Carrie Underwood to headline Stadium of Fire 2014
“As we surveyed previous attendees of Stadium of Fire, one name came up repeatedly as the most-wanted performer for 2014,” said Paul Warner, Executive Director of America’s Freedom Festival. “Carrie Underwood headlined our show back in 2010, and she is the clear favorite to return. She made quite the impression four years ago with a spectacular concert.”
“It was such a wonderful evening to be a part of and I am so happy to be asked back by the fans!” said Carrie Underwood.
Tickets to Stadium of Fire 2014 will go on sale to the general public on Friday, March 21, at 8 a.m., and will be sold simultaneously online at stadiumoffire.com, byutickets.com and at the BYU Marriott Center ticket office in Provo. Members of the Freedom Festival’s email list will have the option to purchase tickets one day before the general public, so fans are encouraged to visit stadiumoffire.com to sign up for advance ticket opportunities.
Since winning American Idol in 2005, Carrie has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, placed 18 singles at #1, with nine of those as co-writes, within four albums. She’s won a vast array of awards including six GRAMMYs®, and three female vocalist awards from both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). In 2010, when Carrie garnered her second win as ACM Entertainer of the Year, she became the first female artist to win the award twice. In addition, Carrie has won 7 American Music Awards, 6 People’s Choice Awards, 9 CMT Music Awards, 11 American Country Awards, 7 BMI Songwriter Awards, and is a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry.
In the spring of 2013, Carrie wrapped her highly successful headline arena tour, “The Blown Away Tour,” which performed a total of 112 dates in 110 cities, in 6 countries across 3 continents, playing for more than 1 million fans and selling out every concert in 2013.
This past December, Carrie starred as Maria Von Trapp in NBC’s three-hour live broadcast of The Sound of Music, based on the original musical, delivering a ratings bonanza as the show ranked #1 across all half hours of the broadcast. More than 44 million viewers saw some or all of the groundbreaking December 5 event and Dec 14 re-airing. Carrie also recently became the voice of primetime television’s #1 program,Sunday Night Football on NBC, singing the opening theme song, “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night.”
“She’s already a music legend after just nine years on the scene,” said Warner. “Having her back at Stadium of Fire is an absolute thrill.”
Guests at Stadium of Fire will also enjoy special performances by the cast of BYUtv’s Studio C. Since premiering on the network in 2012, Studio C has grown from a small sketch comedy show to a national stunner. With more than 30 million YouTube views, and with fans all over the world, members of the cast can hardly go anywhere without being stopped for a photo or autograph. Season four of Studio C premieres on BYUtv on April 7.
“They’re The Beatles of Provo,” said Warner. “It’s amazing how popular the show has become in just over a year. And the cast has some hilarious moments up their sleeve for July 4th.”
This year’s host will be J.R. Martinez, the nationally known U.S. Army soldier who sustained severe burns to his body in 2003 due to an IED explosion while serving as an infantryman in Iraq. After returning to the United States and enduring months of painful recovery, J.R. became a motivational speaker, actor, best-selling author and winner of season 13 of ABC’s hit show, Dancing with the Stars. J.R. can currently be seen starring as Alfonso Rivera, a Los Angeles paramedic/firefighter and a member of the U.S. Air Force Pararescue team, in the nationally syndicated drama series, SAF3.
As always, the night will also include the popular Stadium of Fire Dancers, the biggest stadium fireworks show in America and many more great surprises.
The Stadium of Fire event, now in its 34th year, has grown to become one of the United States’ premier patriotic celebrations, attracting an average attendance of 40,000 people and televised live to over one million military men and women in more than 100 countries via the American Forces Network. Combined with July 4th’s Grand Parade and the Freedom Days vendor market in downtown Provo, almost half a million people attend Freedom Festival events over the Independence Day weekend.
Stadium of Fire is presented by America’s Freedom Festival, a nonprofit, non-partisan organization supporting educational programs and events that promote freedom and democracy. For the tenth consecutive year, the event will be created, produced and directed by the award-winning production team of Baruch/Gayton Entertainment Group.
For additional media inquiries please contact Emory Cook, Communications Manager at the Freedom Festival, at 801-857-1839.
