SILVIS, Illinois – The John Deere Classic is bringing in a pair of major country music performers to help roll out its new Concert on the Course series during the 2023 JDC at TPC Deere Run.
In a news release Monday, June 20, the JDC announced that Blake Shelton and Darius Rucker will perform at its inaugural “Concert on the Course” weekend series, July 8-9.
Mr. Rucker will perform after tournament play on Saturday with Mr. Shelton scheduled to play at the conclusion of the tournament Sunday.
The concerts will be held adjacent to the 18th fairway and will offer fans the chance to gather on the amphitheater-style hillside. The stage will be located on golfers’-left of the final fairway. Concerts will begin after the pros’ rounds, at approximately 5:45 p.m.
“The John Deere Classic is excited to announce our first-ever Concert on the Course series featuring Blake Shelton and Darius Rucker, two of America’s most popular entertainers,” JDC Tournament Director Andrew Lehman said in a news release. “We can’t wait to welcome fans to TPC Deere Run to enjoy golf and music at a unique and spectacular outdoor venue.”
Mara Downing, John Deere’s vice president of Global Brand and Communications, said the Concert on the Course initiative is a way to welcome more members of the community to the annual event and to support the JDC’s highly successful Birdies for Charity initiative.
“We’re thrilled to bring some of the world’s best musicians to our headquarters community all in an effort to support the Birdies for Charity program,” Ms. Downing said. “We believe the Concert on the Course series will enhance the overall John Deere Classic experience, bringing together golfers and non-golfers alike to unite around a charitable cause. Our on-course concert series is a win-win for everyone involved.”
Anyone interested in attending must purchase a day-specific ticket to the tournament (for Saturday or Sunday) or use FLEX tickets, which enable holders to attend the tournament any one day during the event (Wednesday-Sunday).
Concert attendees must arrive on the property before 4 p.m., after which the gates will be closed. Shuttle buses will operate from parking lots designated on individual tickets. Tickets may be purchased at johndeereclassic.com.
Blake Shelton is one of country music’s most successful entertainers and biggest stars, having sold 10 million records and 30 million singles along with more than 1.7 billion streams of his songs worldwide. He is a winner of hundreds of achievement awards by such organizations as the Academy of Country Music (five), the American Music Awards (three), the Country Music Association (10), the CMT Music Awards (11), and People’s Choice Awards (seven). He has charted 40 singles, 28 of which ascended to No. 1.
He also became a regular presence in America’s living rooms in 2011 when he was named one of the coaches on NBC’s popular show “The Voice.” He was a nine-time champion on the show before leaving after the 2023 season. He is a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Known for his philanthropy, Mr. Shelton has helped raise millions of dollars for humanitarian causes in his native Oklahoma and around the world.
Mr. Rucker first achieved multi-Platinum status in the music industry as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the Grammy Award-winning band Hootie & the Blowfish, who have sold more than 25 million albums worldwide including their Double Diamond-certified (21x Platinum) debut Cracked Rear View. It remains among the Top 10 best-selling studio albums of all time.
Since releasing his first country album in 2008, Mr. Rucker has earned a whole new legion of fans with four No. 1 albums on the Billboard Country chart, including RIAA Platinum-certified Learn to Live and True Believers, plus 10 No. 1 singles at Country radio and 11 Gold, Platinum or multi-Platinum certified hits.
He was inducted as a Grand Ole Opry member in 2012 and in 2014 he won his third career Grammy Award for Best Solo Country Performance with his Diamond-certified (11x Platinum) version of “Wagon Wheel,” one of the top five best-selling Country songs of all time. He co-hosted the 54th annual CMA Awards in 2020 and topped the charts at Country radio once again with “Beers and Sunshine” in 2021.
As a lifelong philanthropist, Mr. Rucker co-chaired the capital campaign that generated $150 million to help build the new MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, and has raised more than $3 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through his annual Darius & Friends benefit concert and golf tournament.
In addition, he has advocated for more than 200 charitable causes supporting public education and junior golf programs in South Carolina through the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation.
He also serves as a National Chair for the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, Tennessee.
An avid sports fan, his NFL x Darius Rucker Collection by Fanatics apparel line is available at NFLshop.com.
He is part of the Music City Baseball investment group working to bring an MLB team to Tennessee in addition to serving as a partner at the MGC Sports & Entertainment agency.
The 52nd edition of the Quad Cities-based PGA Tour event will be conducted July 5-9 with J.T. Poston as defending champion. In a wire-to-wire victory in 2022, Mr. Poston won by three shots with a 21-under par total for the 72-hole event.
This year’s JDC tournament will offer a $7.4 million purse – an increase of $300,000.
Since its founding in 1971, the tournament has helped raise more than $159.57 million for charity including through its Birdies for Charity organization.
