UPDATE: All performances, as of 10:30 p.m., were officially cancelled.
By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
With severe storms looming, Country Thunder in Twin Lakes suspended performances and evacuated the festival grounds shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday, and as of 9:45 p.m., several operations officials hoped to resume the scheduled lineup.
Country Thunder, in its opening night, stayed on schedule with performances by David Ray and Ryan Hurd in spite of a heat advisory that brought heat indexes exceeding 90 degrees.
However, the evacuation prevented Chase Bryant, Dallas Smith and Chris Young from taking the stage on time.
Bryant, a 23-year-old Texan, held an interview with the Westosha Report before the storms rolled in, stating he arrived to Twin Lakes Thursday.
“It’s been great, been hot, of course,” Bryant said. “I am glad to be here.”
Country Thunder is one of several stops for Bryant, who notes this has been his most active summer that includes the release of a new single.
“This is our first summer we have done a ton of fairs, festivals, stuff like that,” Bryant said. “Otherwise, we were on the road with (Tim) McGraw over the summer.”
The new single, “Room To Breathe,” is a candid representation of the young star’s artistic revolution, evidenced by the track’s vocal swagger, sweltering lyrics and captivating melodies, according to a news release.
Bryant, who plans on adding the single to an upcoming album, wants to put it together by the start of 2017.
“We released Room to Breathe about two weeks ago…this is the first song that will come off the new record,” he said. “Which we are hoping to have out in the New Year, we are just waiting to finish.”
Meanwhile, the slew of upcoming performers the next three days leaves Country Thunder fans with plenty of options.
Headlining the 10-11:30 p.m. time slot the next two days are Florida Georgia Line, followed by Jake Owen on Saturday, with Eric Church expected to cap off Country Thunder on Sunday from 9-10:30 p.m.
With the amount of talent, Bryant encouraged the people of Twin Lakes to come out, if they are able.
“If you are not here, you are missing out, it is a blast, it’s a party,” “Everybody is out here to have a good time.”