Award-winning country duo Maddie & Tae will headline a free outdoor concert as part of Northern Michigan University's 125th anniversary Homecoming celebration at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, in the gravel parking lot behind the Superior Dome. Their opening act, NMU student and singer/guitarist Sami Brown, will take the stage at 6:30 p.m.
Longtime friends and collaborators Maddie Font and Taylor Kerr are known for their unbreakable 15-year bond, honest songwriting and what Rolling Stone described as “some of the tightest harmonies on Music Row.”
The duo first broke out in 2013 when they skewered BroCountry with their self-penned, Platinum-selling smash, “Girl in a Country Song.” The tune propelled them to the top of the Country Airplay charts—one of only three female duos to achieve that status—and its stereotype-flipping video won CMA Video of the Year. Maddie & Tae also took home Group/Duo Video of the Year for “Woman You Got” at the CMT awards, and were nominated a ninth time for Vocal Duo of the Year at the 57th annual CMA Awards last November.
Maddie & Tae recently released two new tracks, the anthemic “Sad Girl Summer” and carefree kiss-off “Free Like," both included on their forthcoming What A Woman Can Do EP, available Sept. 13. The duo also collaborated with Andy Grammer on the single I Do, released Aug. 2. They previously garnered praise with their 1-2 punch project Through The Madness Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, and their No. 1 debuting album The Way It Feels, which featured the three-time Platinum-certified No. 1 hit “Die From A Broken Heart.” They are currently on their headlining Here's to Friends Tour, which runs through early October.
Opener Sami Brown advanced through an early-stage American Idol qualifier in 2019 after auditioning in her hometown of Waco, Texas. She is also a talented soccer player who transferred from a Texas university last fall to join the Wildcats' roster. Read a feature story on Brown here.
Concert attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs for the seated section; there will also be a “standing-room” area. Parking will be available on campus in front of the Dome and adjacent to the PEIF and Berry Events Center, or at the nearby YMCA.
The event grounds will open at 6 p.m. Information on allowable/prohibited carry-in items will be posted on the 125th anniversary events website at nmu.edu/125/events.