Sunday at CMA Music Festival
June 8, 2008
2009 CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL: THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS
Sunday morning, some CMA Music Festival visitors slept in just a little bit. But the ones at the Sommet Center box office were wide awake and focused on their first mission of the day, which was to get their tickets for next year’s Festival.
They’d actually gone on sale the previous day, with lines forming before the place opened for business at 9:30 AM. According to one staff member who had returned to work on Sunday, those lines stayed long on Saturday until closing at 6 PM. Though she couldn’t confirm the number of sales made on that first day, she did confirm that next year’s Gold Circle seats were already sold out and describe sales in general as “impressive.”
Georgette Demers was impressed too. The Ottawa, Ontario native beamed with pleasure as she left one of the Sommet Center’s teller windows with four-day tickets for ’09 in her gleefully clenched right hand.
“Hey, man,” she whispered, barely keeping her voice down. “I got ’em. That’s pretty darn good.”
Demers, who has attended every CMA Music Festival since 1991, was easy to spot as a Country Music fan, thanks to her black jump suit emblazoned with Little Big Town insignia.
“And look,” she said, pointing to a cluster of signatures in white on her left sleeve. “They signed it too. The stars make themselves so accessible at CMA Music Festival. There’s no other festival like it.”
Then, tickets in hand, Demers rushed off for the last day’s activities, calling “See you in 2009.”
-- Bob Doerschuk
FIRST-TIMERS AND FAN FAVORITES DRAW CROWDS AT TRUTV FAN FAIR HALL
On the last day of CMA Music Festival, the truTV Fan Fair Hall remained a favorite place to meet and mingle with the stars or rendezvous for lunch in the air-conditioned ambience of Mary Kay Presents Acoustic Corner.
Even as the frenzies of the previous days began to wind down, lines formed on Sunday morning for CMT host Katie Cook, The Drew Davis Band, The Grascals, “CMT Top 20 Countdown” host Lance Smith, Phil Stacy, Aaron Tippin, Two Foot Fred, Chuck Wicks and Chris Young.
But newer artists were making impressions too. For several years, Steven Clawson has worked the honky-tonks of Lower Broadway, often doing shifts at 10 PM on Tuesday nights – not the best time for a young talent to draw exposure. Yet with a debut album in the works and ripples of interest from a major player or two in the music industry, he committed to having his first Festival booth this year.
“It’s been crazy,” he said. “Actually, it’s been a lot of fun.”
With scores or hundreds of fans rushing after autographs from better-known performers, the more sedate scene around Clawson’s booth might seem a little discouraging. Not to Clawson, though: “People do come over, even though they don’t know me yet. Maybe it’s because my line is so short,” he added, laughing.
At that moment, two women came curiously forward. Clawson chatted with them and ventured that, from their accents, they must be from New York.
“New York?” they said, laughing. And then one corrected, “No, we’re from New Jersey.”
“Well,” Clawson replied, smiling warmly, “maybe we just haven’t talked enough.”
Seconds later, he had signed their shirts, posed for a picture – and a few more onlookers were getting in line to introduce themselves to the handsome young artist too.
- Bob Doerschuk and Tawney Milam
YEE-HAWS BOOKEND THE ACTION AT NEW HOLLAND / MICHAEL PETERSON CELEBRITY TRACTOR RACE
The rumble and roar of the New Holland / Michael Peterson Celebrity Tractor Race drew fans late on Sunday morning to the Chevy Sports Zone.
“Y’all make some noise,” shouted Michael Peterson as onlookers hollered and cheered. “If you love Country Music, let me hear you say yee-haw.”
The artist/host had no trouble keeping fans focused on the action, which pitted artists and other notables against one another in a test of their tractor-handling mettle.
Participants included “GAC Nights” host Suzanne Alexander, Tennessee Titans kicker Rob Bironas, Billy Block of Western Beat Entertainment and host of “The Billy Block Show,” Mark Collie, Tennessee Titans quarterback Kerry Collins, Robert Reynolds and Michael Roos, CMT “Can You Duet” contestants Joey and Rory Feek, Jimmy Fortune, Greg Hanna, National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe, session keyboard legend Chuck Leavell, National Guardsman and songwriter Darby Ledbetter, Zane Lewis, Country Music historian Robert Oermann, Tennessee Titans linebacker Robert Reynolds, Danny Rivera of Rio Grande, Ray Scott, Keni Thomas, GAC and XM Satellite radio personality Storme Warren and Billy Yates.
Each contestant was required to drive a bright blue New Holland T2310 tractor in a parking lot beneath a huge canvas tent. There was a catch, though: They had to maneuver between a course of bright orange cones without trampling on or knocking any of them down. If found to be driving carelessly, a contestant would have 10 seconds added to the time in which he or she finished the course.
