BUNNELL, Fla. — A day at the beach, a night onstage and a little John Anderson made for a memorable Florida stop for country singer Drake Milligan, who headlined KIX Country Fest at the Flagler County Fairgrounds on Nov. 7.
Milligan shared the bill with Michelle Marie and Porter Martin at the fundraiser for Flagler County charities. As Milligan wrapped up his set, Flagler Broadcasting Vice President of Sales Kirk Keller estimated the crowd to be in the thousands. He said the festival drew fans from Palm Coast and Flagler Beach as well as Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach and St. Augustine.
“This is a great community vibe,” Keller said. “I mean, we’ve seen people here from Ormond Beach, from St. Augustine, from Daytona Beach,” he added, before naming Flagler Beach and Palm Coast.
The festival was in its second year back after a pandemic hiatus. Keller said organizers had run it for several years before COVID forced a pause. This year, the festival sold tickets and gave away plenty, too. Keller said the advance giveaways helped draw customers to local businesses and that organizers worked to keep the night affordable.
“We want everybody to have fun at an economical price,” Keller said.
Eddie Lang and friends spent the night dancing and singing.
“This was an amazing event and we appreciate the opportunity to be a part of it,” said Lang. “The musicians that we had this year were the best we have had. All 3 were amazing and it was so cool that they hung out and took pictures with the crowd.”
Milligan had already squeezed in some time on the Florida coast before taking the stage.
“We had a great day today. We went out to the beach,” Milligan said after the show. “Beautiful day, beautiful night.”
Milligan grew up in the Dallas area, and as a teenager, he played Presley in CMT’s 2017 series Sun Records. He went on to appear on American Idol in 2018 and America’s Got Talent in 2022, then scored a No. 1 hit on Canadian country radio in 2023 with “Honky Tonkin’ About,” a collaboration with The Reklaws.
Asked what drew him to Elvis Presley, Milligan called him “the greatest entertainer, I think, ever.” He singled out the way Presley interpreted songs and made a connection with the people in front of him.
“I’ve always been captivated by just the way he’s able to kind of reach out to an audience,” Milligan said.
Next up for Milligan is a return to the United Kingdom to finish his European tour, where he and the band are showcasing his latest album, Tumbleweed, with favorites like “Good As Gone” and “Talk Texas.”
“We’ve already done half of our Europe tour this year, and we go back and finish it out all over the UK,” he said.
As for his favorite song to play in Bunnell, Milligan picked a country classic from that night’s set, John Anderson’s “Swingin’.”
“Tonight, that was my favorite one to play,” he said.
