(Abbotsford, BC) Global Spectrum, operators of the Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre are getting ready to welcome Big & Rich along with Gretchen Wilson to the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre on September 22nd.

“Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson are back and better than ever,” said Global Spectrum’s Jason Blumenfeld, General Manager of the Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre. “They are among the hottest country acts out there, and we are lucky to have them play at the AESC this fall.”

“The Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre is bringing another high calibre entertainer to the City,” said Mayor George W. Peary. “This show will appeal to our "country" side and will be a great fit for the community.”

Big & Rich have made a lot of noise by incorporating rock and rap on their first albums. This time around, there’s soul and reggae, by way of John Legend, who does a cameo on “Eternity,” and Wyclef Jean. Rich went to see Jean, strictly as a fan, at the House of Blues in Los Angeles and wound up being pulled onto the stage. The crowd had no idea who Big & Rich were, he says, but Jean told them, “There are no boundaries. They tell us there are boundaries just so we don’t run past them.” Then, John said, “He starts free-styling about Nashville and Charlie Daniels and us, and how it’s all the same.” Wyclef then indicated to John: “Your turn.” Rich froze for a moment, and then, over the reggae beat, went into “Folsom Prison Blues,” followed by “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy).”

While Big & Rich appreciate all radio airplay they get, they’re also proactive in other media, appearing on shows ranging from Nashville Star to Dancing with the Stars along with John Rich’s recent success on The Celebrity Apprentice.

To all appearances, Gretchen Wilson went overnight from talented obscurity to phenomenon. Her meteoric rise, the kind experienced by only a handful of artists in the past few decades, was that rare instance where talent and moment meet to form a cultural tidal wave. Still, she knows better than anyone the simple force that fueled it. "The reason I've been successful is that I've been genuine from the get-go," she says, "and I continue to try to do that. I'm an open book." It helps that the identity she wears so guilelessly is one that resonates strongly with fans of country and Southern rock--the independent, take-no-guff, hard-working and hard-partying country girl.