The Battle at Bristol is putting together the true feel of a big time college football game at the start of the season. The contest between Virginia Tech and Tennessee on the infield at Bristol Motor Speedway will have a national TV audience and an official sponsor, and now it has a headlining act for a concert event the night before the big showdown between the Hokies and Vols.
Country star Kenny Chesney will perform at a concert at Bristol Motor Speedway on the eve of the game as the top act of the Bristol Tailgate Party. Others performing will include The Band Perry and Old Dominion. Chesney is an alum of East Tennessee State and said it is a dream to perform at the speedway.
''I had a lot of dreams then, but never did I dream I would be playing at Bristol Motor Speedway,” Chesney said. “The idea of that was too big to dream.’'
Chesney is no stranger to the college football world. He has appeared as a guest picker for ESPN’s College GameDay, had a concert destroy the turf at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium, and is notorious for being a fan of no fewer than 36 different sports teams, including Ole Miss, Nebraska, Northwestern, NC State, Mississippi State, UNC, Cal, Tennessee, Texas, Florida and perhaps more in time. He has even produced a documentary about the one and only Steve Spurrier.