Friday at CMA Music Festival
June 5, 2008
A FLASH OF LIGHT FROM A RISING STAR
Could this be the next big star? Perhaps the next Taylor Swift?
These types of questions came to mind as the Music City Rising Star Youth Vocal Competition continued in the McDonald’s– Dr Pepper Family Zone. Young warblers from around the United States entered the contest for an opportunity to sing before a live audience in Nashville as well as a chance to win a grand prize that included “Stage/Performance 101,” a workshop with CMA Award winner Linda Davis.
One shining star on the morning of Friday, June 6, was Rachel Farley, of Atlanta. Performing her original song, “Empty Bottle and an Empty Heart,” she moved the audience with her deep vocal range and strong acoustic guitar technique. Her maturity and talent made it easy to forget that she is just 13 years old – then again, she admitted to “singing about as long as I could talk.”
And she had the insight to describe the experience of singing on the McDonald’s– Dr Pepper Family Zone’s Fifth Avenue Stage as “pretty cool.”
-- Tawney Milam
CHEVY STAGE PERFORMANCES SHIFT TO HIGH GEAR
As the clock ticked closer to 10:45 AM, fans began streaming into Chevy Plaza. Chairs filled quickly, though many visitors chose to gather in the shadow of the Sommet Center or under the canopies that shaded the Chevy exhibits.
Festivities began as Julie Roberts bounded onto the stage and, flaunting her Southern roots, drawled, “Thank y’all for sitting out here in the 90 degree weather.” She kept the mood bright throughout a foot-tapping, sing-along set that ended with a long and warm ovation.
During the break between sets, a number of audience members strolled among the displays of Chevy vehicles while Keith Urban’s “You Look Good in My Shirt” boomed through speakers that carried the live XM Satellite Radio broadcast. Knowing that Gary Nichols would be next to appear, a predominantly female contingent pressed toward the front of the stage, ready to snap pictures of his performance.
Nichols strode in, his guitar in hand, and announced, “Sometimes you just want to hear something with a little attitude.” That was enough to inspire a wave of dancing and singing as he tore through a set that included “Love for a Living.”
Hot as it was on the pavement of Chevy Plaza, it couldn’t have been hotter than the blaze of stars on the Chevy Stage.
-- Tawney Milam
SHOT CLOCKS MEASURE TWO HOURS OF FUN AT CELEBRITY SPORTS CHALLENGE PRESENTED BY GLACEAU VITAMIN WATER AND HOSTED BY STEVE AZAR
The second day of CMA Music Festival kicked off with the highly anticipated Celebrity Sports Challenge presented by Glacèau Vitaminwater and hosted by Steve Azar. Despite the humidity, fans chilled behind sunglasses and waited patiently on bleachers for the excitement to erupt.
After welcoming the crowd, Azar launched the all-star competition, with participants divided into five teams, each wearing a color-coded jersey.
As fans clustered around the barricades, each celebrity practiced hitting baseballs, slapping hockey pucks, tossing footballs, putting golf balls, throwing basketballs and kicking soccer balls. Once the tournament began, the team members were required to move from one “challenge” station to the next as they vied to win the highest number of points. Unlike previous years at CMA Music Festival, the 2008 contest included shot clocks that allowed players to shoot as many pucks into the net as possible within a 60-second limit.
Within moments, the sports celebrities demonstrated exceptional skill. But with the infectious camaraderie that emanated from within the shaded playing area, the fans left feeling like they too were a part of the high-five experience.
First prize went to the Navy team, consisting of Todd Armstrong, Steve Azar, actor John Castellanos of “The Young and the Restless,” former NFL linebacker Steve Cole, Tennessee Titans punter Craig Hentrich and Ken Purvis. Other participants included Jessica Andrews, golfer Angela Jerman,
former pro wrestler Ray Lloyd, Brad Mapes of Emerson Drive, Olympic swimmer and Gold medallist Steve Lundquist, Marcel, Kristy Osmunson of Bomshel, Tennessee Titans linebacker Josh Stamer, Keni Thomas and Don “Hollywood” Yates, a.k.a. Wolf from “American Gladiators.”
