Frankie Ballard to Play for 50,000 Fans in London

Frankie Ballard to play London's Country to Country Festival with Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church and more!

London's O2 Arena, site of the 2012 Olympics, will host the Country to Country festival on March 11, 12 and 13.

Main stage headliners include Miranda Lambert,  Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, Thomas Rhett, Sam Hunt, Chris Stapleton and Dwight Yoakam.

A special acoustic performance by Frankie Ballard will take place on the Yamaha Music Stage inside the arena on Sunday, March 13. More than 50 other artists will play on pop-up stages throughout the three-day music festival.

Two things come to mind:

One, it's a long way from growing up in Battle Creek, Michigan and playing Louie's Trophy House in Kalamazoo to the O2 in London.

Two, concurrent festivals in Glasgow and Dublin surely validate the international appeal of Country music. This genre has grown far beyond rednecks in pickup trucks in the deep South (no matter what the bro country songs say).

If you're lucky enough to still have Frankie's number from way back when, text him and wish him luck on his new adventure! As for the rest of us, we'll be waiting for his U.S. tour when he comes back home to the States.

Bonus Photo Gallery: Frankie Ballard Live in Detroit