Chris Stapleton to headline Country Thunder 2019

There’s likely going to be some Tennessee whiskey going around at next year’s Country Thunder as they announced Friday that Chris Stapleton is headlining.

Media relations and Marketing Director Gerry Krochak said this is a huge deal for them because Stapleton’s a bit of a stranger to playing at festivals.

“Not only has he never played here, he’s never played in this province,” said Krochak. “In the world of country music, there’s only so many people (for) headliners. You start to repeat yourself.”

He emphasized Stapleton is a unique performer the public has been asking for.

“Like any artist, not everybody’s a huge fan, but in terms of having that artist that captures people’s imagination, there’s a real mystique to him,” he said. “To get him here at this event is kind of a feather in the cap.”

They finalized the agreement late last week.

Krochak said buying a weekend pass at the event saves the extra money of taxes and fees, making the cost an even $150. However, that price is only available at the information and renewal booths on festival grounds and not online.

So far, the festival hasn’t finalized any other names to the 2019 lineup but plan to have it released around mid-October.