Years have passed since Jason Aldean has played a full-blown show in Nashville. In fact, the last time the “Dirt Road Anthem” singer remembers playing more than a few songs on any local stage was four or five years ago at Wildhorse Saloon.

Tonight, that will change.

The CMA Award-winning entertainer will bring his My Kinda Party tour to a sold-out crowd at Bridgestone Arena. The show is in a 360-degree setting, which means tickets were sold on every side of the stage.

He has no intentions of watering down his genre-melding, high-energy show for the Nashville crowd.

“A lot of times, you look at Nashville, and artists shy away from playing it, because there’s so many industry people here, and they’re sitting there like, ‘OK, impress me,’ ” said Aldean, sans his trademark hat, hanging out in a RV on Tuesday between scenes of his Smyrna video shoot for new single “Fly Over States.”

“There’s also a lot of fans here, too, that we haven’t played for yet, and that’s really the reason we’re coming to play. If industry people show up and they like it, cool. If they don’t, whatever.”

Aldean’s confidence is due in part to the unwavering support of his fans and his unmatched success in 2011. His My Kinda Party went double-platinum last year and was the top-selling country album of 2011 and the No. 5 bestseller in all genres. He’s nominated for six ACM Awards, and his current tour sold more than 1 million tickets last year and still consistently breaks attendance records at each venue he plays.

Since much of Aldean’s career upswing has happened on the road and outside of the watchful eye of Nashville, he says tonight’s show is the first opportunity for many people to see what his career has become.

“I think it’s hard to go out and quietly sell 6 million records and sell out every show on the tour, and somehow we’ve managed to do that,” Aldean said. “In the last year and a half, people are going, ‘OK, what’s this about?’ It’s one thing to hear it, that these guys are out there selling this many tickets and this many records, but to come out and physically see what it’s about, that’s where you start changing people’s opinions.”

DJ adds to experience

The show the singer has built, like his string of eight No.1 hits, including the rap-infused “Dirt Road Anthem,” is anything but inside the country genre’s comfortable box. Last year, Aldean hired DJ Silver out of Las Vegas to entertain his crowd between sets. Much like Aldean’s own music, the DJ meshes genres in a way that blurs the lines of traditional musical categories, creating mixes that appeal to more than one group of people.

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He’s like a lot of the guys in his audience (hoop earrings, scraggly beard, tight plaid shirt) and he’s open to all kinds of influences.

“I just grew up thinking that good music is good music,” said Aldean. “In our show we’d play like a Waylon (Jennings) song and then we’d turn around and play a Guns N’ Roses song. That represents where I grew up and what I grew up listening to. Macon, Georgia, is a big melting pot of music. Country is always my favorite but I was never ‘Country music is all there is and everything else sucked.’ Guys like Eminem and Ludacris are awesome.”

He may be open-minded, but Aldean’s music has an edge and an attitude (think Kid Rock’s Southern lil’ brother with more maturity and a better voice) that set him apart from such current country superstars as Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban.

“I see fans reaching now for rougher, edgier and grittier kinds of things,” said concert promoter Gary Marx. “People like Jason Aldean and Eric Church have attitudes. They’re a little fresher and more aggressive, and people are responding.”

But it’s not a manufactured image for Aldean.

“I don’t record songs that aren’t me,” said the plain-voiced country-rocker, who turns 34 this month. “What you see is what you get. I don’t have the energy to go out and be something that I’m not.”

Aldean is in the midst of his first arena headlining tour. This is the second leg, and he’s retooled things for 2012.

“This tour is unlike any we’ve done,” he said recently from a tour stop at Arkansas State University. “We decided to play basically in the round. It’s been a really cool deal.”

In the past year, Aldean has arrived as one of country’s bona fide stars. Not only is he filling concert venues but his My Kinda Party took the Country Music Association Award for album of the year in November and ended up as the biggest-selling country disc of 2011.

“It’s crazy, man,” he said. “It’ll have that title ‘album of the year’ forever. It’s a cool feeling.”

In this challenging economy, Aldean knows how to give value. While most albums have 10 or 11 tunes, My Kinda Party has 15. While Urban and Chesney asked as much as $80 a ticket in 2011, Aldean’s top price is $50.

“I remember having this conversation with (promoter) Live Nation when we signed with them,” he said. “You can go out and charge 80 bucks for a ticket and have the place half full or you can charge 40 bucks a ticket and have the place completely full and you make the same amount of money. It’s just common sense.

“And it’s no big secret the economy is screwed up. Same with the album. Make them feel like they got their money’s worth.”

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Happy shopping!

May 18, 2012
Atlanta, GA
+Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
Pre-Sale Begins: February 21 @ 10 AM EST
Pre-Sale Ends: February 23 @ 10 PM EST
Public On Sale: February 24 @ 10 AM EST
Meet & Greet Contest Begins: March 29 @ 12 PM EST
Meet & Greet Contest Ends: April 23 @ 12 PM EST

To get your pre-sale tickets to this show, please complete the following steps:
• Login to JasonAldean.com using your Clique ID
• Click on BUY PRE-SALE TICKETS to purchase your tickets using your Unique Ticketmaster code (found in the blue section on TOP of the Tour Page)

Be sure to get your pre-sale tickets before the general public! Not an Aldean Army Member? Click here to join now!

A second show has been announced at Lakewood on Fri., May 18 that will go on sale next Fri., Feb. 24 at 10am ET. Tickets for this and all 2012 MY KINDA PARTY TOUR dates can be purchased online at +Livenation and Ticketmaster charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

“It feels like 2011 was sort of my coming out year, but this is a milestone I’ve been working toward for over a decade,” said Aldean. “From the days when my mom used to drive me all over Georgia and I was playing clubs for 20 people my dream was always to play for 20,000. Big shout out to all my peeps in Georgia for throwing me such a big coming home party!”

