KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 15, 2025 – Covenant Health Park, home to the Knoxville Smokies, will host its first concert on Oct. 18, featuring a lineup of artists including Boosie, Cupid, Pokey Bear, Lakeside and Tabu. The Knoxville Music Festival, presented by Jammin’ 99.7 WJBE, marks a significant step for the stadium’s diversification beyond baseball.
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- The Knoxville Music Festival is set for Oct. 18 at Covenant Health Park.
- Headliners include Boosie, Cupid, Pokey Bear, Lakeside and Tabu.
- Tickets range from $60 to $125, with a portion benefiting the Tank Strickland Foundation.
- This event marks the stadium’s first concert since its April 15 opening.
- WJBE, Knoxville’s only Black-owned radio station, presents the festival.
Tickets for the festival are priced between $60 and $125, with a portion of the proceeds designated for the Tank Strickland Foundation. The stadium, which opened on April 15, is nearing the end of its inaugural baseball season and preparing for other large-scale events.
WJBE owner Joe Armstrong described the event as aiming to create an “electric tailgate-style energy” for attendees. “Whether you are here for the rhythm, the food or the fun, you are part of history in the making,” Armstrong stated in a news release.
The gates for the Knoxville Music Festival will open at 3 p.m., with performances commencing at 4 p.m. Tickets are currently available for purchase.
Smokies President Chris Allen expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming event, noting, “This will be the first of many concerts at Covenant Health Park as we continue to get to know our Knoxville audience.”
Covenant Health Park’s construction prioritized diverse contractors and its location on the site of The Bottom, a historic Black neighborhood displaced by urban renewal policies from 1959 to 1974.
The Beck Cultural Exchange Center has collaborated with the Smokies to honor the city’s Black history. On Aug. 8, the team wore Knoxville Giants jerseys, celebrating the city’s former Negro League team. Players from that era are now recognized with statues outside the stadium.
The festival’s partnership with WJBE further highlights inclusivity, given the station’s history as the first Black-owned radio station in Knoxville. The station’s call sign was once linked to James Brown, who owned it during the 1960s and 70s.
“For years, there was no Black radio. There was no media outlet for the African American community to turn to,” said station manager Gene Thomas Jr. in 2021, recalling a time before WJBE’s presence.
The Knoxville Smokies have two remaining homestands, with their final home game scheduled for Sept. 7.
One Knoxville SC, which also uses Covenant Health Park, will hold its last home game on Oct. 25, following the Xul Beer Company’s “Kill the Lights” beer festival.