-- Benjamin
Kann
CHECKING OUT THE CHECK-IN: BEHIND THE SCENES AT TRUTV FAN FAIR HALL
Double doors line the walls of the truTV Fan Fair Hall in the Nashville Convention Center. Those who dash from booth to booth in search of autographs or souvenirs during CMA Music Festival know how hectic things can be on their side of these doors.
The pace is just as intense on the other side. The cast of characters, though, is different, consisting of Festival staff, artists, entourages, media and a handful of fans who have gained access to this world.
Visitors can descend into this space on massive and unglamorous freight elevators or from the street via a ramp large enough to accommodate mammoth 18-wheel trucks. One such vehicle was backing carefully toward a nearby dock shortly before noon, when a door behind the Artist Check-In desk swung open and Kellie Pickler came swinging out, en route to an autograph session.
First, though, she detoured to a backdrop bearing the CMA Music Festival logo, with former Miss USA Rachel Smith smiling and motioning her over with a microphone. Following a quick hug and a few pleasantries, Pickler answered a few questions for the camera, to be used to promote “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock” set to broadcast Sept. 8 on the ABC Television Network.
After discussing the thrill of hearing thousands of voices singing along to Pickler’s set at the previous nights VAULT Concert Stage at LP Field show, Smith asked if she had ever attended CMA Music Festival as a fan, before “American Idol” thrust her into the national spotlight.
Pickler responded that she’d never been to the event before making her first appearance on the Festival stage in 2007. “But I am a fan,” she added. “I came out as an artist, but I am a fan. And you never know who you’re going to run into.”
“Well, if you could stand in line for an hour to get one artist’s autograph, who would that artist be?” Smith queried.
Pickler’s reply was immediate: “Dolly Parton – she’s my favorite.”
Then, after cutting a quick promo – “Hi, I’m Kelly Pickler! Don’t miss CMA Music Festival, Country’s Night to Rock, on Sept. 8, only on ABC – she turned once more toward the doors that led into the truTV Fan Fair Hall, only to be stopped by two groups of admirers.
Smiling warmly and speaking as if she’d just run into some old friends, Pickler posed for pictures, signed a few souvenirs, accepted a compliment over her capri jeans, pink top and non-red high-heeled shoes – “It’s the same shirt I wore last night,” she apologized – and then waved goodbye.
“Y’all have fun,” she called out. “And stay dry, it’s hot.”
Turning once again, she broke into another smile when Tiane Harrison, Manager, Media Relations for USO, greeted her with a large poster bearing an image of Pickler in a military uniform, singing at a USO event overseas, with logos from CMA, GAC and USO positioned discreetly toward the bottom.
On just the previous day, at the USO booth in the Fun Zone, fans had filled five such posters with expressions of love and support for United States troops serving overseas. Harrison noted that they had brought nine copies of this same poster to the Festival, with the goal of filling eight of them with messages from attendees.
This one, she added, would need only one signature. Pickler willingly grabbed a pen and asked where she could write.
“Sign it as big as you want,” Harrison answered.
With a flourish, Pickler wrote in large, flowing letters, “Many blessings. Kellie Pickler”.
As the singer finally hurried off to her autograph session in Fan Fair Hall, Harrison noted that posters signed at the Festival would be sent for troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait to keep.
What about the one adorned with Pickler’s signature? Harrison smiled.
“This one might have to travel from place to place, for everybody to see.”
-- Bob Doerschuk
CHEVY CRUISIN’ WITH CORY MORROW
Cory Morrow had a couple of fans holding onto their seats as he took them for a ride on Thursday, June 6, during the Chevy Ride and Drive. The Austin-based artist was behind the wheel of a ¾-ton heavy-duty truck when he invited a few admirers to join him as he gave it a test run.
After posing for some photos with the black vehicle, Morrow gunned it and pulled into the streets of Downtown Nashville. His passengers, Jill and Mark Lionberger of La Harpe, Ill., were more than happy to be chauffeured by a fast-rising Country artist. They did have some reservations about big-city gridlock, particularly the kind that settles through the vicinity of CMA Music Festival.
