Our Views: Superfest back for next year

We’re glad that some of the biggest names in country music will be visiting Baton Rouge once again as part of Bayou Country Superfest’s 2013 schedule.

The Memorial Day weekend event has been a big tourist attraction for Baton Rouge since the festival began in 2010. The festival attracted 75,000 people last year, many of them from out of town. Their presence has translated into high demand at area hotels and restaurants, which is a boost for the local economy. Paul Arrigo, president of Visit Baton Rouge, the city-parish’s tourism bureau, said that local hotel occupancy for the 2012 Superfest exceeded occupancy during the recent LSU-Alabama football game.

Next year’s Superfest schedule includes the Zac Brown Band, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, The Band Perry, Thompson Square, Rodney Atkins, Love and Theft and Frankie Ballard.

That line-up promises to inspire continued interest in the festival among country music fans.

We commend local and state officials who have worked to make Bayou Country Superfest a reality.

Comments

1) Comment by bourbon-soda - 07/12/2012

You have to have welfare for the rich and middle class in order to have welfare for the poor - circuses and to go along with the bread - to get votes to expand government. Check out Medicare, TOPS, stadia for professional sports, and government subsidy for what are called "the arts," which can as reasonably be construed to include so-called country music as a crucifix in a jar. The amounts involved here are comparative pittances.

2) Comment by phil - 06/12/2012

To those commenting to me - I might not be too smart but I am intelligent enough to figure out that people who can afford to pay a ticket price of $50 a day (minimum?) plus parking and other costs can afford to pay another few dollars a day to stop the subsidy. I can also figure that some of that tax money comes from folks who cannot even afford the price of a ticket. I can also figure that the concert promoter does not want anyone to know the final profits that are made by the concert. I also can figure that a tax rebate basically is a government -run method of collecting money to be handed over directly to a private individual or company. In that situation, the government seems to become a paid tax collector for private companies I can also figure that someone gets free tickets and does not really want that information to be let out to the public. Me lighten up? You have to be joking. .

3) Comment by CountryBoysCanSurvive - 03/12/2012

@Attila Roll Me up is the title song from his new CD of the same name.

4) Comment by bourbon-soda - 02/12/2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRH0jhuc1r4 or just google [roll me up and smoke we when I die].

5) Comment by ScotB - 02/12/2012

This is a very good thing. It is a great opportunity to promote Baton Rouge to outside groups, including companies that may want to locate here.

6) Comment by Attila - 02/12/2012

@phil: Lighten up man. I mean "subsidize rich people who go to a country concert"....really? I am sure that some who attend are rich, but of the 75-85K that attend I would wager that vast majority are far from rich. I do agree with you on the free tickets for those politically connected to hizzoner, and the mystery behind just exactly who profits from the event. I think that we would probably have more success getting the Mayor to stop looking like a fool in that western outfit he wears to promote the thing though...when he does that he reminds me of the Sheriff in Blazing Saddles.

7) Comment by Attila - 02/12/2012

@Twinkie: Did Willie write a song called "Roll me up and smoke me when I die? I have never heard that song....who recorded it? The only thing close to that title was by Joe Diffie. He sang "Prop me up beside the jukebox when I die. If you can tell me where I can find a copy of Willie's version I would be most appreciative.

8) Comment by bourbon-soda - 01/12/2012

What we need is a Cabinet Level Department of Sports and Entertainment to set salaries for these people so they do not exceed those of government certified virtuous occupations like community organizer. The new liberal puritan is even more concerned than the old religious puritans that someone somewhere may be having a good time in a way not approved by the sociology department.

9) Comment by Mr. T - 30/11/2012

Phil, The Advocate obviously agrees with you since they have done everything in their power to kill the Superfest over the past four years. Now that they are in New Orleans, I have to wonder if they are going to treat Jazz Fest and the Essence Festival with the same disdain. The truth is that these events all generate more sales taxes than they generate, many times over. (last year's Superfest generted more than the LSU -Bama game, right?) besides, they are fun, which is something you and the jerks at the Advocate wouldn't know anything about.

10) Comment by phil - 30/11/2012

Great, we get to subsidize rich people who go to a country music concert again with taxes paid by the poor and middle class. Then, once again we will probably never find out how much profit the private concert organizer made since that information is not considered to be public information that can be obtained under a public records request. The there are those lists of free tickets that were never let out by the mayor and the other free tickets that were given out. History seems to repeat itself a lot here, especially when taxpayers are getting fleeced. And what exactly is a tax rebate? Is that when the government acts as a tax collection agency for a private individual?

11) Comment by DMJ - 30/11/2012

Black? Hahah!! You don't have to be black to think country music isn't any good. Besides, I like most of those old-timers. Classic country...some of it, anyway... was good. Today's country is American Idol with stupid hats and belt buckles.

12) Comment by CountryBoysCanSurvive - 30/11/2012

@DMJ my little black friend, Willie must have escaped, because he was on David Letterman last week, starting a new tour and CD release.

13) Comment by DMJ - 30/11/2012

CBCS, I think they're in a nursing home in Miami beach.

14) Comment by bourbon-soda - 30/11/2012

But don't these people make too much money compared to nurses and teachers?

15) Comment by twinkie1cat - 30/11/2012

After nearly losing Superfest last year with selfish Republican Mike Walker trying to block Kip's project, we definitely need to celebrate this one as well as Mike's defeat.......However, I agree with Country Boy very much. Where are the country singers. These folks sound more like the old Top 40. I WANT WILLIE! He and Dolly probably wrote most of their songs anyway and not only is he not on Headlining, he's not even on the show! I mean who else could write "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die". Who could have written the most profound objection to bullying but Dolly Parton with her iconic "Coat of Many Colors" and made Whitney Houston a huge star with "I Will Always Love You". (And her version was much better.) People need a little lesson on the greatest country stars of America mixed in with their pop!

16) Comment by CountryBoysCanSurvive - 30/11/2012

biggest names in country music??? Although these are good bands there is no true Country artist (Rock and Roll in boots) nor Super Stars in the bunch, Where are the headliners? Where is George Jones, Merle, Willie, Hank Jr, Allen Jackson, Brad Paisley, Jerry Lee, Dolly, etc ?

17) Comment by Chucky - 30/11/2012

This is a good thing.