Randy Rogers Band (above), Josh Abbott Band and Billy Currington will visit the Extraco Events Center this Saturday for the 17th Annual Margarita and Salsa Festival.
By Amando Dominick
Staff Writer
Extraco Events Center will host the 17th Annual Margarita & Salsa Festival for an evening of fun and music Aug. 25.
President and CEO of the Extraco Events Center, Wes Allison, said this event usually draws about 10,000 people to Waco for the festival.
Allison explained the festival benefits two non-profit organizations.
He said, “In addition to providing funds to the Arthritis Foundation and the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo Scholarship Fund, it also has a positive local economic impact because ticket buyers come from all over the state of Texas.”
The headliners for this year’s annual event include country stars the Randy Rodgers Band, Billy Currington and the Josh Abbott Band, according to Extraco’s website. All three have had recent album releases.
A press release by the Randy Rodgers Band states the band’s “previous albums debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes Country Chart and in the Top 5 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart.”
The same press release included the group’s new album, Burning The Day, “feels like a late, warm summer’s afternoon drive with the top down that ends up lasting long after the sun goes down.”
The Randy Rodgers Band also earned two Academy of Country Music Vocal Group of the Year nominations and Country Album of The Year in Playboy magazine, according to the press release.
The Randy Rodgers Band’s most recent album is “Burning The Day,” released August 14, 2010.
Another headliner, the Josh Abbott Band, is an independent musician currently enjoying a meteoric rise in Texas and nationally.
The band’s single “Oh, Tonight,” off of the Billboard’s country chart reached the number 44 spot on Billboard’s country chart, according to a press release.
According to a press release, Abbott decided to pursue a professional music career after seeing the Randy Rodgers Band perform live at a concert while he was still a graduate student at Texas Tech.
The Josh Abbott Band released their most recent album, “Small Town Family Dream,” on April 24, 2012.
The main act, however, is country superstar Billy Currington.
According to his website, www.billycurrington.com, Currington has “garnered an impressive ten Top 10 hits, with six of those hitting No. 1.”
In 2012, Currington was a Grammy nominee for both Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song for the song “People are Crazy,” according to his website.
“Enjoy Yourself,” Currington’s latest album, debuted Sept. 21, 2010.
Proceeds from the Festival benefit the Arthritis Foundation and the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo Scholarship Fund.
The Extraco Events Center’s website states that tickets are $30 in advance, but $35 at the door on the day of the event.
VIP tickets are $150 and include parking, admission into the covered VIP area and beverages and dinner for the evening.
Gates to the facility open at 6:00 p.m., the concert begins at 7:00 p.m. and the festival will end around midnight.
