As the first week of school comes to a close, students can unwind tonight at the Tracy Byrd concert at the Hat in Aggieville.
The 2015 Texas Country Music Hall of Fame inductee is known for the songs “Watermelon Crawl,” “I’m from the Country” and “10 Rounds with Jose Cuervo.” Tonight’s show is not Byrd’s first performance in Manhattan. Originally from Beaumont, Texas, Byrd has performed in Manhattan a few times, including during the 1999 Country Stampede festival.
Byrd said he expects a wide range of people at his show.
“You know, our crowds are so diverse,” Byrd said. “I have an 81-year-old couple from Missouri that will be at the concert Friday, and it’ll be the 368th time that they have seen me over the last 20 years.”
But Byrd said his fans do not end at the older generation of country music lovers, he has fans from the younger generations too.
“Now I have young people that 20 years ago may have been forced to listen to my music back then and are now genuine fans,” Byrd said.
One such fan is BreAnn Jaeger, junior in family studies and human services. Jaeger said she is plans to attend tonight’s concert.
“I’ve never been to one of his concerts, but I’m really excited,” Jaeger said. “My parents listened to Tracy Byrd, and I grew up listening to him. ‘Keeper Of The Stars,’ is my favorite song of his.”
Ryan Platt, owner of The Hat, said the show has sold well.
“We are expecting a huge crowd,” Platt said. “Our place fits 500 people, and we have sold a lot of tickets already.”
Byrd said he and his band will perform a two-hour show that includes covers of Eagles’ songs in honor of Glenn Frey, former bandleader of the Eagles.
“I have a really, really great band,” Byrd said. “We are going to play all the hits and will be throwing in some album cuts that I never did on the album.”
The doors will open at 7 p.m. and the show will start at 8:30 p.m. The Tanner Dirk’s band will be the opening show of the night. They are a house band with current and former K-State students that performs about four times a month at The Hat.