“In our county, there’s only one blinking traffic light in each town,” Mark said. “I can’t get used to the traffic here.”
Morrow, though, was in seventh automotive Heaven by the time he brought his fellow travelers back home. “I love this truck,” the self-proclaimed “car fanatic” confirmed.
-- Brenna Mader
HAVING A BALL ON THE HARD ROCK STAGE IN FUN ZONE
If you were a singer with a new record deal and a debut single titled “Beach Weekend,” there might be no better place to introduce yourself to the public than Nashville in early June.
After all, it’s perfect beach weather. You’ve got the steamy heat, the blazing blue sky, the restaurants pouring cool drinks from morning until, well, early the next morning.
All that’s missing is the beach. But during CMA Music Festival, up-and-coming singers have an advantage: scores of thousands of people who love Country Music and love to scout out the superstars of tomorrow.
Bailey Grey might have had this in mind as she strode onto the Hard Rock Outdoor Stage and her band hit the intro to “Can You Hear Me Now?” She served up one song after another from her upcoming Lofton Creek Records debut.
Fans paid attention, applauded and evidently enjoyed what they were hearing. They were also perhaps somewhat dazed by a second day of temperatures above 90 degrees, which persuaded them not to cross the sun-baked parking lot and edge closer toward the stage at its end.
But then Grey announced, with a playful grin, “OK, here’s my first single.” And as the opening moments of “Beach Weekend” rang out, one fan, perhaps lured by the word “single,” came forward and snapped a picture.
As if summoned by this premonition of public interest, big beach balls appeared mysteriously in the midst of the crowd by the Hard Rock Cafe door. People began batting them in the air; the breeze, blowing on cue, lifted them higher and further, out to passersby on Lower Broadway and even toward the multitude crossing First Avenue toward the Greased Lightning Riverfront Daytime Stages.
Everyone who came in contact with these balls probably took note of the name Bailey Grey and the tag line “Beach Weekend,” branded in black against the yellow background.
Somewhere, a publicist is smiling. And somewhere else, potential customers might already be looking for information on this talented – and clever – young artist.
-- Bob Doerschuk
ALAN JACKSON TURNS HEADS IN truTV FAN FAIR HALL
“Total Fandemonium” is the only way to describe the atmosphere inside the truTV Fan Fair Hall as Country Music’s stars and supporters came together to show their mutual appreciation.
Alan Jackson’s appearance stirred the greatest buzz of the day, as he, with his wife Denise, signed autographs at Fan Fair for the first time in 10 years. They smiled and posed as camera shutters clicked and visitors screamed their names again and again.
Canadian visitor Terry Stapleton exclaimed, “I’ve been waiting to see Alan since 7 this morning – and it was well worth it.” In her hand she held a signed photo of Jackson and an autographed copy of Denise’s second book, The Road Home.
But that wasn’t the only action in the vast room. Sara Evans, Wynonna Judd and Country convert Jessica Simpson drew excited crowds of men, women and children around their booths, their camera phones thrust high overhead.
Fans were also able to have their pictures taken with a virtual Taylor Swift via greenscreen, shoot their own Chevy commercial and go inside a CMT recording booth to record a duet with a friend.
The very enthusiastic Chace family, from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., milled up and down every aisle in Fan Fair Hall, clearly having a blast. Talking all at once, Rich, Tina and Kristeena explained that CMA Music Festival is a family tradition, which they extend by inviting more people to come along every year.
“We come back every year and we will be back every year that we can get here,” Tina exclaimed just before sprinting off after sighting Ronnie Milsap.
-- Brenna Mader
TIM HANNIG TEACHES THROUGH MAGIC AT MCDONALD’S – DR PEPPER FAMILY ZONE SHOWS
Magic – a “now you see it, now you don’t” routine – can amaze an audience of children. What’s a little trickier is to come up with a disappearing act that enlightens as much as it entertains.
