Alan Jackson Concert for Mineral, Va., Raises $152,000
The tiny town of Mineral, Va., with a population of less than 500 residents, is $152,000 richer, thanks to the efforts of Alan Jackson and a whole lot of dedicated fans. The country icon held a contest offering a free concert to the town which amassed the most online votes, and residents from all over the country voted for the eastern Virginia town, which suffered severe damage in a 2011 earthquake.
"We had this contest going on radio where every town could vote, and whoever got the most votes, I'd come and do a free show for," Alan explains to The Boot. "This town had the earthquake, and it hit the school and some other buildings in town, and [they] didn't get much attention for it. Somebody in that town, a fan, got on the internet and rallied all this together, and got everybody across the country to vote for this little town to win that contest for the show. That's how it started."
The concert, which was held Sunday (May 20), drew over 6,000 fans, who crowded into the parking lot of a local high school. More than 3,000 of those in attendance were locals who had free admission to the show. Fans who donated money to get tickets to the concert also earned an autographed picture. The country superstar admits he was touched by the entire situation.
"I think it's a pretty cool little story," Alan notes. "I've played so many shows now for everything you can imagine. You walk out on stage in the arenas and all, it gets to be kind of routine. This [was] a little different. You don't have to do the same show. You don't have to go out there and try to be all energetic. Every now and then it's good to do a show like that."
Alan's next album, Thirty Miles West, will hit shelves on June 5. He'll resume playing larger venues next month, when he continues his trek across the country, including stops in Alabama, Colorado and California. See his concert schedule here.