It’s hard to imagine a stronger three-week period of outstanding music offerings than the one that’s just about to finish up in Northwest Arkansas.
The list of big-name entertainment in the region culminates this weekend when music superstar Darius Rucker takes the stage at the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion in Rogers on Friday and The Yellowjackets kick off the KUAF Summer Concert Series on Saturday when they perform at the Eureka Springs Auditorium.
“Northwest Arkansas has always had a robust live music scene, but this has been the highest concentration and volume of large format concerts to ever hit us,” said Brian Crowne, general manager of the Walmart AMP. “The support shown all shows just reinforces the opening of the new Walmart AMP to support the musical appetite of our community.”
Big-name entertainment such as Florida Georgia Line (on May 30 at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale) and Blake Shelton (on June 7 at the Walmart AMP) have performed in the region in the past three weeks. KFSM-TV video showed the incredible crowd that was on hand to see Shelton’s show.
Meanwhile, the Road to Essence included a stop in Bentonville on May 31 where Chrisette Michelle, BBD and Chante Moore performed at the high school football stadium. KNWA-TV shared information about the free community concert.
Other acts in Northwest Arkansas included the impressive talent during Walmart Shareholders Week. The music superstars singing at this year’s meeting to more than 14,000 meeting attendees on June 6, included Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke, Aloe Blacc, Sarah McLachlan and Harry Connick Jr.
The Walmart-sponsored concerts in the days before the shareholders meeting were incredible, too. Country music star Jason Aldean as well as bands Foreigner and Styx took the stage at Bud Walton Arena.
The lineup for Wakarusa Music Festival, a four-day event on Mulberry Mountain in Franklin County, was solid this year, per usual. The more than 100 acts included STS9, The Flaming Lips, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Umphrey’s McGee.
