Aaron Watson

Sat, Aug 5, 2023
Music begins at 6:00 pm with headline acts starting at 9:00 pm nightly.
Ages 21+
No tickets required. All rally concerts are free w/ paid upgrade options.

Dennis Kirk Main Stage
Iron Horse Saloon
888 Junction Avenue, Sturgis, SD.

ABOUT AARON WATSON:
Aaron Watson’s career is perhaps summed up best by Forbes, who says he’s “one of country music’s biggest DIY success stories.” For over 20 years now, Aaron Watson has traveled the land as country’s ultimate underdog troubadour – a truly independent artist with the spirit of the American frontier in his veins, and a self-made empire to match. Working without corporate backers, he has nonetheless reached the Top 10 of Billboard’s Country Album chart five separate times – an impressive feat by any standard – and that includes his triumphant 2015 set, The Underdog, which landed at #1, becoming the first independent album in the history of country music to top the Billboard Country Albums chart. Matching sold-out shows across the country with homegrown hits, he’s followed suit at country radio, making history in 2017 with “Outta Style” and “Run Wild Horses.” “Watson has made a career out of giving his fans music that focuses on the positive. Music that serves as a salve to what ails them. Music filled with light and joy and an abundance of pride for the country he calls home,” said People.com of the 2021 American Soul album. Still pushing into the wind, Unwanted Man finds a creative renegade continuing to do what he does best, now working at the most “dangerous” level of his career. With a dozen additional records under his belt, Watson is exceeding major-label-sized metrics while maintaining his independence, further galvanizing his “Texas country’s reigning indie underdog” (Rolling Stone) brand. “There may be no more genuine singer-songwriter at the moment than Watson,” says Texas Monthly, pointing to a self-made businessman, chart-topper, and road warrior whose authenticity has made him a country music staple.