Hampton Beach Country Fest 2022: What to know about free Maddie & Tae concert

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HAMPTON — Maddie & Tae, the duo who took on "bro-country" with their hit song "Girl In A Country Song,” which skyrocketed to No. 1, will be headlining next week's Hampton Beach Country Music Fest.

Vocalists Madison Marlow Font and Taylor Dye Kerr will take the Seashell Stage Thursday, July 7.

Country Fest, also known as Country on the Coast, consists of three nights of music that "brings country stars to the beach."

"We are very excited to have a nationally touring (duo) on our stage this year with Maddie & Tae," said Hampton Beach Village District co-marketing director Lisa Martineau.

Country music fans faced a day of music and a thunderstorm on day three at the Gulf Coast Jam at Frank Brown Park in Panama City Beach Saturday, June 4, 2022. Maddie and Tae performed in the early evening at the Jam.
Country music fans faced a day of music and a thunderstorm on day three at the Gulf Coast Jam at Frank Brown Park in Panama City Beach Saturday, June 4, 2022. Maddie and Tae performed in the early evening at the Jam.

The event kicks off Tuesday, July 5 with Kevin White and his Garth Live — The Ultimate Tribute Band followed by Portland's 12/OC, on Wednesday, July 6. On Thursday, singer-songwriter Isaiah Bennett, a former "American Idol" contestant, will open for Maddie & Tae at 7 p.m.

"We feel like this is our biggest event yet," said Amanda Morneault, who is the entertainment director for the Hampton Beach Village District. "We are very grateful to have the opportunity to bring such talent to the Hampton Beach community."

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How much is admission?

Country Fest, like all the other nightly music shows on the Seashell Stage, is free and paid for by the taxpayers of the Hampton Beach Village District.

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"There are no tickets," Martineau said. "It's free to everyone. We would suggest that people come early."

This is the fourth Country Fest after taking a hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maddie & Tae play at the Gulf Coast Jam at Frank Brown Park in Panama City Beach Saturday, June 4, 2022. They will take the stage July 7, 2022 at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire.
Maddie & Tae play at the Gulf Coast Jam at Frank Brown Park in Panama City Beach Saturday, June 4, 2022. They will take the stage July 7, 2022 at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire.

The first two years were headlined by Nashville star William Michael Morgan. Last year, Rodney Atkins, known for such hits as “If You’re Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)” and “Watching You,” was the main event.

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What we know about Maddie & Tae?

Maddie & Tae will be hitting the beach fresh off their win for the 2022 best duo/group Video of the Year at this year's CMT Music Awards.

They won for their "Woman You Got" video, beating out Brothers Osborne's "I'm Not for Everyone" and Zac Brown Band's "Same Boat" among others.

Country music duo Maddie & Tae members Tae Dye, left, and Maddie Marlow will headline Country Fest at Hampton Beach.
Country music duo Maddie & Tae members Tae Dye, left, and Maddie Marlow will headline Country Fest at Hampton Beach.

The song is the lead single off the duo's new album Through the Madness Vol. 1 album.

Maddie & Tae rose to national fame in 2014 with "Girl in a Country Song," which mocked the "bro-country" trend in music and how young women are typically portrayed in songs.

Maddie & Tae followed that with other hits like "Fly," "Friends Don't," and "Die from a Broken Heart."

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The duo became only the third female duo in 70 years to top the Country Airplay charts, also earning awards from the Country Music Academy and Radio Disney Music Awards along with multiple ACM, CMA and CMT Award nominations.

The duo has toured with some of country music's hottest stars including Dierks Bentley, Lee Brice, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.

The duo will hit the Seashell Stage July 7 at 8:30 p.m.

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Who is opening for Maddie & Tae?

Opening for Maddie & Tae will be Isaiah Bennett, an acoustic/folk artist based out of Portland, Maine.

Bennett appeared on "American Idol" in 2014, where he made it through three rounds in the singing contest before being voted off.

Isaiah Bennett
Isaiah Bennett

He released his first EP "Horizons" in 2014, which featured six original songs, and followed that up in 2016 with "Vessels" in 2016, which made it to No. 9 on the iTunes Gospel & Praise charts.

His live shows consist mainly of his own songs and popular cover songs with a twist.

Bennett will perform from 7 to 8 p.m. July 7.

What we know about 12/OC?

12/OC consists of three brothers Jack, 23, Will, 20, and Reid, 17, and their friend George Chaison-Lapine.

The group recently played one of their biggest gigs, opening for Scotty McCreery at Carnaval Maine in February.

Known for covers, the group recently started writing their own music, releasing the song "One More Road." 

12/OC consists of three brothers Jack, 23, Will, 20, and Reid, 17, and their friend George Chaison-Lapine.
12/OC consists of three brothers Jack, 23, Will, 20, and Reid, 17, and their friend George Chaison-Lapine.

According to an interview with News Center Maine, the group got their name from their uncle after a carpentry mistake.

"We have a camp on Moosehead Lake, and we were up there building a bunkhouse," Will Nichols said.

"We were framing the floor and in the carpentry world 16, on center is how you are supposed to frame the floor joists."

Instead, they framed the floor joists 24 inches on center resulting in a floor that bounced like a trampoline.

"My uncle said we should call ourselves 12/OC carpentry and I said that could be a band name," he said.

Who is kicking off Country Fest?

Kevin White is the man behind Garth Live - The Ultimate Tribute Band.

He is no stranger to the Hampton Beach Seashell Stage, having played at Country Fest in 2019 and 2021.

White has toured the country paying tribute to Brooks singing covers of his hits including "Friends in Low Places," "Much Too Young to Feel This Damn Old," and "If Tomorrow Never Comes."

Kevin White
Kevin White

"I have been a fan of Garth Brooks since the first time I saw him perform at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville back in 1992," White said. "Since that fateful day, I have been performing my Garth live show all over the country."

More fun: Line dancing before every show at Country Fest

Before each concert, free line dancing classes taught by Michelle Jackson-White, the owner of Nashville Line Dance, will be offered to get everyone ready for the shows.

"When trying to encourage people to try dancing, I tell them it’s only a dance," White recently told Hampton Beach News. "If you can count to 8 and walk, then you can do it. If you mess up, just keep smiling, and no one will notice your feet. I enjoy teaching new dancers easy steps so they feel good."

Michelle Jackson-White, the owner of Nashville Line Dance, is offering free line dancing classes during Country Fest.
Michelle Jackson-White, the owner of Nashville Line Dance, is offering free line dancing classes during Country Fest.

Line dancing will take place each night of Country Fest from 5 to 6 p.m.

Concert giveaways

Anyone who goes to the first two nights of the Hampton Beach Country Fest has a chance to win concert tickets for upcoming country shows.

"We will be giving away tickets to a couple of other country music shows that are coming, one Jimmy Allen at Cisco Brewing as well as shows at the Casino Ballroom," Martineau said.

Those in attendance can enter the contest by snapping a photo of a QR code on a poster board nearby the stage and filling out a form.

Winners will be announced on the Hampton Beach "Official" Facebook page.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Maddie & Tae to play Hampton Beach Country Fest 2022 in NH