Aldean is nominated for six ACM Awards, including his second consecutive nods for Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year, as well as Album of the Year for MY KINDA PARTY, Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year for “Don’t You Wanna Stay” feat. Kelly Clarkson and Video of the Year for “Tattoos on this Town.” The April 1 show will air live from Las Vegas on CBS.

A Macon, GA native, Aldean has sold more than six million copies of his four studio albums and topped the charts with eight No. one songs. His current single, “Fly Over States,” is climbing up the Top 25 at country radio and follows in the footsteps of four consecutive No. one singles off his DOUBLE PLATINUM album MY KINDA PARTY. The reigning CMA Album of the Year, MY KINDA PARTY was the top-selling country album of 2011 and the No. five best-seller in all genres.

For a full list of appearances and upcoming tour dates, visit the +Tour Page.

Each week through the month of February, we are featuring two items that are “Buy 1, Get 1 Free” and are also giving a special weekly deal for Aldean Army members only. Stay connected to +JasonAldean.com for new sale items every week. Happy shopping!

We want to see your most creative ideas! The videos YOU sent to the ACM to announce Jason as a nominee for Entertainer of the Year were AWESOME! We want to see more! Is Jason your Entertainer of the Year? Are you or is someone in your life his #1 fan? Send us a video of the biggest Jason Aldean fan in your life showing us why or how Jason is the Entertainer of the Year.

Send us your creative video submissions at jasonaldean@contests.sparkart.com for your chance to win the grand prize of two tickets to a 2012 Jason Aldean show of your choice*! This contest ends on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 11:59 PM PT so be sure to get your submission in today! Good luck!

HOW DO I ENTER?

Send an email to jasonaldean@contests.sparkart.com with “EOY Video Contest” in the subject line. In the body of the email, please include the following information:

1. Your First and Last name
2. Your email address. If you are registered as an Aldean Army Fan Club member, please send us the address you use to sign into +JasonAldean.com.
3. Your Youtube Video Link

All submissions without a Youtube Video Link will not be eligible for the grand prize. Don’t know how to upload a Youtube video? +Click here to learn how!

RULES

Submissions for the contest must be received by 2/15/2012 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. Please see the +Official Rules for alternate methods of entry.

Please do not submit any videos containing nudity, violence or any other graphic imagery. Any inappropriate video submissions will automatically place your entire account under review for ban.

Please Read the +Official Contest Rules before submitting your video.

All questions regarding this contest should be submitted to: jasonaldean@contests.sparkart.com.

*Subject to availability.

Please Note: All entries without a youtube video link will not be accepted.

Did you catch Jason performing on the GRAMMY’s last night? iTunes is featuring his GRAMMY nominated album My Kinda Party for the limited time price of just $6.99 now through February 15! +Click here to download your copy today!

Jason is performing on the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards to take place live on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 8-11:30 PM ET/PT on CBS! Aldean has three GRAMMY nominations for Best Country Solo Performance for “Dirt Road Anthem,” Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Don’t You Wanna Stay” (with Kelly Clarkson), and Best Country Album for My Kinda Party.

To receive this special deal, login or join the Aldean Army today!

Each week through the month of February, we are featuring two items that are “Buy 1, Get 1 Free” and are also giving a special weekly deal for Aldean Army members only. Stay connected to +JasonAldean.com for new sale items every week. Happy shopping!

Jason celebrated the success of his latest hit single, “Tattoos on this Town,” with a party on Tuesday (Feb. 7) at Nashville restaurant Bound’ry. The single follows his previous No. 1 songs “Don’t You Wanna Stay” and “Dirt Road Anthem.” “We’ve been stringing them together lately,” Jason told reporters prior to the party. “This record [My Kinda Party] has been unbelievable for my career in general.”

Jason says the song, written by Michael Dulaney, Wendell Mobley and Neil Thrasher, was an easy pick for a single. “It does kind of remind me of where I’m from, some of the stuff I did growing up,” says Jason. “[That was] one of the things that was appealing about the song when I heard it the first time. It’s nice to tell those stories that make you go back and remember those days a little bit of being in high school and doing stuff that you probably should’ve got in trouble for but luckily you didn’t get caught.”

His new single, “Fly Over States,” is a personal song for Jason. “That song was around when we got ready to record the [2009] Wide Open album,” he said. “It was in our pile of songs for that album and for whatever reason, we didn’t cut it, but it wasn’t because I didn’t like it. Even after the album came out, I found myself in my car listening to the demo. Again, it’s one of those songs that reminds me of where I’m from and a lot of the stuff I grew up visually seeing in my part of the country. It shed some light on farming that a lot of people don’t give those guys enough credit for what they do. For me, things like that were what drew me to that song. It’s something that’s been around for a while and we decided to put it on this record.”

In the meantime, Jason is gearing up for the Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 12), which airs live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on CBS. “For an artist, anybody in the music business, I don’t know that it gets any bigger than that for us,” says Jason, who is performing with Kelly Clarkson and is nominated for three Grammy awards. “I think every artist wants to have that ‘Grammy award winner’ tag in front of their name,” says Jason.

Besides performing and hopefully picking up a few awards, the singer is most excited about being an audience member on Grammy night. “I’m a Foo Fighters fan and they are performing. Seeing artists like that that I haven’t seen perform live before to me is part of the coolness of being able to go to some of that stuff. I’m just looking forward to that.”

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