Rock the South 2023: Record-breaking crowds love America, beer, country music

A sea of star-spangled revelry filled the fields of York Farms for Rock the South Saturday, as a record-breaking crowd of thousands turned out for country music, cold beer and patriotism during night three of the annual Cullman festival.

In total, 16 acts performed on the single stage during the three-night run (the first time the festival has had three nights), including headliners Chris Stapleton, Riley Green and Zach Bryan, with Dee Jay Silver spinning tunes between sets to keep the crowd energized.

The weekend announced theme nights for fans to don the appropriate fashion for the occasion, including Thursday’s White Out Night and Friday’s Cowboy Night. We went on night three, aka Star Spangled Saturday where fans were told to “Deck yourself out in head to toe red, white, and blue and let your inner Americana shine through.”

Rock the South needn’t even ask. This crowd would have shown up in that attire regardless of any dress code. We saw American flag-themed everything — overalls (lots of men in overalls, in fact), boots, T-shirts and cowboy hats for miles — some of it broaching political discourse (the obligatory “Let’s Go Brandon”) and others going the “America! F–k yeah!” route. One man in a cutoff T-shirt that read “Sorry I Can’t Hear You Over the Sound of My Freedom” (while palming a Busch Light, of course), one woman in the familiar “Back-to-Back World War Champs” shirt.

The enormous Rock the South crowd sounds off for the DJ’s calls to thank troops serving overseas or law enforcement patrolling the festival area. And of course, while he isn’t playing this festival, Jason Aldean got his own round of applause when the DJ asked if there were any fans of the country star currently embroiled in controversy, as he then cued up the pot-stirring song “Try That in a Small Town” as fans awaited the next performer.

The DJ knew he was in SEC football country, too, engaging in a bit of roll call with Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee fans and having the nerve to fire up “Rocky Top,” which didn’t draw as many boos as you one might think. To appease the Crimson Tide fans, we heard “Sweet Home Alabama” and Dixieland Delight,” complete with uncensored added lyrics, no offense to Bama’s hated rivals.

Gearing up for Cody Johnson and the night’s headliner Chris Stapleton (scheduled for a 9:50 p.m. start), fans enjoyed sets from Madeline Edwards, Drake Milligan and Jo Dee Messina. One fan who traveled all the way from Fort Worth, Texas (Milligan’s home state), could not contain herself throughout hit set of hits like “Sounds Like Something I’d Do” and “Over Drinkin’ Under Thinkin’.”

You sweat just looking at photos from this festival, so just imagine what standing in the gravy-thick humidity felt like, justifying the thousands (millions?) of gallons of whatever cold beverage might quench the thirst of all those parched honky-tonkers, though as you might have guessed, beer did the trick.

The festival, which began as a charitable endeavor to benefit communities after devastating tornadoes, honored that tradition by once again giving more than $70,000 to local organizations like Les Dames, Restoring Women Outreach, The Link of Cullman County, Brook’s Place Good Samaritan Clinic, Bethsadia Volunteer Fire Dept, Cullman County Imagination Library, Curt’s Closet, Cullman Caring for Kids, Sisters United Recovery, Cullman Agriplex and Cullman VFW.

Rock the South broke attendance records. “This is the largest Rock the South in history,” festival founder Shane Quick said from the stage Saturday evening. “People from 13 countries are here tonight. Every single state in the United States of America is here tonight.”

See photos from day three in the gallery above and below.