Category Archives: CMA Music Festival

2012 CMA Music Fest Tickets On Sale

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2012 CMA Music Fest Tickets Go On Sale This Week! The 2011 CMA Music Festival may have just wrapped up in June, but event organizers are already in full swing getting ready for next year’s country music concert event! The 2012 CMA Music Festival is scheduled for June 7th through 10th at Nashville’s LP Field, and tickets will officially go on sale Saturday, July 30th at 10am (central). The concert event includes four nights of all-star shows at LP Field in addition to four days of daily concerts at the Riverfront Park. During the week of the festival there are also many, many events, signings, and additional musical performances for fans to participate in and enjoy! The past two years of the CMA Fest (formerly known to country music fans as Fan Fair) have completely sold out! So, if you are planning to attend next year’s event, you may want to go ahead and secure your tickets early! Stay tuned for news and details on the concert and event line-ups. We’ll be sure to let ya’ll know as soon as possible!

Dierks Bentley and Little Big Town Added to CMA Special

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Dierks Bentley and Little Big Town Will Perform on TV Special of the CMA Music Festival Dierks Bentley and Little Big Town have been added to the performance line-up of the 2011 CMA Music Festival TV Special, better known as “Country’s Night to Rock!“. They are joining an already impressive line-up which includes Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, Sara Evans, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Reba, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, and Zac Brown! The show will air on ABC on August 7th at 8pm (ET). The special includes footage filmed during this year’s CMA Music Festival in Nashville, TN during June 9th and June 12th in addition to the performances listed above. It’s sure to be a rockin’ country event, so don’t miss it!

CMA Music Fest Network Air Date

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CMA Music Fest: Country’s Night to Rock 2011 Network Air Date Is Set. Whether or not you had the opportunity to experience CMA Music Festival in person this year, any country fan with access to a television will have the opportunity to either experience CMA Fest for the first time or relive the excitement. CMA Music Fest has officially announced the air date for the annual special CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock 2011, a recounting of the 2011 concerts and events at LP Field in Nashville earlier this month. The show is an edited version of the concerts a few thousand(s) lucky fans had the chance to see live including performances by Reba McEntire, Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, Sara Evans, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, the Zac Brown Band, and others. CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night To Rock will air on ABC on Sunday, August 7th at 8PM ET. Be sure to check in on this special concert event!

Trace Adkins Announces Album Title At CMA Fest

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Trace Adkins Fills Fans In On Upcoming Album Title During CMA Fest Performance. Trace Adkins announced the title of his upcoming album, Proud To Be Here, during his CMA Music Festival performance in Nashville this weekend. The album features his touching and sweet new single “Just Fishin’” about a father and daughter relationship. Proud To Be Here will also feature 9 other tracks, and the deluxe edition will offer fans 4 more songs on top of that including a duet with Blake Shelton title “If I Was A Woman“. Adkins’ family recently suffered a huge loss as their home caught fire on June 4th, and was deemed a total loss. Thankfully, the family including their pets are all safe. Adkins has suggested that the choice of title for this album, though chosen before these events occurred, has taken on a new meaning. “Proud To Be Here was chosen as the album title some weeks ago because it’s how I’ve felt ever since my first album release and during every milestone since…The title song could have been based on my life and it’s about narrow escapes and the grace that guides you through. Obviously, now after the fire, Proud To Be Here takes on an even greater significance. Once again, I’ve been blessed and everyone is safe.” -Trace Adkins In response to the outpouring of concern from fans, Trace has requested they redirect their support through the American Red Cross and CMT One Country. The album is set to release on August 2nd, and pre-sale of the deluxe edition will be available on iTunes July 12th.