Tim Hannig has that combination down. On Friday afternoon in the McDonald’s–Dr Pepper Family Zone, he captivated young onlookers with jokes, original songs with catchy lyrics and some deft sleight of hand. But he also educated them on the importance of treating others with kindness and respect – the basis of his “Pro-Kids Show.”
During one segment, Hannig brought out a small red ball he called a “warm fuzzy.” As he began to make the ball multiply into two and then into four, he told a story about finding self-fulfillment through kindness. “Every day, you choose what kind of attitude you’re going to have,” he explained. “The more ‘warm fuzzies’ you give, the more you actually have.”
Oscar T. Possum, Hannig’s hand puppet, then made an appearance. The spunky critter flirted with the audience, lip-synced a pop song and demonstrated the art of levitation, with a little help from Hannig’s arm.
After that, a boy and a girl were called up and each given a set of solid silver rings. One by one, Hannig managed to link each of them into loops. The two youngsters giggled in excitement as they helped pull off this magic feat without even knowing how they were doing it.
Throughout his show, Hannig kept spectators grinning from ear to ear. But just in case, he remembered to close his farewell remarks by saying, “… and if you didn’t have a good time, I’m David Copperfield.”
-- Julee Cobb
SHARING THE LOVE AT GREASED LIGHTNING RIVERFRONT DAYTIME STAGES
Talent streamed across the Greased Lightning Riverfront Daytime Stages like water down a fan’s fevered brow. The occasion was the “Wrangler Positively Cool Country Show” at 2 PM on Friday, June 6, and the lineup consisted of, in order, Jason Meadows, Dean Brody, Ashley Gearing, Heartland, Jeff Griffith with Joe Stampley, Emily West and Lonestar.
Strolling through the partitioned concert area along the Cumberland River, fans savored the aromas from concession stands, sprinkled with a seasoning of sunscreen. Given the weather, signs such as “Cool Off with Summer Snow,” at a snow cone stand, beckoned like mirages before thirsty travelers. Many grabbed snacks and drinks to enjoy in the shade of a few available trees.
Most fans found a spot on the grass to sit or lie, picnic-style, while others explored booths that sold guitars, sundresses, sunglasses and other products.
One highlight of the set was the mix of classics and new material put forth by Lonestar. Their recent single, “Let Me Love You,” went over especially well, prompting fans to reflect the love right back to the band.
-- Tawney Milam
CALLS OF THE WILD ECHO THROUGH CHEVY SPORTS ZONE
A few steps into the Chevy Sports Zone at CMA Music Festival was all it took to make clear this was an environmentally conscious area, with multiple booths posting messages that called for recycling and conservation.
The audio environment was a little more surprising. A procession of Country artists – Jason Brown, Julie Ingram and Trent Willmon – suggested that fans were in store for yet another hour or so of exceptional Country Music.
But there were less familiar faces too. These belonged to Matt Brimmer, Shane Smith and Bubba McPherson, strangers perhaps to the Country stage but superstars in their world or professional calling at the Outdoor Life “Calling” for Conservation Competition.
Crooners and callers gathered on a small stage, with the crowd pressing in. Then the competition began, with Brown, Ingram and Willmon doing their best at owl, turkey and elk calls. The winner, as judged by the editors of Outdoor Life magazine, was Willmon, who received as his prize a check for $1,000 to donate to the charity of his choosing.
A team event followed, with artists and callers free to attempt the call of their choice. The crowd laughed at the animalistic dialog that evolved back and forth between partners. Inspired, the professional callers encouraged even greater hilarity and audio creativity by dancing around as if they were the wildlife they were portraying. By volume of fan applause, Ingram and her partner took top honors.
Although the event was a pure fun-and-games exercise, the crowd was given wildflower seeds and encouraged to plant them along stream banks as part of Outdoor Life’s “Save a Stream” campaign.
All in all, Calling for Conservation qualified as one of the “wildest” entertainment at CMA Music Festival – and yet, as they were reminded from the stage while lining up for photos with the contestants, “no animals were harmed during this show!”
