Eric Church To Headline Concert At Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
May 05, 2016 | General
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Eric Church, a two-time Country Music Association and four-time Academy of Country Music award winner, will headline the Carolina Kickoff at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Aug. 20. This one-of-a-kind music event was announced Thursday by the East Carolina University Department of Athletics and made possible through its partnership with IMG and Basis Entertainment.
"We are excited to welcome Eric Church to our stadium for this unique event," East Carolina Athletics Director Jeff Compher said. "Born in North Carolina, he titled his sophomore album `Carolina' in 2009. The Carolina Kickoff is a homecoming of sorts for this talented artist. It is with great enthusiasm that we look forward to having him in Greenville and Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, especially to precede our season opener."
Iowa-based Basis Entertainment executive Gary DeWaard said he sees great potential for such an event for the university as well as area residents.
Church, who released his fifth album, Mr. Misunderstood, Nov. 4, 2015, was named among the "50 Greatest Live Acts Right Now" by Rolling Stone and finished 2014 as country music's top selling artist.
"We here at Basis Entertainment are thrilled and honored to be working with a fine institution like East Carolina University for the Carolina Kickoff," DeWaard said. "We can't wait to bring Eric Church and a host of other fantastic musical artists to the Pirate faithful and help kickoff what I am sure is going to be a memorable 2016 football season."
Tickets for the event will go on sale at 10 a.m. on May 17 to ECU students, Pirate Club members and football season ticket holders before being available to the general public on May 24, 2016.
Additional information, including other performing acts and ticket prices, will be announced in the coming weeks. Visit www.ECKickoff.com or www.ECUPirates.com for more information.
For additional updates, follow us on Twitter @ECUKickoff or @ECUAthletics and on Facebook.
WHAT COMMUNITY LEADERS ARE SAYING:
"Our entire hospitality community is excited that East Carolina is bringing such a high profile artist to Greenville and Pitt County. These high caliber events not only create a positive economic impact locally, but help to solidify the city of Greenville as a top destination within our state."
Andrew Schmidt, CHME, MPA
Executive Director
Greenville-Pitt County Convention and Visitors Bureau
"We look forward to this great concert with tremendous anticipation, bringing Eric Church to Greenville and fans all across eastern North Carolina. With its 50,000-seat capacity, Dowdy-Ficklen stadium is an ideal entertainment venue for top-tier musical artists. Fans have wanted this for years and we're hopeful this is the first of many opportunities we have to bring such talent for everyone to enjoy in our city and region."
Allen Thomas
Mayor
City of Greenville