CMA Music Fest A Success

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2011 CMA Music Festival Wraps Up Nightly Concerts and Nashville Readies for Next Year! Last week marked a jam-packed week for Nashville with the 2011 CMA Music Festival taking place June 9-12, and all the preliminary events which kicked-off as early as Monday. It was hot outside and the streets may have been crowded beyond belief, but it was a success nonetheless! From the special concerts at the Grand Ole Opry featuring Carrie Underwood, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, American Idol winner and runner-up Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina and others, to Autograph signings at Fan Fair Hall and fan club parties, to the CMA Fest Parade Wednesday, to the concert line-up at LP Field, the focal point of the festival, the entire week had plenty to offer for each and every country music fan. The nightly concerts at LP Field kicked-off in high gear on Thursday with the Zac Brown Band who were joined by special guests Amos Lee to perform “Colder Weather” and “Knee Deep“, and newcomer Sonia Leigh. Additionally, Zac Brown Band was joined by Randy Travis for a duet on his hit “Forever and Ever, Amen“. Even Alan Jackson popped by during the set to sing “As She’s Walking Away” with the group. Next up, Easton Corbin contributed a 20-minute set including “A Little More Country Than That“, “Roll With It“, and even a title off his new album. Sara Evans followed up Corbin’s set with her own including her latest hit single “A Little Bit Stronger” and other songs like “As If“. Season 9 American Idol finalist, Casey James brought his own flavor to the line-up with “So Sweet” and “Drive“. Lastly, Jason Aldean wrapped up the evening with hits “My Kinda Party” and “Big Green Tracker“. He was joined by collaborator Kelly Clarkson to sing their duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay“, and finished things up with the increasingly popular “Dirt Road Anthem“. The all-star line-up continued Friday night with Ashton Shepherd singing songs like “Sounds So Good” and current hit “Look It Up“. She was followed by Dierks Bentley‘s five song set which included “Sideways” and “Feel That Fire“. Lady Antebellum took over the stage next and sang the hit “Need You Now” as well as “American Honey” and “Just A Kiss“. Shania Twain graced the stage, and though she did not sing, she introduced the next act, Sugarland who covered multiple songs including “All I Want To Do“, “Stuck Like Glue“, and “Something More“. Keith Urban hit the stage next with “Put You In A Song” and “Love Somebody Like You“. Jake Owen jumped in for an unannounced duet with Urban on his own “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You“. Rounding the evening off nicely was Reba McEntire with a classic “Why Haven’t I Heard From You” and her more recent “Consider Me Gone“. Saturday night’s line-up was no less shabby starting off with Chris Young singing some of his best like “Gettin’ You Home” and “Tomorrow“. This was followed by an interesting moment Continue reading CMA Music Fest A Success→

Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina at CMA Fest

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Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina Gain Experience and Perspective at CMA Music Festival. Recent American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery and runner-up, Lauren Alaina have hit the ground running with appearances and performances every other day last week during the CMA Music Festival in Nashville. The pair attended the 2011 CMT Music Awards where they had the chance to help bring attention to the devastation created by this Spring’s storms, the relief efforts being made by some country music stars, and specifically introduce Sugarland‘s performance. Additionally, the two had the career starting opportunity Friday during the CMA Music Festival to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. Lauren sang LeAnn Rimes’ “Blue” as well as her debut single “Like My Mother Does“, and Scotty performed his debut single, “I Love You This Big” and George Strait’s “Check Yes Or No“. Saturday night during the nightly concerts at LP Field both Scotty and Lauren were able to perform with their own idols. Scotty, of course, performed a duet with Josh Turner on “Your Man” while Lauren sang “Anyway” with Martina McBride. On top of all this, both of these new and rising stars learned just recently that both of their singles are fairing very well on the charts, proving just how much American loves them. So, not only are Scotty and Lauren getting to jump right in, presenting at awards shows, performing with the artists who inspire them, and gracing the iconic Opry stage, they are already proving their worth with success on their first singles. Regardless of these opportunities and successes however, they are aware of the need to establish an identity of their own. Lauren who has sited Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert as influences in addition to Martina McBride, recognizes the need to create original content, and set herself appear as a female country artist. “I got a record deal, at 16. That’s weird. Making this record is going to be the biggest step I’m ever going to have to do. People know who I am because of a TV show, but it’s from singing cover songs…I have to be different from everybody else.” -Lauren Alaina Scotty who garnered much of his attention on Idol because of his vocal similarity to Josh Turner openly acknowledges the similarity, but underscores his responsibility to present something fresh and different, understanding that it will take a lot of hard work. “I might sound like them, kind of, but it’ll be a different career. They’re older, well-established guys. There’s going to be a lot of work for me to get out of this and hit the ground running. I’m trying to put my foot in the door.” -Scotty McCreery With CMA Fest and their whirlwind schedule concluded, hopefully Scotty and Lauren will get a little breather The they can get started on those albums they’ve promised fans! Watch Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina at the 2011 CMT Music Awards Here! More CMT Shows – More CMT Videos