-- Claire Carville
KENI THOMAS STIRS PATRIOTIC SPIRIT AT CHEVY STAGE
The headlines reported rising gas prices. The heat of political discourse was rising as the presidential race boiled down to two candidates. In turbulent times, the music of Keni Thomas resonated from the Chevy Stage in the mid afternoon, like the crack of a 21-gun salute.
A veteran who had enlisted in the United States Army in 1991, Thomas inspired listeners at Chevy Plaza by his example as much as his music. “My grandfather and father have served in the military and I have close friends who serve now,” said Jennifer Rankin, who came with her friend Jodi Harmeyer from Taylor Mill, Ky., for CMA Music Festival. “I like that Keni Thomas lives his message.”
As Thomas moved into his third song, “Not Me,” he offered his life as an example to follow when called to take brave stands and lead by example. “Most people would rather say no,” he observed. “But you do it anyway.”
Military service has played a significant role in defining Thomas’ character. But just as obviously, living his dreams as a Country singer has come to mean nearly as much to him. “Country Music needs you,” he shouted as a farewell through cheers and applause. “And I sure
appreciate you.”
-- Julee Cobb
GOLD RECORD PRESENTATION SURPRISES MIRANDA LAMBERT AT VAULT CONCERT STAGE LP FIELD
“I’ve been waiting for that plaque for a long time. I love it. It is so amazing,” said Miranda Lambert after receiving the plaque certifying 500,000 sales of her most recent album, Crazy Ex Girlfriend.
Cameras clicked and flash bulbs popped in the press conference room at LP Field, as the surprise presentation took place during Lambert’s scheduled time to field media questions shortly before her turn on the stadium’s stage.
“The best days lie ahead of her,” insisted Joe Galante, Chairman, Sony BMG Nashville, who joined Butch Waugh, Executive VP, Sony BMG Nashville, in presenting the plaque to the overjoyed artist.
Lauding CMA Music Festival as an ideal setting to receive this honor, Lambert had her fans in mind as she observed, “It’s a special place for me to say thank you to the people who allow me to have something like this.”
“Every record I’ve made reflects where I am in life,” she added. “I really am who I am. What you see is what you get.”
-- Benjamin Kann
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO COUNTRY AT VAULT CONCERT STAGE AT LP FIELD
Female empowerment and the promise of a new crop of Country stars might have been the unintended Friday-night themes at the VAULT Concert Stage at LP Field, though in the end the experience boiled down to several hours of spectacular performances, pure and simple.
Bright green glow sticks swirled as the Alabama twang of Ashton Shepherd set a down-home tone as the opening act. Singing her recent single “Takin’ Off This Pain,” she bonded with the audience at the close of a hot day with her delight at having “a cold beer in my left hand,” earning her a warm reception at her CMA Music Festival debut.
Following Shepherd, the next entertainer strode confidently to the microphone and announced, “My name is Jack Ingram and I play Country Music.” His style and sound amount to a declaration of his intention to rock as loud and large as his home state of Texas.
The sun was setting as Ingram exited and Lady Antebellum came out to open their three-song set with the fun and feisty “Lookin’ for a Good Time,” a perfect summer anthem. Though the group released their first album less than two months before the Festival, fans throughout the stadium were singing every word along with Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott. Their recent smash single, “Love Don’t Live Here,” closed out their inaugural show on the big stage.
Two other relative newcomers to Country Music made strong imprints as well, with Julianne Hough exhibiting the dancing chops that had served her well on “Dancing with the Stars” while performing “That Song in My Head.” And Jake Owen established an intimate acoustic mood with a few songs that included his hit, “Yee Haw.”
The pace picked up with the thundering intro to “Gunpowder and Lead,” over which Miranda Lambert proclaimed, with characteristic bluntness, “Any man that beats up on a woman must be put to death.” As if to shatter any doubts about it, she then joined the jam on her guitar, bobbing her head furiously and jumping up and down to the beat.
Carrie Underwood approached the idea from a different angle. Wearing a bright orange top, shiny hoop earrings and white summer shorts, she demonstrated superlative vocal artistry and stage presence while performing some of her greatest hits, from the powerhouse ballad “So Small” to the more assertive “Last Name” and “Before He Cheats.”
