Country superstar Luke Bryan was announced Wednesday as the first headliner at the inaugural LASSO Montreal festival next summer.
“Luke Bryan is the kind of act that appeals to passionate music fans of all stripes,” said Nick Farkas of evenko, in a release. “He certainly proved that Montreal is a hotbed for hot country when he sold out here last time, but his music is universally loved and we are thrilled to have him represent us as LASSO’s first headline act.”
Early bird passes to the festival, which will take place Aug. 14 and 15 on Île Sainte-Hélène, go on sale Dec. 13 at 10 a.m.
Bryan brought his Kill the Lights tour to Montreal in February 2016. His seventh studio album, which will include the already-released singles "Knockin' Boots" and "What She Wants Tonight," is expected out next year.
Bryan's 2013 album Crash My Party was named Album of the Decade at this year's Academy of Country Music Awards.
When it was announced in June, LASSO was described as “an urban country music jamboree” (the original Aug. 15-16 dates were later changed to Aug. 14-15) designed to meet the demand for country shows in the Quebec market.
“As a country singer, we don’t get the opportunity to play in Montreal,” Brett Kissel told the crowd during a 2017 show in the Old Port. “Very rarely do country singers come here and I think that’s a shame because some of the best fans in all of music are right here.”
Fellow Canadian country star Tim Hicks did a six-city tour of Quebec.
“When we announced the Shake These Walls tour, [on Facebook] I saw so many ‘Where’s the Montreal show?’ comments,” Hicks told iHeartRadio.ca. “I called my agent and said ‘I don’t know if there’s anything we can do here but there seems to be a want for us to go to Montreal.’ So we hooked up the Corona Theatre and it was such a good night and such a positive vibe all around.”