Brad Paisley to perform free concert in Blacksburg night before VT-OSU game

The concert will be held in the Cassell Coliseum Lot (Lot 1) with the opening act taking the stage at 8 p.m., followed by Paisley at 9 p.m. Parking will be available south of Lane Stadium, including Lots 2, 3 and 5, as well as ADA parking in Lot 4. Beamer Way and Washington Street will be closed starting at 5 p.m.“Hokie Nation supports us with tremendous passion and dedication,” said Tech Director of Athletics, Whit Babcock. “The opportunity to bring a Grammy award-winning artist like Brad Paisley to the Virginia Tech campus is great way to thank our great fans and kick off an amazing weekend. We appreciate IMG helping make this memorable event possible.”Other dates announced for IMG partner schools are September 10 – The University of Texas, September 11 – Baylor University and September 12 – University of Arkansas. Additional university dates will be announced in the coming weeks.Paisley is currently poised to hit the radio airwaves with “Country Nation,” the newest single from his chart-topping album, Moonshine in the Trunk. Shipping to country radio on August 31 with an official airplay impact date of September 14, “Country Nation” was written by Paisley and his longtime collaborators Chris DuBois and Kelley Lovelace. A celebration of the blue-collar spirit and America’s passion for sports, the song weaves-in a shout-out to 18 college sports mascots.

Paisley’s affection for college football runs deep. He plans to once again serve as a spokesperson for “College Colors Day,” a nationwide celebration of the new college football season, which was created by IMG. He has also appeared as a celebrity guest picker on the ESPN show “College GameDay” at West Virginia University.

IMG College, the multimedia rights and trademark licensing partner of Virginia Tech, is a division of WME | IMG, which also represents Paisley and brokered the college tour deal.

“Music and sports are passions of so many people—Zaxby’s included—and we couldn’t think of a better way to unite the two this fall,” said Zaxby’s CEO and co-founder Zach McLeroy. “We’re even more passionate about the guests and communities we serve, and this sponsorship is a perfect opportunity for us to give back to our fans.”

In addition to the free concert series, McLeroy explained Zaxby’s connection to college sports. “We’ve been involved with college sports for a long time—Zaxby’s was, after all, started in a college town,” he said. “But we’re amping it up this football and basketball season by partnering with 30 Division I colleges throughout our footprint. We’re excited to play a role in something that means so much to so many.”