First-Ever Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff Show to Feature Garth Brooks + More

Few things fit together quite like college football and country music. This year, the Allstate Sugar Bowl will host its first-ever Country Kickoff to the 2023 NCAA football season. The lineup this year features Garth Brooks as the headliner with Lainey Wilson and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band opening the musical event.

The Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff will take place Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La. The event is open to the public, with tickets on sale starting Friday, July 21.

“Being asked to be part of the first-ever Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff is an honor,” Brooks says in a statement. “The fun will be in getting to perform with Legends Nitty Gritty and future legend Miss Wilson in front of arguably the greatest country music fans on the planet. Any trip to Louisiana is a guaranteed good time so PLEASE count me in!!”

Brooks is no stranger to stadium shows and has a history of selling them out. Wilson — a Louisiana native — also has experience with larger venues after making her stadium debut earlier this year on Luke Combs' World Tour.

She too took to social media to share her excitement about playing the inaugural Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff.

The "Callin' Baton Rouge" singer especially has to be happy with this year's lineup: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "Fishin' in the Dark" is a staple at Brooks' shows, as he covers it often. The band will be able to fit this event into their busy touring schedule for 2023 that includes shows dotted on the calendar through Oct. 27.

Presented by the Louisiana Office of Tourism, proceeds from the Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff will help support programs throughout the community.