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Jason Aldean announces Hootie & the Blowfish will join him at Atlanta concert

ATLANTA — Jason Aldean wanted to go big for his first concert at SunTrust Park in Atlanta, so he's enlisted a bunch of pals to share the bill.

Musicians Lauren Alaina and Luke Combs will be part of the July 21 stadium show, and Darius Rucker’s band Hootie & the Blowfish will reunite for the concert.

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Aldean said he and Brian O’Connell, president of country touring for Live Nation, said the band came to mind when they were considering another act to add.

"(Hootie & the Blowfish lead singer) Darius (Rucker) is a friend of both of ours, so it was easy to have that conversation," Aldean said Wednesday morning at a news conference at SunTrust Park. "They were all for it."

Aldean and Alaina were given a surprise when Braves Hall of Famer Chipper Jones appeared to present them with customized jerseys.

Aldean, a Macon, Georgia, native who is a lifelong fan of the baseball team, said this upcoming show at SunTrust Park, along with his 2013 performance at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, will be career highlights.

NASHVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 05: Jason Aldean performs onstage for The Amazon Music & CRS 2018 day 1 monday night showcase featuring Radio PD Ink Awards on February 5, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. 

O’Connell pointed out that Aldean is the only artist to have played the University of Georgia stadium and the home of the Braves.

“It is important to him as a performer to pay tribute to his Georgia roots,” O’Connell said.

Plans for the stage production have been underway for a couple of months.

“We want to come in and make a statement show,” Aldean said.

Tickets to the concert are $40.50-$89.75 and will go on sale at 10 a.m. March 23 at LiveNation.com.