Blake Shelton will arrive at 2 PM to avoid late concert in Endicott

Let me start off by saying that I'm pretty happy with the Dick's Sporting Goods Open for bringing big acts to town every year. I know people got a bit frustrated last year when the Bon Jovi show started late and had some sound issues. The good news is they've made some decisions that will help ensure it never happens again. Dick's Open tournament director John Karedes talked about them this morning.

For one, Shelton will be at the event itself many, many hours early--at 2 PM in fact. Karedes was asked at a press conference what Shelton would be doing with all that extra time on site. Karedes responded that artists have done all sorts of things when they've shown up early--snuck out to watch some golf or work on their fantasy football picks. The point is that he *will not* be late due to weather, as happened with Bon Jovi.

Karedes also indicated he spoke with Shelton's sound guy to make sure that none of the tech issues from last year would be repeated in 2018.

Now, I know pop music fans (like me) always want to see a bit more variety in the Dick's picks, but Shelton is truly a giant hit-generator. He's had 4 country #1s in the last 2 years. I almost never listen to country radio and I'm pretty sure I'll know a bunch of the songs, so I'm seriously looking forward to it.

(Also, if I'm being completely honest, I think country performers tend to pull off better live shows than some of my favorite mainstream pop artists. So there's that.)