NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Live Nation Entertainment and ACM Promoter of the Year Brian O'Connell are leading the charge for a new country festival where the music and atmosphere will rival the serene, natural beauty of the landscape.  Watershed Music Festival will take place August 3, 4 and 5 at the iconic Gorge Amphitheatre and is set to feature a versatile lineup of artists, camping, late night sets, impromptu jam sessions, collaborations and more.  Located east of Seattle, the Gorge Amphitheatre provides a picturesque backdrop for the laid back, country vibe O'Connell has envisioned for this truly unmatched festival.  Three-day festival passes go on sale May 5th at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com.  

"The Gorge provides a feeling that is impossible to recreate anywhere else," said O'Connell.  "It is truly a magical place and provides the perfect setting for a cool, eclectic country event.  We wanted to create something that didn't exist, from the caliber of artists to the camping and the atmosphere.  I'm excited to be a part of it and see it all come together."  

"In the storied 25 year history of The Gorge, we've been fortunate to host many of the nation's top country artists, but all have been single day concerts," said Jeff Trisler, President of Live Nation Seattle.  "For years, we've wanted to host a multiple day country festival that builds on the tremendous success for our annual Sasquatch Music Festival and Dave Matthews Band residency.  We believe this event will bring that same sort of excitement and energy to The Gorge for an entirely new group of music fans."

Artists confirmed for the multi-day country fest include Dierks Bentley, Kix Brooks, Sara Evans, Brantley Gilbert, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Thompson Square, Uncle Kracker, Dwight Yoakam, Tracy Lawrence, Reckless Kelly, The Lost Trailers, Steve Holy, Johnny Reid, Jon Pardi, Thomas Rhett, Morgan Frazier, DeeJay Silver and a local stage will feature regional acts each night.   More artists are set to be announced in the coming weeks.

The Gorge Amphitheatre, located in George, Wash., is undoubtedly one of the most scenic concert venues in the world and offers sweeping views of the Columbia River Gorge.  The area itself is a watershed for the Columbia River, thus inspiring the name of the event.  The Watershed Music Festival will feature a limited capacity of 25,000 and will offer lawn terrace seating and premiere camping options.  The amphitheatre has been the home of many historic concerts from bands such as Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Van Halen, Rush, Radiohead, Tim McGraw, Aerosmith, Metallica, Rascal Flatts, John Mayer, The Police, Brad Paisley, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the annual Sasquatch! Music Festival.  

Three day festival passes will start at only $90 and go on sale May 5 at ticketmaster.com.  

For more information, visit www.WatershedFest.com, twitter @watershedfest, Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com.

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world's leading live entertainment and ecommerce company, comprised of four market leaders: Ticketmaster.com, Live Nation Concerts, Front Line Management Group and Live Nation Network. Ticketmaster.com is the global event ticketing leader and one of the world's top five ecommerce sites, with almost 27 million monthly unique visitors. Live Nation Concerts produces over 22,000 shows annually for more than 2,300 artists globally. Front Line is the world's top artist management company, representing over 250 artists. These businesses power Live Nation Network, the leading provider of entertainment marketing solutions, enabling nearly 800 advertisers to tap into the 200 million consumers Live Nation delivers annually through its live event and digital platforms. For additional information, visit www.livenation.com/investors.

SOURCE Live Nation Entertainment