A-Day festivities to include Alan Jackson

Fans of Alabama football now have another reason to travel to Tuscaloosa for this spring's A-Day Game.

Grammy-award winning country artist Alan Jackson will perform in Bryant-Denny Stadium on April 11, the night before the A-Day Game, as a part of MSL Sports & Entertainment's inaugural Gridiron Bash: The Ultimate Fan Competition.

The event will be the first live performance inside Bryant-Denny Stadium since country music band Alabama played after the 1992 A-Day Game as a part of the Football Centennial Celebration.

In addition to the concert, the Gridiron Bash will also include a pep rally introducing the team and coaches, video highlights and other fan activities. Times for the event have not yet been set.

Beginning today at 8 a.m., tickets for the event will be available at www.rolltide.com and www.gridironbash.com. Field seats are $56 and stadium seats are $39. Tickets will also be available from the Athletic Ticket Office at 9 a.m. via the ticket window in Coleman Coliseum and over the phone at 1-877-TIDE-TIX and 1-205-348-BAMA.

Ticket office hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The University is one of 20 Football Bowl Subdivision schools that are participating in the Gridiron Bash. Four other SEC schools are involved: Tennessee, LSU, South Carolina and Kentucky.

The Gridiron Bash includes a competition among the 20 schools, the USA Today Bash for Cash Series. After all the events have taken place, the schools will be ranked according to event attendance and the number of text message votes each school received. Attendance counts for 70 percent of the ranking and votes count for the remaining 30 percent.

The winning school will receive a $1 million donation to its general scholarship fund and the first two runners-up will receive $500,000 and $250,000, respectively. The winner will be announced on national television on a currently unannounced network.

Those who would like to vote for the Capstone can send a text message containing the word "BAMA" to 23909.

"We are excited to be a part of the first-ever Gridiron Bash," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said in a press release. "There's no doubt the enthusiasm and support our fans showed the country at last year's A-Day Game helped this idea become a reality. Hopefully, this spring weekend will be the start of a new tradition at the University of Alabama.

"As I've said before, our fans are the best in college football, and now they will have a chance to help the University's general scholarship fund by winning the Gridiron Bash. I look forward to seeing everyone Friday night at the concert and Saturday afternoon at the A-Day Game."

Last spring's A-Day Game attracted a crowd exceeding the 92,138 capacity of Bryant-Denny Stadium.

"Few things in college athletics equate to the excitement around football in the spring, especially at the University of Alabama," said UA Athletic Director Mal Moore in a press release. "Gridiron Bash extends the experience and enables fans to support their team, give back to their university and have a great time doing so."