Legendary 90s Country Music Singer To Play Carowinds This Summer
There are two reasons why I am fired up about LeAnn Rimes’ return to the Queen City this summer. First, hello, it’s LeAnn Rimes. From the moment we first heard that voice as a young teenage girl in the mid 1990s belting out “Blue,” we knew she was special. LeAnn Rimes has gone on to be a generational talent. Her voice, still amazingly strong is almost without parallel. In fact, when I discovered she’s currently a judge on the British version of “The Voice,” my initial thought was, “Well, WHO ELSE is better qualified?!”
The second reason for my excitement about Rimes return to the area is the venue. When I was a boy growing up in Houston, Texas, the big amusement park was “Astroworld.” In the 1980s, the park opened “Southern Star Amphitheater.” During the spring and summer, that was THE venue to see concerts. If I saw one there, I saw fifty. I remember coming to see my grandparents here in Charlotte one summer and discovering the “Paladium Amphitheater” was serving the same concert service here. Open in 1975, the Paladium played host to such artists as Billy Joel and Jimmy Buffet. Gradually, larger amphitheaters (see PNC Pavillion) began to open up and these theme park venues stopped hosting top tier talent.
So, the nostalgic side of me is fired up for LeAnn Rimes’ show at Carowinds coming July 5. And her appearance is not an isolated event. The park’s Instagram has announced an entire lineup of shows this summer with more to come!
#Carowinds Summer Music Fest amplified by Coke Studio™ will bring the thrill of live music to the park select Fridays and Saturdays in July and August. Experience 30+ performances across the park, with headline performances at the Paladium, the iconic on-site amphitheater.
This multi-weekend music festival is free with park admission!
🎙️ PALADIUM HEADLINERS:
LeAnn Rimes (July 5)
Skillet (August 2)
Flo Rida (August 9)
How great is this?! And how great is it going to be to hear LeAnn Rimes belting out such hits as “How Do I Live” this summer at Carowinds?!
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4dXDj7sTsg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
All 13 Of Carowinds Roller Coasters Ranked
August 16th is National Roller Coaster Day. And here in the Carolinas, yes both Carolinas, we are lucky enough to have some incredible roller coasters. As a kid who loved thrill rides, I used to dream of going to Cedar Point one day to ride some of the world’s best coasters. Little did I know that Cedar Point’s parent company, Cedar Fair, would purchase Carowinds years later and start to bring those world-class roller coasters to my own backyard. Pretty fun right? Since Cedar Fair took over the park we’ve seen lots of changes. These include a water park expansion, fair-type rides, and of course new record-breaking coasters.
And they really have put Carowinds on the map. The last time I was there, there was actually a huge group of roller coaster enthusiasts from around the world that came here specifically to go to Carowinds. It has become a destination theme park. Which is pretty cool and great for the economy in both of the Carolinas. But back to the coasters at Carowinds. Counting kiddie coasters there are 13 roller coasters in the park. Some have been there since I was a kid, and others are relatively new. The newest coaster Carowinds has is Copperhead Strike a launch coaster which numerous inversions that opened in March of 2019.
A few of my rankings you may not agree with, and that’s ok this is just my personal opinion as someone who has grown up in Charlotte and gone to Carowinds a fair number of times. I don’t frequent that often anymore, maybe once a year if friends want to go, but I’ll always love getting on my favorite rides. So keep reading to see all 13 of Carowinds’ roller coasters ranked. Want to see a full ranking on every ride open in 2022 at Carowinds? You can read that here.
Charlie Nance is the Afternoon Drive co-host (along with his wife) of "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple have been with the radio station since 2006. Charlie has won the prestigious CMA (Country Music Association) Award for Radio Personality of the Year and has been a finalist for the Country Radio Hall of Fame four times. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Charlie (along with Debbie) spent more than a decade hosting successful morning radio shows in Greenville, SC; Augusta, Ga; and Birmingham, Al. As a content creator for Country 1037, Charlie writes about dream lottery windfalls, sports, restaurants and bars, and travel experiences in North and South Carolina.
