HUNTINGTON, W.Va. –More than 30,000 people will pack into Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Saturday to see country music artist Zach Bryan.

Bryan, an Oklahoma native, self-produced two albums before signing with Warner Records to release his third album, American Heartbreak. Some of his songs include, “Something in the Orange,” “Heading South,” “I Remember Everything (featuring Kacey Musgraves)”.

Huntington Police Department Chief Phil Watkins during an appearance on MetroNews Midday Friday afternoon, said there is going to be a huge crowd from of out-of-state visitors.

“We’ve got people from all over this side of the country coming here to Huntington to see a world-wide country star, this is a big weekend,” Watkins said.

The City of Huntington announced that Bryan was coming to the Joan in late March of this year.

Watkins said there has been a lot of effort and collaboration to prepare for this event.

“We’ve worked with the state police, Marshall University’s police department, fire, EMS, the sheriff’s department, our public works people,” he said. “We’ve been planning this from all the aspects of public safety you can imagine.”

He said that there will be police officers directing traffic along 3rd Avenue and Hal Greer Boulevard, as well as setting the lights to flashing yellow to help with traffic flow.

Watkins said this is an exciting event for Huntington and believes that concertgoers will be able to enjoy themselves because of all of the safety precautions the city has taken.

“But, I’m also excited to know that the planning and the preparation that has gone into this, that we’re to keep people safe that way all the focus can be on this event so that our tens of thousands of visitors there gonna come to Huntington and there going to be excited about the music, the show, the entertainment, they’re going to be really focused on that because we’ve got security wrapped up,” he said.

Out of an abundance of caution, the City of Huntington announced that the following streets will be closed after the concert:

-No southbound traffic on 20th Street from 5th Avenue
-No northbound traffic on 24th Street from 5th Avenue
-No northbound traffic on Hal Greer Boulevard from 4th Avenue to 3rd Avenue
-20th Street closed between 3rd and 5th Avenues

Watkins said he wants everyone to enjoy the show; however, he also asks that individuals be patient.

“Enjoy yourselves, focus on the concert, have fun while you’re here,” he said. “When coming and going let’s be patient, we’ve got a lot of people coming into the city, we’re going to have a lot of people trying to leave at the same time so let’s be patient with each other.”

The concert is set to kick off at 7 p.m.; however, parking lots will begin opening at 1 p.m. Marshall Athletics is selling parking passes for the stadium’s West Lot. The Child Development Academy at Marshall (520 2nd St.) and the United Way of the River Cities (2400 3rd Ave.) are offering parking spots for $20 each.

The stadium enforces a clear bag policy, allowing each guest to bring one clear bag (12″ x 6″ x 12″) or a small clutch (4.5″ x 6.5″).

Photo: Huntington Area Convention and Visitors Bureau