See Alan Jackson, Sara Evans, Tyler Farr Lead Rock the South Festival
The air was humid and the attendance was heavy at this weekend's Rock the South festival. Now in its fourth year, the two-day event brought country stars and Southern-rockers — along with a mechanical bull, a chest-deep swimming pool and a crowd of more than 40,000 — to a city park in Cullman, Alabama. The goal? To raise money for local charities benefiting the victims of the 2011 tornado outbreak that spun its destruction through Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and several surrounding areas. From Alan Jackson's headlining set to an afternoon performance by Sara Evans (whose husband co-founded the fest in 2012), Rolling Stone Country brings you some of the weekend's best photos.
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Sara Evans
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images Sara Evans made good use of the stage's catwalk, delivering staples like "Born to Fly" and "As If" within feet of the festival's VIP fans.
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Eric Paslay
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images The "Friday Night" singer played several of his own songs, as well as a few he's written for other artists. Another track he has on the charts right now as a songwriter is Steven Tyler's first country single, "Love Is Your Name."
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Travis Tritt
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images With a handful of acoustic songs sandwiched into the middle of his co-headlining slot, Travis Tritt delivered not only some of the weekend's rowdiest moments, but some of the most intimate, too.
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Blackberry Smoke
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images Blackberry Smoke's Richard Turner, Cpt. Chad Fleming (Ret.), Sarah Neill, Blackberry Smoke's Brit Turner, Taylor Elliott, Colston Galloway, Kara Leonard and US Army (Ret.) and former contestant on Dancing With the Stars Noah Galloway roast marshmallows backstage at the 4th Annual Pepsi's Rock the South Festival.
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Tyler Farr
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images Farr balanced his mostly high-energy set with a few emotional numbers from his new Suffer in Peace album.
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Brantley Gilbert
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images One day before flying north to open for Jason Aldean and Kenny Chensey's sold-out stadium show in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Brantley Gilbert headlined the opening night of Rock the South.
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Alan Jackson
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images Performing for the weekend's largest crowd, headliner Alan Jackson closed out the weekend with more than two decades' worth of country hits, including an emotional version of "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" that doubled as a tribute to a tornado-ravaged Alabama.
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Cooling Off
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images Rock the South concertgoers were invited to take a dip in a huge pool not far from the main stage.
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Andrew Leahey and the Homestead
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images Nashville-based roots rockers Andrew Leahey and the Homestead played songs from their upcoming album, due out next year.
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Jon Pardi
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images John Pardi visited the US Army festival tent during the 4th annual Pepsi's Rock the South Festival in Cullman, Alabama.
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Southern Halo
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images Natalia Morris, Hannah Morris and Christina Morris of sibling group Southern Halo performed during Pepsi's Rock the South Festival in Cullman, Alabama.
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Corey Smith
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images Georgia native Corey Smith drew huge crowds to his Rock the South set.
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Mary Sarah
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images The 19-year-old musical prodigy sang several classic country songs during her Rock the South set.