Country music superstar Carrie Underwood will perform at EverBank Field on July 26, marking the official unveiling of the stadium's new, world-record setting video scoreboards.Underwood will perform following an exhibition soccer match between Major League Soccer's D.C. United and Barclay's Premier League team Fulham Football Club.
Fulham is owned by Shad Khan, who also owns the Jacksonville Jaguars. The concert and the soccer match will be free to Jaguars season ticket holders.
“We are thrilled to make this already-exciting evening even greater with the addition of Carrie Underwood,” Khan said in a statement, calling the event a "historic evening."
The high definition video boards, touted by the team as "the largest in the world," measure 60 feet high by 362 feet wide.
The Jacksonville City Council approved $63 million in Nov. 2013 for stadium improvements, including the scoreboards and a water feature. Revenue from the city's hotel bed tax will be used to pay that debt.
The reactions of First Coast residents to the concert announcement via Twitter were mostly positive, including from Florida State Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, who called the news "awesome."
Awesome MT@GeneFrenette #Jaguars have Carrie Underwood concert after July 26 soccer friendly between Fulham-DC. Free 4 season-ticket holders
— Rob Bradley (@Rob_Bradley) May 6, 2014
Others reacted with ambivalence, admiration, and anxiety:
Khan is such a boss. Bringing in his soccer team AND Carrie Underwood for the @jaguars scoreboard unveiling. http://t.co/0XR4iAEMCv
— Trey (@treyelectronica) May 6, 2014
The Fulham game and Carrie Underwood unveiling the new video boards in Jacksonville is the same night as the last Sharks game...#thestruggle
— Megan duBois (@megand513) May 6, 2014
The winner of the fourth season of American Idol in 2005, Carrie Underwood is the winner of six Grammy Awards, has had 18 No. 1 singles and has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide. Underwood has been married to professional hockey player Mike Fisher of the Nashville Predators since 2010.
You can follow Patrick Donges on Twitter @patrickhdonges.
