Thousands flock to Knoxville Oliver Anthony show

Songwriter plays show at Smokey Stadium after viral song “Rich Men North of Richmond”

(see more on the event at Chad and Natasha’s YouTube channel)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF) – If you thought the Oliver Anthony viral moment would end quickly, think again.

The singer became an “overnight” sensation when country music fans latched onto his song “Rich Men North of Richmond.”

Anthony was unknown until the song struck a chord in the culture wars.

As he organizes a “proper” tour reflecting his sudden rise in profile, Anthony was still playing bar gigs along the Appalachian.

So, he was booked to perform this week at Cotton Eyed Joe in West Knoxville.

But as demand for tickets grew, they moved the shows to ever larger venues.

Finally, they settled on the Knoxville Smokies stadium last night.

And they still had to come up with three overflow parking areas plus shuttles to the actual stadium.

WVLT-TV took drone video to show the steady stream of vehicles lining up for the 6,000-seat stadium.

Despite his #1 single, Anthony still puts on a very simple show… just him and another guitarist.

But when he got to his big song, you could barely hear him singing because of fans singing along.