The Electric City truly came alive this past weekend as the Rock the Country music festival made Anderson, South Carolina, its last stop on a national tour.
A preliminary study by the Clemson University Regional Economic Analysis Laboratory found that the event was expected to create a minimum of 156 jobs. According to a press release from the festival, the event was expected to draw a crowd of 50,000.
With big acts like Kid Rock, Miranda Lambert and Jason Aldean scheduled to perform, the Civic Center certainly delivered on its promise of a huge crowd. Fans traveled from all over the state — as well as Georgia and Tennessee — to show their passionate support.
The atmosphere when the gates first opened on Friday was one of palpable excitement. Festival-goers flocked to merch stands, food vendors and photo ops — like a giant pair of red, white and blue cowboy boots in the center of the venue — and rushed to claim a spot in front of the stage.
Rising country stars Elvie Shane and Gavin Adcock were the first to perform, lighting up the stage with their energy. During Shane’s set, a band member climbed one of the stage poles with an American flag, inspiring the crowd to chant “USA!” Adock performed an unreleased song from his upcoming album, holding the audience’s attention despite the rain during his set.
Shane and Adcock were followed by Travis Tritt and Brantley Gilbert, whose stage presence and raw vocals had the crowd going wild — Gilbert’s performance even included pyrotechnic displays.
Kid Rock rocked Anderson through another rainy set. The crowd was cheering as he lit fireworks, and those who had been sporting their Kid Rock merch all afternoon felt he had more than delivered on his highly anticipated appearance.
Saturday saw another day of energetic crowds excited to see their favorite artists. Everyone came out in their red, white and blue to see Trippp, Sadie Bass, Big & Rich with Gretchen Wilson, Lambert and Aldean. All the artists had the crowd singing along as they performed some of their greatest hits.
The audience cheered especially loud as Lambert performed a recently released song from her upcoming album, and country music legend Jason Aldean brought the house down in perhaps the most talked-about performance of the night.
Rock the Country has plans to return to Anderson, South Carolina, next year, so make sure to catch them if you missed this weekend’s festivities.
