Though the Cotton District’s few blocks only ebb and flow comes from Mississippi State University students and visitors crowding bars after home games, Friday night brings the Cotton District’s annual high tide — Bulldog Bash. Crowds as large as 35,000 people flooded the Cotton District in the past anticipating chart-topping artists’ performances.

This year’s lineup includes three performances on an outdoor stage in front of Bulldog Deli on University Drive in the Cotton District. 

Fides, winner of the Battle of the Bands, plays at 7 p.m., Chris Young at 8 p.m. and this year’s headliner, The Black Crowes, at 9:30 p.m. 

The main performer for the event is The Black Crowes, a band that has sold over 35 million albums according to its website, blackcrowes.com, and has a great reputation for live shows.

Brett Harris, junior marketing and management major and current chief programming officer for MSU’s Student Association, said The Black Crowes represents a break from the younger acts who have performed in recent Bulldog Bashes. 

The Black Crowes, an established act, will not only draw in a large crowd, Harris said, but a varied crowd of both students and visiting alumni. 

“We earnestly strive to bring as much diversity to Bulldog Bash as possible, being that our main goal is to please the student body, we picked bands that we thought would make the majority of the students happy,” he said. “Also, being a band from the `80s, it is our hope that The Black Crowes will please a vast majority of our alumni as well.” 

When looking at how many albums the band has sold and its overall musical success, some may wonder what drew The Black Crowes to perform in Starkville. 

Amanda Fones, senior political science major and co-director of Bulldog Bash, said she believes Bulldog Bash’s amalgamation of concert and community drew the band to the event. 

“I think they were interested in the idea of Bulldog Bash. Bash is more than just a concert — it’s a small town along with thousands of students, alumni and community members all coming together to crowd the streets of Starkville’s Historic Cotton District,” she said. “I think The Black Crowes saw the hype of Bulldog Bash and its past and thought it would be a great showcase for one of their shows.”

Fones described the band as straightforward rock and said they are a group who has stood the test of time. 

“I would just say that they are an American rock band that have been together since 1989 and are still growing strong,” Fones said.  

To please a wide range of Bulldog Bash attendees, Fones said the event booked bands with different musical genres.

“They are different styles of music intentionally,” she said. “We want Bulldog Bash to include a variety of genres in order to draw in varying crowd members.”

The Black Crowes’s live shows have sustained a memorable reputation throughout the decades they have been performing. 

Justin Cooper, senior civil engineering major and co-director of Bulldog Bash, said he is sure the band’s Bulldog Bash performance will support The Black Crowes’ s rewnown as an outstanding live act.    “I believe that we will have a great response from the crowd,” he said. “The Black Crowes are known for great live performances, so I have no doubt that this will be no exception.” 

Past Bulldog Bash acts, such as Jason Mraz, The Avett Brothers and Eli Young Band, provided enthralling, crowd-pleasing concerts. 

While Cooper said he has no doubt The Black Crowes will put on a great show, he also said he thinks this year’s lineup, which includes various genres of music, will stand tall alongside previous years’ musical acts.   

“The Black Crowes definitely bring a much different type of music than the bands you have mentioned (Jason Mraz, Avett Brothers, Eli Young Band), and I believe people will appreciate their classic rock/blues/soul feel,” he said. “More importantly, I think such a great lineup will hold its own against some of the past Bash lineups.”

Cooper said while the event’s attendance grows in numbers so does the hope that each year’s show will outshine the last. 

“I hope that this year’s Bulldog Bash will rank up high with one of the best there has been,” he said. “I believe it has the potential to be the best Bash yet, and it is certainly one of the biggest Bashes already.”

Friday night’s concerts take place on an outdoor stage in front of Bulldog Deli on University Drive in the Cotton District.