Bayou Country Superfest a big step closer to reality

The Bayou Country Superfest, a two-day music festival slated for Memorial Day weekend 2010, took a major step toward fruition with today’s unanimous vote of the Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau to commit up to $300,000 toward the event. Quint Davis, CEO of Festival Productions Inc. New Orleans, which puts on the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the Essence Music Festival, is planning the event, which will be held in Tiger Stadium. While the lineup of performers and ticket information won’t be released until the fall, the event will feature country music stars on the level of Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. AEG Live, the second-largest concert promoter in North America, is promoting the event along with Davis. AEG has exclusive deals with well-known performers such as Chesney, Bon Jovi and Paul McCartney. Davis said at today’s CVB meeting that the event will mean not only a $23 million economic boost for the Baton Rouge economy, but a rebranding of the city as a regional weekend destination. For a full version of the story, click here.—Steve Clark