo Arena) – Cory Farley
  • Saturday, Sept. 12: Milwaukee, WI (Fiserv Forum) – Cory Farley
  • Friday, Oct. 2: Salt Lake City, UT (Vivint Smart Home Arena) – The Steel Blossoms
  • Saturday, Oct. 3: Denver, CO (Pepsi Center) – The Steel Blossoms

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