Uncle Kracker photographed by Melissa Coulier
HOPE/TEXARKANA, AR – Monday, May 3, 2022
Genre-crossing hitmaker and chart-topper Uncle Kracker will headline the concert at the 46th Annual Hope Watermelon Festival on Saturday, August 13, at 8:30 p.m. The show will be held on the CMC Stage inside Hope Fair Park. Gates open at 6:00 p.m.
After vaulting to stardom as a charismatic presence and chief collaborator in Kid Rock’s Twisted Brown Trucker Band, the Michigan singer, songwriter, and performer, also known as Matthew Shafer, kicked off an incredible solo career of his own. His 2000 major label debut, “Double Wide,” fittingly went double-platinum and yielded the #1 smash hit “Follow Me.” Its 2002 follow-up “No Stranger To Shame” reached gold status and spawned genre-crossing hits such as “In A Little While” and the powerful cover of Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away,” which set a Billboard record for most weeks at #1 on any chart, topping their #1 run on the Adult Contemporary radio charts for a staggering 28 weeks.
Before Uncle Kracker flew up the charts for five weeks at #1 with “When the Sun Goes Down,” a duet with good friend Kenny Chesney, country music might’ve seemed an odd place to find the Detroit-based good-time Kid Rock alumni. But after a few summer tours with Chesney, Uncle Kracker reached Country Music’s Top 10 with his double-platinum crossover hit “Smile.” Then, 2012 saw him fully embrace his country side with his critically acclaimed fifth outing, “Midnight Special,” produced by Keith Stegall, which leaves no doubt this feel-good rocker is exactly where he should be.
Uncle Kracker has played sold-out shows across the country and appeared everywhere, from the American Country Music Awards to Late Night With Conan O’Brien. He is still having a blast, and fans in southwest Arkansas undoubtedly will too, when they see him at the Hope Watermelon Festival.
Tickets go on sale Thursday, May 19, with a special one-day “early bird” discounted general admission ticket price of $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 4-10. Early bird tickets will be sold at the Hope-Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. or online at https://www.hempsteadhall.com/.
After this one-day sale, advanced general admission tickets for the concert will be $20 for adults; day of show tickets will be $25. Children’s tickets will be $10 on the day of the show. All reserved seating tickets are $40.
For more information about the concert, contact the Hope Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce at 870-777-3640 or the UAHT Foundation at 870-722-8516.