15 Boots & Hearts 2018 Artist Predictions

~photos by Ray Williams, Andrew Hyatt, Boots and Hearts, Brett Kissel, Brett Young, Carly Pearce, Chris Young, CMT Music Fest, country music, Dan Davidson, Dustin Lynch, Jojo Mason, Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney, Little Big Town, Madeline Merlo, Maren Morris, The Reklaws, Zac Brown Band ~Photos by Sydney Butters, ~Photos by Trish Cassling, Music

With the dates for Boots & Hearts 2018 released and our recovery from the 2017 festival complete, it's time to look at our predictions for BH7 next August.

As always, the names listed below have been picked because we fully believe there is a chance that they could play the festival. Yes, we'd love to see Garth and Reba, but the odds are very, very, very long on that happening. So, we've put together this list of 15 country artists that we're predicting for Boots & Hearts 2018.

When you're done reading, please leave a comment telling us who you think we got right, and who you think will be at Burl's Creek next summer.

Note: All artist names have been listed in alphabetical order... not in order of preference or how certain we are with the prediction.

Chris Young

Boots and Hearts 2018 Headliners

Kenny Chesney

The newest invitee of the Grand Ole Opry is on quite a run. With 5 studio albums (plus a Christmas record) on his resume, there's no shortage of material for Young to bust out in a 90 minute headlining set. And with songs that are guaranteed to get people singing along at the top of their lungs... this would work.

Little Big Town

Kenny Chesney may be the biggest gamble here. The four-time CMA Entertainer of the Year winner has a reputation for putting on a great show, and with 14 studio albums worth of material, we know that he could have 40,000+ country music fans singing along from start to finish.

Zac Brown Band

Little Big Town was on the original schedule for Boots & Hearts 2015, but had to cancel due to medical issues. We've been hoping and waiting ever since for them to be added back to the list. In these last couple of years the quartet has elevated themselves to legitimate headlining status, and we truly hope that the Canadian fans that love B&H get to see them sing.

We've seen the Zac Brown Band headline for at CMT Music Fest in 2016... and we'd gladly do it all over again at Boots & Hearts 2018. With a long list of hits and fan favourites, and a reputation for playing amazing covers of songs people love, ZBB could headline any night of the festival.

We're good with all four of these options. None of them have played Boots & Hearts in the first six years of the festival, making them exciting options for year seven, and all of them come with hits, fan favourites, and star power.

Supporting Talent

Andrew Hyatt
With his first Top 20 single on the books, upcoming tour dates with Dallas Smith that will earn him new attention and fans, and the kind of energy that delivers a great show - Andrew Hyatt should make his main stage debut at Boots & Hearts 2018.

Brett Kissel
We've been waiting for a Canadian opener since Boots & Hearts year 1, and while Brett may be at the top of our list to nab that spot - we're look at him as the direct support for someone like Zac Brown or Little Big Town on Saturday or Sunday night

Brett Young
Brett Young's star is rising fast! We saw him this summer on tour with Lady Antebellum, and this dude has what it takes to entertain a crowd. Look for him late in the afternoon as party heats up.

Carly Pearce
Pearce is another rising star in American country. Her debut album drops this fall, and with success already coming to her with her first single, Every Little Thing, we'd be surprised not to see her bring the Big Machine bus to Boots & Hearts 2018.

Dan Davidson
Likeable, talented, and always ready to play music, Dan Davidson is a great bet to come east to Ontario and play for the Boots & Hearts crowd. Fans already dig Found and Barn Burner, and by next summer we're guessing they'll be ready to sing along to even more.

Dustin Lynch
A cowboy hat, jeans, and t-shirt looks good on the Boots & Hearts stage, we've seen it before. And if Dustin Lynch shows up in that outfit and plays his hits (the dude's top 10 Spotify tracks have more than 200,000,000 plays) we know the Canadian country fans would be seein' red.

Jojo Mason
The first time Jojo Mason played Boots & Hearts the crowd chanted his name and made it a day he'll never forget. Now, fans have had a chance to learn more about Jojo with his debut album, Both Sides Of The Bar, and his CCMA nomination for 2017 Rising Star. If Jojo were to come back with his energy and those songs, it'd be all good.

Kelsea Ballerini
Kelsea Ballerini has been number 1 with Dibs, Peter Pan, and Love Me Like You Mean It, and fans are in love with her voice and her style. We've seen her live, and the chance to see it again at Boots & Hearts with some of the biggest names in country music makes perfect sense to us.

Maren Morris

Madeline Merlo
Madeline Merlo rocks a summer vibe like almost nobody we've ever known, so seeing her back on the Boots & Hearts stage on a sunny summer afternoon seems like a perfect fit. Whether she plays the main stage, or a late slot on the front porch, we know a crowd of Canadian country fans would be there to sing along with the B.C. native.

Maren Morris is quickly becoming one of the young queens of country music. Her debut album, Hero, is filled with jams from front to back, and her duet with Thomas Rhett on Craving You earned her two CMA nominations (Vocal Event and Music Video of the Year) to go along with her Female Vocalist of the Year nomination. Let's see her on the big stage!

The Reklaws
These Boots & Hearts vets are due back to the country's biggest summer festival after releasing a banger with Hometown Kids, and the promise of more new music on the way. Be ready to see them back at their old stomping grounds.

Bonus

Thomas Rhett
With main stage talent and charisma, Thomas Rhett could headline Friday night, or be the perfect lead in to Kenny Chesney or Little Big Town. I'd lean towards headlining option, only because we've already seen him in the direct support spot at Boots & Hearts already. Also, if you haven't heard it yet, go listen to Thomas Rhett's brand new album, Life Changes!

Who do you think I got right? Who do you think I got wrong? Who do you think I missed?