We have learned that the visibility of bluegrass music will be even more prominent than we had originally reported at this Sunday’s NFL contest between the Tennessee Titans and the Detroit Lions.
In addition to the Del McCoury Band singing the national anthem before the game, and a free post-game concert with The Travelin McCourys & Friends, the scoreboard will be displaying the IBMA logo and World of Bluegrass details throughout the gridiron competition.
The game starts at noon (CDT) on Sunday (9/23), with the concert scheduled to begin as soon as the crowd lets out. Invitations to attend will be made over the public address system during the game, and as the site is adjacent to the stadium, it is hoped that plenty of footballers will stop by for a few tunes and a cold beer from the Bluegrass Brewing Company in Louisville, KY, who is co-sponsoring the event.
The concert is free, and proceeds after expenses from concession sales will go to benefit IBMA. The organization’s new Executive Director, Nancy Cardwell, tells us that fundraisers like this are among the ways that she and the Board hope to close their budget deficit this year. So stop on by after the game, and drink hearty! Let’s hope that Titans fans will be in a celebratory mood.
Nashvillians, and early-arriving IBMA attendees are also invited to the concert, held in the city’s new Cumerland Park, just across the river from where the convention center and primary hotels are located. The show, produced by the folks at Music City Roots/Bluegrass Underground, will serve as the official kickoff for 2012 World of Bluegrass activities.
If you won’t be in town, maybe you can catch Del and the boys on TV Sunday afternoon. Even if you’re not a Titans fan.
