Country musician Drake White and his band The Big Fire will headline an outdoor free-to-the-public concert to be held just before the biggest fireworks show in East Texas at the 2022 Fireworks and Freedom Celebration. Mount Pleasant native Hayden McBride is also scheduled to perform. The event will fill the Longview Convention Complex, located at 100 Grand Blvd on Monday, July 4, 2022.
Drake White grew up singing in his church’s youth choir in Alabama before becoming one of Country music’s most spirited innovators, earning four Top 40 hits and traveling the country on multiple nationwide tours. His 2013 debut single “Simple Life” introduced his brand of Country soul, which he cemented with 2016 debut album SPARK followed by the EPs ‘Pieces’ and ‘Stars.’
In August 2019, he collapsed on stage due to a hemorrhagic stroke, and doctors told him he might never perform again. After undergoing a series of operations to repair his Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) and months of physiotherapy, White has proved them wrong, embarking on his THE OPTIMYSTIC TOUR to spread his incredible positivity to his fans. New songs “Power of a Woman” and “Giants” are the latest tastes of new music from White, who has received accolades including Rolling Stone’s 10 Country Artists You Need to Know, The Grammy’s Artist of Tomorrow and the British CMA Awards’ International Song of the Year. He has shared the bill with Country music superstars like Luke Bryan, Eric Church and Zac Brown Band.
Opener Hayden McBride is an East Texas native who has been a steady rise in the Texas Music scene. Hayden has crafted his sound around a wide variety of influences, all the way from George Jones, Alice in Chains, and Sturgill Simpson. Hayden’s debut single “Drinking You Goodbye” has accumulated over 40,000 streams gaining a solid fan base in and around East Texas. His Ep, “Worth the Wait”, recently released in August 2021, has set a tone that rides a fine line between traditional country and classic rock bringing a fresh new approach to Texas music.
Admission to the concert and fireworks show is free to public. Gates open 4 p.m., and the concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. with fireworks following. For more information visit LongviewTexas.gov/Fireworks.