Kickoff Jam Canceled: Country Music Festival Featuring Carrie Underwood, Garth Brooks, and More Called Off
See the statement from festival producers.
Carrie Underwood, Garth Brooks; Photos Provided
The country music festival Kickoff Jam, set to feature headliners Carrie Underwood, Garth Brooks, and Alabama, has been canceled.
Festival organizers, who also put on Gulf Coast Jam earlier this month, shared the unfortunate news on social media on Friday.
The official statement reads: “Kickoff Jam, the multi-artist country music festival originally scheduled for August 30 – September 1, 2024 at Frank Brown Park in Panama City Beach, Florida has been canceled.”
The producers collective shared a statement regarding the cancellation, adding, “After the success of Gulf Coast Jam this past weekend in Panama City Beach, we realized the weekend after Memorial Day is a much better time to host a festival. So, we are going to cancel Kickoff Jam and provide refunds.”
Kickoff Jam organizers directed fans to the official festival website to obtain information regarding refunds.
The account disabled comments on the Instagram and Facebook posts announcing the cancellation.
The first-ever Kickoff Jam was set to feature host Storme Warren with Underwood, Brooks, and Alabama performing alongside a variety of artists representing over 50 years of country music hits.
“I’ve been doing this for 40 years, and without question, this is the biggest show we’ve ever put on,” Executive Producer Rendy Lovelady shared at the time. “We’re excited to celebrate five decades of Country music in Panama City Beach!”
Night one of the three-day weekend was scheduled to be led by the critically acclaimed group, ALABAMA, featuring a special appearance from Randy Travis. Jamey Johnson, Tyler Farr, Gavin Adcock, Pam Tillis, and Catie Offerman were also slated to perform throughout the event on Friday, August 30.
On Saturday, August 31, Kickoff Jam was set to include performances by NEEDTOBREATHE, Lauren Alaina, Restless Road, Carter Faith and Kayley Green before 8-time GRAMMY award winner Carrie Underwood took the stage to round out the star-studded evening.
Allie Colleen, Mackenzie Carpenter, Rhett Akins, The Oak Ridge Boys, and Randy Houser were on the bill to warm up the crowd in anticipation of Garth Brooks’ for the final night of the festival, on Sunday, September 1.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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