By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
This year's annual Wild West Festival, which will be June 29 through July 4, is again filled with star-studded performances.
Headliners include country acts Chris Janson on Thursday and Jackson Dean on Friday. Ashley Cooke will open for Janson and Shane Profitt will open for Dean. Saturday is the festival's traditional rock night with AC/DC tribute band Hells Bells opening for Arch Allies.
Ticket prices have increased this year. VIP tickets will be $200. Advance general admission tickets for all three nights are $30 and single-night general admission tickets at the gate are $35. Tickets can be purchased now. You can find a link on the festival website. You can also follow the festival on Facebook.
General admission tickets can be purchased at all three Hays Cervs locations and both Hays Dillons locations. Both VIP and general admission tickets can be purchased at the Hays Welcome Center at 2700 Vine in Hays.
The parade will be at 10 a.m. July 1 in downtown Hays. The theme is "America for You and Me in 2023."
Fireworks will be on Tuesday night, July 4.
Ashley Cooke
Thursday, June 29 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Big Loud / Back Blocks Music artist Ashley Cooke is an emerging country artist with chart-climbing hits like “Never Til Now."
Other singles have included "It's Been a Year," "Back in the Saddle" and "Good Goodbye" with Jimmie Allen. You can listen on Cooke's website.
She's had her Grand Ole Opry debut, national TV appearances on ABC’s “The Bachelorette" and toured with Cole Swindell and Jordan Davis.
The festival website described her lyrics as skillfully crafted and her performances as unforgettable, adding she has an effortless vocal beauty and a bold sense of internal grit, freely mixing it up with the boys while she rallies the girls.
"Hailing from Parkland, Fla., and moved by emotional hit makers like Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts and Kelly Clarkson, Cooke embraces the energy of pop and depth of country, writing her first song by age 11," the festival website said.
Cooke moved to Nashville at 18 and attended Belmont University, but she did not study music. After entering the school's Country Showcase on a whim and winning, Cooke decided to pursue music for a year.
When the pandemic had other plans, Cooke went to TikTok where she built a fanbase.
Chris Janson
Thursday, June 29, 9:30 to 11 p.m.
Chris Janson has had five singles on the Billboard Hot 100. His big hits include “Buy Me A Boat," “Fix A Drink," "Drunk Girl," which was an ACM Award-winner, “Good Vibes” and “Done." His latest single is "All I Need is You." You can watch his latest video on his website.
The festival website said breakout country star Janson is a platinum-selling recording artist, high-octane entertainer, multi-instrumentalist, award-winning singer/songwriter and Grand Ole Opry member.
His debut single “Buy Me A Boat” was recognized as the iHeartRadio Music Awards “Country Song of the Year,” and MusicRow named his single “Drunk Girl” its “Song of the Year” winner.
Bobby Bones named Janson “One of the greatest entertainers in country music.”
Janson has earned more than 7.4 billion airplay impressions to date, according to the festival website.
Shane Profitt
Friday, June 30, 7:30 to 9 p.m.
At the end of 2021, Shane Profitt of Columbia, Tenn., was still pulling overtime at his job with the city, busting his back about an hour south of Nashville and living for the weekend, according to the festival website.
But now the 22-year-old is rocking sold-out crowds, touring with his chart-topping hero and writing modern country tunes so genuine, they slip on like a pair of broken-in work boots, the festival website said.
“Back in November I was still working for the city of Columbia, getting up at 6 o’clock every morning and working eight hours a day – and I hated every minute of it,” the festival website quoted Profitt. “When people hear the name Shane Profitt, I want them to automatically know I’m no different than them, because I actually lived that 40-hour-week life. And it wasn’t that long ago.”
Profitt has signed with BMLG Records/Harpeth 60 Records. He has a three-song collection, Maury County Line, which includes “Better Off Fishin',” “Guys Like Me” and “How It Oughta Be."
Profitt is scheduled to perform at the Grand Ole Opry on April 29 and during the CMA Music Festival in June. Learn more about this artist on his website.
Jackson Dean
Friday, June 30 9:30 to 11 p.m.
Fast-rising country singer/songwriter Jackson Dean is quickly earning a reputation for his old school, gritty, lyric-driven, outlaw style of country, according to the festival website.
The Maryland native’s single, “Don’t Come Lookin’” was the fastest debut to reach No. 1 in 2022 and cemented Jackson as the youngest solo male country artist to reach the top of the charts with a debut, the festival website said.
Jackson has joined bills with acts including Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Brantley Gilbert, Kane Brown, Jake Owen, Brooks & Dunn, Lee Brice and Brothers Osborne.
He has landed spots on the Billboard Hot 100, the soundtrack for Netflix’s "The Ice Road" and a John Dutton scene in "Yellowstone," a song that had 80 million streams. He has been nominated for the ACM New Male Artist of the Year.
Mature beyond his years, Jackson opted to move out to a cinderblock, concrete floor, one-room shack on the back of his grandfather’s property with no heat and no plumbing at just 18 years old, the festival website said.
An adventurous and carefree spirit, the 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist, is also an old soul and skilled artisan whose pastimes include making leather goods, wood-burned art and disappearing into the woods to sleep under the stars, the website said.
Visit Dean's website, jacksondeanmusic.com, to learn more about the artist.
Hells Bells
Saturday, July 1 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Hells/Bells, together for 22 years, has toured in 42 States and seven countries. The band bills itself as the No. 1 AC/DC tribute band.
"With authentic costuming, the look, the sound, the cannons, the bell and all of the crazy antics of Angus Young, Hells/Bells is total energy, absolute adrenaline – the most complete party experience acclaimed across the United States, Honduras, Mexico, Trinidad and Europe by many die-hard fans," the festival website said.
You'll hear all the hits of both singers, Bon Scott and Brian Johnson, along with pyrotechnics.
You can learn more about the band and see videos and more photos at www.hellsbellsrocks.com.
Arch Allies
Saturday, July 1 9:30 to 11 p.m.
Arch Allies is a timeless tribute band centered around making classic rock sing-alongs with dynamic vocals, huge guitars, dashing keyboards and powerful drums, according to the festival website.
You can expect hits from Bon Jovi, Queen, Journey, Styx, REO, Boston, Def Leppard and Queen.
Check out the band's website or follow them on Facebook.