Josh Tuner made a strong visual impression simply by walking into sight in a slim pearl button shirt, a tailored vest and jeans, all of which only enhanced the positive impact of his familiar dimples and distinctive bass vocals. Though he opened with two well-known tunes, the chart-topping “Would You Go with Me” and the haunting “Long Black Train,” he still reminded the audience to visit joshturner.com to “find all things Josh Turner … OK, well, maybe not all things Josh Turner.” As laughter subsided, he lowered the mood slightly with “Another Try,” his current single, which he’d recorded with Trisha Yearwood. Rounding out the set, Turner set sparks flying with his frisky fan favorite, “Firecracker.”
Near the end of the evening, Faith Hill roused the house through her combination of charisma and knock-‘em-dead vocals, marking her first CMA Music Festival appearance in 10 years. She opened with her first hit, “Wild One” and transitioned immediately into the roots-rich “Mississippi Girl.” Hill’s colorful set sparkled with unstoppable energy and love for life.
And then came the surprise guest of the evening, and with the sound of Keith Urban’s Australian accent bedlam broke out throughout the stadium. After thanking fans for staying late, he quickly performed a seven-song mini-concert, though even this generous performance was overshadowed by Urban’s
sudden leap from the stage and walk around LP Field to give the crowd an up-close, personal experience. And just when it seemed nothing could top that gesture, he closed the set by autographing and handing his guitar to an overwhelmed fan before making his exit.
-- Julee Cobb and Benjamin
Kann
WHY SLEEP? CMA FESTIVAL ROCKS AFTER HOURS PRESENTED BY CMT AND CMA SONGWRITERS SERIES AT HARD ROCK CAFE
Accommodations are comfortable throughout the Nashville area, but for swarms of CMA Festival goers, a shower and a turned-down bed aren’t enough to entice them away from the action that goes on even after the VAULT Concert Stage goes dark at LP Field.
The action was picking up along Lower Broadway after 11 PM. Crowds spilled from the doors of the clubs that were onboard with CMA Music Festival After Hours, presented by CMT.
Festival badges were evident in the foot traffic that filled sidewalks from First to Fifth Avenues. Street buskers vied with the din of more raucous, rockin’ Country that blasted from the open doors of Layla’s Bluegrass Inn, Rippy’s Smokin’ Bar & Grill, Robert’s Western World, Second Fiddle, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and all the other establishments identified by street or window signs as official After Hours participants.
Like all of these places, Legend’s Corner was packed from the front door all the way through the elevated area in the back. Still, the guy minding the door, dressed in a CMA After Hours T-shirt, somehow found room for more arrivals, many of whom made it onto the dance floor to show their stuff as the band tore through their versions of Garth Brooks’ “Fishin’ in the Dark,” Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” and other classics.
There were options as well for those who prefer partying to artists doing their own material. Such is the appeal of Whiskey Falls, whose appearance at 11:30 PM on the Hard Rock Outdoor Stage in Fun Zone drew a sizable and demonstrative turnout. The Hard Rock’s famous guitar sign, gleaming in blue, orange and yellow, turned slowly to the right of the stage, promising that the night was still young; beyond it, the Shelby Street Bridge glowed more romantically in white over the Cumberland waters and beneath the star-sparkled sky.
As the band broke into lustrous four-part harmony on “Falling Into You,” Gary Turner explained why CMA Music Festival is as essential an experience for Nashville-area folks as it is for fans drawn from far away. With his wife Laura nodding in agreement, the Hendersonville, Tenn., resident noted that “the level of entertainment at the Festival is phenomenal. Performers are here because they want to be here. They’re here for the fans.”
And tonight, the Turners were here for their favorite band, Whiskey Falls. “We actually rushed over here after Keith Urban had finished his first song at LP Field,” he said, laughing, shaking his head – and proving that fan loyalty can be just as impressive as artist performances at CMA Music Festival.
After their performance, fans entered the Hard Rock Cafe to hear the stories behind the songs at CMA Songwriters Series.
-- Bob Doerschuk
