Major rock and country festivals take place throughout the summer in Detroit Lakes, Minn.; Eau Claire, Wis., and other spots in the Upper Midwest. Add Shakopee to that list for 2019.
TC Summer Jam, a splashy new outdoor country-and-rock festival, is set for July 18-20 at Canterbury Park, with Nashville superstar Tim McGraw as one of its headliners — and investors.
"We're mashing it up — country and rock on the same day. It's going to be a full-on special experience," said TC Summer Jam general manager Lauren MacLeash, a former longtime radio programmer at Twin Cities stations BUZ'N 102.9 and Cities 97. "We're reflecting the Twin Cities. Fans listen to a lot of different music. That's one of the changing things with social media and with streaming and all the opportunities to find music now."
TC Summer Jam will be the first big-time multiday music festival in the metro area since 2012 when mega-promoter Live Nation's ambitious River's Edge Music Fest, with Dave Matthews Band and Tool, disappeared after only one year at Harriet Island in St. Paul.
A little known promoter, Jerry Braam, founder of the Lakes Jam fest in Brainerd, is the CEO of the new festival. He hatched the idea with Chris Hawkey, KFAN Radio personality by day and country-and-rock singer by night who has performed regularly at Lakes Jam.
McGraw has "an interest" in the new endeavor as does Snap Fitness founder and CEO Peter Taunton, who teamed with McGraw on Sunday for a benefit on Lake Minnetonka.
The 10-acre infield of Canterbury's racetrack can accommodate up to 30,000 people, MacLeash said. Promoters are hoping for 15,000 per day for their first fest.
There will be VIP and lawn-chair seating as well as general admission. Concertgoers will have access to the Canterbury grandstand with its restrooms and air conditioning. Camping spots for RVs will be available. About 2,000 hotel rooms are located within five miles of the site, according to MacLeash.
