CHEYENNE — Machine Gun Kelly, T-Pain and Ludacris don’t seem like typical Cheyenne Frontier Days concert headliners, but the 2024 CFD concert lineup announced Thursday has some edge to it.
But that doesn’t mean CFD is abandoning its rodeo roots with a slate of the hottest country music stars, including encore acts Jason Aldean and Thomas Rhett.
CFD Contract Acts Chairman Scott Lewis told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday that the lineup this year, and every year, is intended to attract audiences that might not normally see themselves in a rodeo-type environment.
“We thought that with the bands this year, we’d be able to expose a lot of people to our Western celebration and Western way of life that might not have come and joined us without having acts like this year,” Lewis said.
Concert tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. March 14. Ticket prices range from $72 to $107. A $5 discount is available for tickets bought before July 1.
Weekend 1
The concerts kick off July 19 with a performance by country group Turnpike Troubadours, their first time playing at the “Daddy of ‘em All.” Since the band’s formation in the mid-2000s, it has released six studio albums, the most recent 2023’s “A Cat in the Rain.”
Their most successful record has been 2015’s self-titled album, which reached No. 17 on the Billboard charts. Opening for the Troubadours will be Alabama-based Red Clay Strays.
“I think Turnpike will be the show that surprises everyone,” Lewis said. “They have a big following and I believe people will be surprised at how many songs of Turnpike’s they actually know, they just don’t realize who it’s by.”
The next night will feature a headlining performance from Aldean, his sixth time playing at CFD. He was last on the Frontier Days stage in 2022. This year, he will be joined by opening act Chase Matthew.
Over nearly two decades, Aldean has released 11 albums and 40 singles, 27 of which have reached No. 1 on the country charts. Some of Aldean’s biggest hits include “You Make It Easy,” “Try That In a Small Town” and “Don’t You Wanna Stay.”
“Jason is a big deal right now, but he’s always a big seller ever since his first show here in 2008,” Lewis said. “He puts on a high-energy show and people love it.”
Closing out the first weekend is country singer/rapper Jelly Roll, who is making his second appearance at Frontier Days. He debuted in Cheyenne in 2022, performing alongside rapper Nelly and country singer Koe Wetzel.
He rose to mainstream prominence over the last two years on the success of his songs “Need a Favor” and “Son of a Sinner.” He was recently nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards. Jelly Roll will be joined by opening act Warren Zeiders, a country artist making his CFD debut.
On July 22 and July 23, the ever-popular Professional Bull Riding events will take place.
Jason Aldean is a Cheyenne Frontier Days favorite and returns to the CFD stage in 2024. (Courtesy Cheyenne Frontier Days) 
Machine Gun Kelly (Courtesy Cheyenne Frontier Days) 
Ludacris and T-Pain (Courtesy Cheyenne Frontier Days) 
Thomas Rhett (Courtesy Cheyenne Frontier Days) 
Jelly Roll (Courtesy Cheyenne Frontier Days) 
Lainey Wilson (Courtesy Cheyenne Frontier Days) 
Turnpike Troubadours (Courtesy Cheyenne Frontier Days) 
Jason Aldean is a Cheyenne Frontier Days favorite and returns to the CFD stage in 2024. (Courtesy Cheyenne Frontier Days)
Weekend 2
Weekend two technically starts in the middle of the week with a July 24 concert from rapper/singer Machine Gun Kelly (MGK).
For the first several years of his career, MGK made a name for himself as a rapper, with singles such as “Bad Things” and “Rap Devil,” a diss track pointed at rapper Eminem. However, in 2020, he shifted into a more rock sound and aesthetic with his album “Tickets to My Downfall.” In addition to his work as a musician, MGK has also appeared in films such as “The Dirt” as musician Tommy Lee and “Bird Box.” No opening act has been announced yet.
On July 25, another round of hip-hop artists makes their way to the stage. T-Pain and Ludacris will both make their debuts in Cheyenne this summer. In addition to popularizing Auto-Tune in his music, T-Pain is known for a number of hit songs like “I’m Sprung,” “I’m ‘n Luv (Wit a Stripper)” and “Buy U a Drank.” He has also been featured on several songs like “Kiss Kiss” by Chris Brown and “Good Life” by Kanye West.
Ludacris is a Grammy Award-winning rapper who recently appeared as a guest during Usher’s Super Bowl halftime show. Some of his biggest songs include “Southern Hospitality,” “Get Back” and “Number One Spot.” Like MGK, Ludacris has appeared in several films like the “Fast and Furious” series and the Academy Award-winning “Crash.”
“We generally try to put a couple of bands in the lineup that aren’t country artists, because we want a better cross-cultural crowd,” Lewis said. “Last year, we went out and took a chance by bringing in Zach Bryan, and that became our first-ever sold-out Sunday concert. So we thought we’d take another chance this year with some of the artists we’re bringing.”
Another new headliner this year is country singer Lainey Wilson, a rising star in the music world after winning Entertainer of the Year at the Country Music Awards in November. She was the first woman to receive the award since Taylor Swift in 2011. Wilson’s biggest songs include “Things a Man Oughta Know” and “Heart Like a Truck.” Her opening act is country group Flatland Cavalry, also making its CFD debut.
“This year, we at CFD are highlighting the Year of the Cowgirl and I don’t know if anyone embodies that more so than Lainey,” Lewis said.
Closing out the 2024 concert series is returning headliner Thomas Rhett, who last performed at CFD in 2021 alongside his father, country singer Rhett Akins. In his 15-year career, Rhett has recorded six albums and 21 singles, 17 of which have reached No. 1 on the country charts. Some of his biggest hits include “Die a Happy Man,” “Marry Me” and “What’s Your Country Song.” No opening act has been announced for Rhett.
“All I can say is that everyone needs to come to CFD, because we think this is going to be one of our best years yet,” Lewis said.
The Lineup
July 19: Turnpike Troubadours with Red Clay Strays
July 20: Jason Aldean with Chase Matthew
July 21: Jelly Roll with Warren Zeiders
July 22-23: Professional Bull Riders - Last Cowboy Standing
July 24: Machine Gun Kelly
July 25: T-Pain and Ludacris
July 26: Lainey Wilson with Flatland Cavalry
July 27: Thomas Rhett
Ellen Fike can be reached at ellen@cowboystatedaily.com.
