Morgan Wallen expands country music empire, launches Sand in My Boots festival
Morgan Wallen performs onstage for night two of his One Night At A Time tour at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for for Morgan Wallen's One Night At A Time 2024)
Morgan Wallen may need some help from a few of his famous friends in the new year with the debut of his Sand in My Boots festival.
The "Chasin' You" singer will bring a slew of his country music buddies together for a three-day event in Alabama next year and revealed his "exciting news" with fans Thursday in a clip shared across his social media platforms.
Wallen's new venture is just the latest big step toward country music domination for the award-winning musician who not only opened his own bar in Nashville this year but also wraps up his widely successful One Thing at a Time tour Saturday.
Fresh off his headlining gig at the Stagecoach music festival, the "Whiskey Glasses" singer teamed up with Goldenvoice Executive Vice President Stacy Vee to create their three-day event in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
"Me and my team have been working on this for a while, and we're gonna be heading south to the beaches, and I'm bringing some of my friends with me," Wallen said in a video shared Thursday. "Mark your calendars for May 16, 17, 18 of 2025 for the Sand in My Boots music festival."
MORGAN WALLEN TO OPEN NASHVILLE BAR FOLLOWING ARREST FOR ALLEGED ROOFTOP CHAIR-THROWING INCIDENT
He encouraged fans to stay tuned for more information before signing off. It's still unclear who will be tagging along for the show, but Wallen has a long list of friends and musical contributors since he stepped onto the scene just a few years ago.
His last tour alone saw the likes of Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Lauren Watkins, Hardy, Ernest, Jon Pardi and Bailey Zimmerman, to name a few.
While he competed on season 6 of "The Voice," and was eliminated in the playoff round, Wallen first found fame on radio airwaves after collaborating with Florida Georgia Line on the single "Up Down," which became his first song to reach the top five on Billboard's Hot Country songs chart.
His debut studio album, "If I Know Me," was released in April 2018 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. He followed it up two years later with "Dangerous: The Double Album," which broke a number of records. His third album released in 2023, "One Thing at a Time," is the longest-running No. 1 country album of all time on the Billboard 200 chart.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
The album spawned a two-year, worldwide tour, which reportedly grossed $190 million in 2023, according to Forbes. Wallen was estimated to bring home $70 million.
In June, he looked through a pair of "Whiskey Glasses" and explored more business avenues by opening a six-story restaurant, bar and music venue near the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville called This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen.
"I sing about finding myself in ‘this bar,’ and now it’s coming to life. This venue will hold true to everything I love and is inspired by my fans and the way they have embraced me and my music," Wallen said in a press release.
"We’re designing a menu around some of my family favorites, so it brings a piece of East Tennessee to Music City. I hope This Bar is a place you’ll want to find yourself in and make memories with your friends and family and celebrate the way country music has brought us all together."
Wallen partnered with TC Restaurant Group in hopes of bringing his unique vision to Nashville. He's now following in the famous footsteps of a few major musicians who created their own festivals.
Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell founded Lollapalooza in 1991 as part of a farewell tour for the rock band. The four-day music event is hosted annually in Grant Park in Chicago and features visual and performing arts, with an estimated attendance of 400,000 people each year.
In 2010, Farrell expanded Lollapalooza internationally, with a festival in Chile, followed by events in Brazil, Argentina, Berlin and other cities. To date, Lollapalooza is one of the largest and longest-running music festivals in the world.
Jay-Z created the two-day Made In America Festival in 2012, which is held every Labor Day weekend in Philadelphia. In 2014, the music mogul added a Los Angeles edition to the circuit for one weekend only.
Read more of this story from FOX Business.