The night before Ole Miss Football’s premiere game of the season against Furman, country stars Brett Young and Josh Kelley – both former University of Mississippi student-athletes – will make some noise in the Sandy and John Black Pavillion on Friday, Aug. 30.
Tickets for the show, which is being hosted by Ole Miss Athletics, are still available as of Sunday, Aug. 25, ranging in price from $25-$50, not including fees associated with online purchasing, and students are offered discounted floor seats. Parking, which ranges in price from $20-$40 depending on lot location, opens at 5 p.m.. Doors to the SJB Pavilion open at 6 p.m. and the concert starts at 7 p.m.
Before Young had seven consecutive No. 1 hits and an Academy of Country Music Award under his belt, he was a pitcher for the Ole Miss Baseball team, where he earned a varsity letter in 2000. After success with the Rebels, he transferred to his home state of California and attended Irvine Valley College and ended his pitching career at Fresno State University, where he sustained an elbow injury in 2003.
“I think it is pretty great that Brett is performing for his very own Ole Miss Rebels. I think it’s so extraordinary that he played baseball here for a time,” junior marketing major Emily Otero said. “It’s really cool to see someone who came here to play baseball come back to play a concert.”
Josh Kelley, an Augusta, Ga., native, played for the Ole Miss Men’s Golf team from 2000-2001. In 2003, Kelley released his debut album, “For the Ride Home.” Since then, he has had multiple songs chart on Billboard.
Accompanying Young and Kelley on the basketball arena’s floor will be Mustache the Band, which has made several appearances in Oxford at venues including the Lyric and the Double Decker Arts Festival. Founded in 2010, the band is known for channeling a ’90s country-pop sound and embracing the mustache aesthetic by providing fans with their very own mustaches as they enjoy the show.
Students are excited for Young’s performance, but some are surprised he is returning so soon after headlining the 2022 Double Decker Arts Festival.
“I think it’s cool (Brett Young is) coming but also a little weird since he was just here two years ago. But I guess it makes sense since he is an alum,” senior elementary education major Elle D’Angelo said. “I guess if the audience is there, then why not come?”
While some locals have concerns about possible congestion, especially with how Oxford traffic was affected by the Morgan Wallen concert in the spring, others think the concert benefits will overshadow frustrations it may cause.
“Oxford is always crowded, but I’m sure (the concert) is good for business,” D’Angelo said.
Otero shared a similar sense of optimism.
“I think it’s a great way to bring on football season,” Otero said. “A fun concert to go to on Friday night and then a game the next day, what could be better than that?”
