Kenny Rogers recently announced his retirement from music after a decades-long career that yielded massive success, and the country music industry is planning to honor one of its finest with a star-studded tribute concert.
Dubbed “All In for the Gambler: Kenny Rogers‘ Farewell Concert Celebration,” the tribute show will take place in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena on Oct. 25 and will feature artists including Dolly Parton, Little Big Town, Jamey Johnson, the Flaming Lips, Idina Menzel, Elle King and Alison Krauss.
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New additions to the lineup include Chris Stapleton, Reba McEntire, Lady Antebellum and Wynonna Judd, who will perform solo and reunite with her mother, Naomi Judd. Rogers himself will also perform, and the star hand-picked the artists chosen to grace the stage. The event will also mark the last time Rogers and Parton will perform a duet.
“We’re excited about having all of the people,” Rogers said at a recent media event, via The Boot.
“[Little Big Town] sound like First Edition, and we’ve become good friends,” he shared, comparing the country quartet to his early band. “Alison Krauss, I’ve never, ever, asked her for anything that she didn’t say yes to without thinking about it. So I think you’ve got to step back and say, ‘Wow. What a friend.’ “
Rogers added that Broadway star Menzel is one of his favorite singers.
“That girl can sing,” he said. “I’m not sure my songs are good enough for her. But I look forward to seeing what she does with them, and we’re thrilled to have her.”
The country icon also mused on the impact he’s had on the industry as a whole.
“It was never my design or interest in changing country music, because there’s really only two ways you can do things,” Rogers explained. “You come at it and you do what everyone else is doing and you do it better — and I didn’t like my chances of competing with Johnny Cash … or you do something nobody else is doing.”
Photo Credit: Instagram / @_kennyrogers