Carrie Underwood in Nashville

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Carrie Underwood Discusses Scotty McCreery at Billboard Country Music Summit, Hosts Fan Party At Opry. It’s CMA Music Fest week in Nashville, and though she won’t be performingCarrie Underwood has still had a busy start! She kicked off the week speaking at this year’s Billboard Country Music Summit where she discussed an array of topics including her personal goals on entering American Idol (back in the day!), recording with Brad Paisley and new American Idol winner and runner-up, Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina discussing the difficulty of breaking into the industry. “…now days there aren’t too many avenues of real discovery as far as… if somebody like me who lives in Oklahoma just started playing in bars around Oklahoma, there’s no way I’m going to get discovered…but American Idol is for people like me. It’s for people like Scotty [McCreery] and Lauren [Alaina] who were in small towns and didn’t know how to do it, but had a love for music and a great talent and did their thing.” -Carrie Underwood Additionally, Carrie hosted her annual fan club party at the Grand Ole Opry yesterday, June 7th. The party started with a 45-minute by Underwood and her band followed by a Q&A session, and concluded with a round of “Fan Club Feud” (the Carrie Underwood version of “Family Feud”). That evening Carrie performed at two sold-out shows at The Opry. Unfortunately, Carrie will not be featured in the line-up of performances at this year’s CMA Fest, as she has headed off to Australia for a two-week promotional trip to support her “Play On: Deluxe Edition” CD, which will be released in Australia and New Zealand on Friday, June 10.

Lauren Alaina’s New Single

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Lauren Alaina’s New Single Like My Mother Does. American Idol Season 10 runner-up Lauren Alaina has released her first single “Like My Mother Does“. The song was sent to radio after she performed it on the hit show on May 24, and debuted at No. 11 on the Digital Sound charts and No. 20 on the Hot 100 charts! The song is also doing very well on the Hot Country Songs chart, jumping to No. 43. “This is so awesome!” she says. “American Idol has changed my life, so I’m excited that the songs I performed on there are doing so well. I can’t believe I have a song out on country radio, much less that so many stations started playing it right away. I can’t wait to get out there and meet everybody and thank them personally for playing my song.” Lauren will begin recording her debut album this week in Nashville and will participate in the CMA Music Fest. She will present at the CMT Music Awards Wednesday, hit the Grand Ole Opry stage Friday, and play in the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game Saturday. She has a busy summer ahead of her with the American Idol Live tour that begins July 6 in Salt Lake City, but we know she is ready for this adventure!

CMA Music Festival Events at Grand Ole Opry

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The Grand Ole Opry Hosting Several Concerts and Events During the CMA Music Fest! Nashville is going to be all kinds of a frenzy next week with the CMA Music Festival running from June 9th – June 12th , and the Grand Ole Opry is definitely getting in on the action! Two of the concert events featuring a whole host of stars like Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Darius Rucker, Jerrod Neimann, Oak Ridge Boys and others on Tuesday, June 7th are unfortunately already sold out. However, on that Tuesday, the Opry is hosting a party with Jerrod Niemann and Eden’s Edge on the Opry Plaza at 5pm, so fans could always check in on that! Other fun events available to CMA attendees include the 3rd Annual Guitars of the Stars Benefit on Thursday, June 9th at 4pm in the Hall of Fame Park featuring performances by Josh Thompson and Steve Wariner. Up for auction are guitars either created or inspired by some of country music’s favorites like Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellum and others. Also, fans should not forget about the special event taking place at the Opry Friday, June 10th featuring American Idol‘s Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina as they make their debut performances at the Opry in a concert including Randy Travis and Billy Ray Cyrus. Hopefully some of you will be getting the chance to check out this year’s CMA Fest, and the many corresponding events taking place in Nashville next week! For those of you who won’t be able to make it, just keep checking in with us! We’ll fill you in!

Scotty McCreery’s New Single

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Scotty McCreery’s Debut Single Succeeds On Charts. Hot on the heels of his American Idol win last week, Scotty McCreery got some good news about his debut single. The song, “I Love You This Big“, was originally debuted on Idol before his win, and it hit the radio on May 24th. So far it is No. 32 on Billboard’s Nielsen BDS-based Hot Country Songs chart which is the highest debut for a new artist’s first single since the chart began using BDS data the week of Jan. 20, 1990. “I am humbled and shocked by this news. I can’t tell you what it means to me to be on the same charts as my musical heroes. I want to thank my fans and especially country radio for their support.” -Scotty McCreery Additionally, the single hit No. 1 on iTunes, and also reached No. 3 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart with 171,404 units sold. Also doing quite well is a compilation album featuring 14 of his performances from America Idol, entitled American Idol Season 10: Scotty McCreery which reached No. 12 on the Billboard Top 200 all-genre albums chart and No. 3 on the country albums chart with 23,196 units sold. It is clear that Scotty has a large and devoted fan base! Scotty will be appearing alongside Lauren Alaina at the CMT Music Awards on June 8th, and both will have multiple appearances through CMA Music Festival. Following up next week’s festivities, fans can look forward to Scotty’s forthcoming album which he will start working on in Nashville soon. So, since the powers that be seem to be keeping the two together for most events, I wonder when we will hear more about Lauren’s impending album?