Suddenly, high-pitched screams erupted, heads flipped toward the glowing stage and the crowd surged forward as the man himself stepped up to the mic and kicked off the night with “Never Get Tired (of Loving You).”

Behind the lights, ticket sales and big-name bookings of Foster Pavilion’s two-year concert series is a careful strategy — a collaboration between Baylor, a Nashville marketing agency and the artists themselves.

A rising sensation in the modern country music genre, Ty Myers, will headline this year’s Howdy at the Hurd, put on by Pi Beta Phi. The free, students-only celebration will happen on Sept. 19 at 7:00 p.m.

As heavy winds blew throughout Waco, a bigger storm brewed in the parking lot of The Backyard, which was converted to a stage to hold the 3,000 fans who came to see 17-year-old country phenomenon, Ty Myers.