DeLuna Fest delivers Zac Brown Band

DeLuna Fest is getting “a little bit of chicken fried.”

Festival organizers announced today that one of the hottest bands in the country, the Zac Brown Band, will be the third headliner at the Pensacola Beach music festival, set for Sept. 21-23. The Atlanta-based septet, winner of the 2010 Grammy Award for Best New Artist, has topped the Billboard Country Songs chart eight times with songs like “Chicken Fried,” “Toes,” “Free” and “Knee Deep.” The band also enjoys huge crossover success, placing nine singles in the mainstream Top 40.

The addition of the Zac Brown Band, joining country acts such as Dwight Yoakam and Walker Hayes, along with Southern rock-leaning acts like Blackberry Smoke, addresses an oft-heard criticism of last year’s lineup — that it did not attempt to cater to the region’s large country audience.

The Zac Brown Band joins two of the world’s biggest rock bands, Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam, at the top of the festival ticket, which also features Florence & the Machine, Band of Horses and Jimmy Cliff among more than 60 acts.

Organizers expanded the bill further today with the addition of neo-soul/alternative band Fitz & the Tantrums, alt-rockers The Canvas Waiting, “bayou Americana” group Honey Island Swamp Band, hip-hop artist Astronautalis, doom-metal band High on Fire, brassy New Orleans funk band Brass-a-Holics and gospel group The Legendary JCs.

Weekend passes remain available at the advance price of $159.95 plus tax and service charges, but DeLuna Fest managing partner Scott Mitchell cautioned that few tickets are still available at that price.

“We had to keep them around for the country fans, to be fair,” he said.

Once advanced tickets are sold out, regular-priced weekend passes will be available at $199.95 plus taxes and fees.

Advanced VIP passes sold out within days of the initial lineup announcement; regular-priced VIP passes are $849.95 plus taxes and fees.

All tickets are available at www.delunafest.com.