The tractor would then be autographed by each participant and auctioned, with half of the proceeds going to a charity of the winner’s choice and the rest to the National FFA (Future Farmers of America).
Throughout the contest, spectators rooted for their favorites as they made two complete passes in and out of the cone maze. Toward the end, Peterson even invited a member of the audience to drive the T2310 through the course. When Ralph D. Ermer of Salem, N.H. accepted the invitation, his performance elicited even louder applause from his fellow fans.
“I enjoyed the excitement of riding the tractor,” said Ermer, with a wide grin. “It was a good rush.”
After short deliberations, the judges declared Darby Ledbetter the winner, with a final time of 47 seconds.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I think it’s pretty incredible that a young man in uniform that loves Country Music won this trophy,” said Peterson. And then, after the last round of applause subsided, he added, “On the count of one … two … three, give me a big goodbye with another yee-haw.”
Echoes of that farewell yell just may reverberate through Downtown Nashville all the way through 2009 CMA Music Festival.
-- Benjamin Kann
THE SMELL OF SUCCESS SWIRLS THROUGH CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL BBQ CHAMPIONSHIP
Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Indiana: Attendees from far and wide gathered at the Chevy Sports Zone, as if lured from their home states by the amazing aromas that permeated the CMA Music Festival BBQ Championship.
Contestants having cooked at their grills through Saturday night and Sunday morning, judges and spectators alike salivated over the prospects of picking the category (brisket, chicken, pork and ribs) and overall winners. Each submission was rated by appearance, taste and tenderness, with taste being given the highest priority.
Judges deliberated at folding tables over trays that each contained samples from six contestants. Their approach was to remove six samples and place each one in a square drawn onto a large sheet of laminated paper, with the squares individually numbered to correspond to the chef who had concocted that sample. Verdicts were rendered on slips, which were provided along with the laminated paper by the Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS), which sanctioned the event. Between each delivery of six samples, the judges cleared their palettes with parsley, crackers and water.
All of these arbiters had been trained and certified, with the exception of Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and CMA Music Festival Executive Producer Tony Conway, President/CEO of Buddy Lee Attractions. The Mayor, who favored the pork submissions, declared at one point, “I love barbecue. This isn’t work at all.” No political opponent would challenge the veracity of Dean’s statement.
As deliberations began, contestants gathered under the Chevy Sports Zone’s white canopy, where they each received a CMA Music Festival apron and waited with their families for the results. Announcements began with a reading of the names of the 10 finalists in all four categories, each of whom received a medal and a cash prize ranging from $100 to $750.
The team winners by category were: Jiggy Pig for chicken, Big River BBQ for ribs, Butt Rub for pork and Firehouse BBQ for brisket. Lotta Bull, a team from Marietta, Okla., won the grand prize, which included a gold plaque, a $2,500 cash award, and two tickets, hotel accommodations and after-party
access to the CMA Awards in November.
-- Claire Carville
WYNONNA PUSHES THE VIRTUAL ENVELOPE AT FAN FAIR HALL
“This booth encourages fans to go to Wynonna’s Web site, join her mobile list and utilize the opportunity to learn more about her upcoming album,” said “Darling,” a pseudonymous marketing representative for echo, the online business community that builds Websites for recording artist fan clubs.
Wynonna’s WyFi Café booth in the truTV Fan Fair Hall was encouraging her fans to connect with the superstar either by participating in her online site or enlisting as a member of her mobile phone club for contests, the latest updates and a chance to hear new music. Staffed by echo representatives, the booth was stocked with laptop computers and arranged before a backdrop that reflected the feel of a metropolitan Internet café.
Throughout the Festival, fans were accepting the opportunity here to participate in the artist’s “Velvet Rope Contest.” To qualify, this required texting “WYCMA” moments before her appearance to sign autographs Friday, June 6. The 10 lucky participants who received a winning text were then given a chance to spend quality time with Wynonna before the autograph session began.
“As soon as one fan received a text response that she had won, she began to cry,” noted “Blake,” another echo rep. “That is how powerful Wynonna is.”
-- Benjamin Kann
MUSIC CITY WELCOMES NEW RISING STAR
For three days, young singers had vied in CMA Music Festival in the Music City Rising Star Youth Vocal Competition for places of honor among the most talented young Country singers on the scene.
The rehearsing, the warming up, the performances themselves were all behind them as the contestants and their families gathered at Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon for a tasty Sunday brunch and the results of their efforts.
Linda Davis stopped by to share professional advice with the young aspirants. She recommended that they each keep a journal and use it as a channel into which to release their thoughts and emotions and record their stories. Davis also suggested that the singers learn to play an instrument – “It’s nice to be self-sufficient,” she noted – and to work hard and never give up.
Ron Simmons, Executive Director of Music Tours Unlimited, then explained his company’s concept and approach to organizing the Music City Rising Star Youth Vocal Competition event. He also observed that several applicants from the inaugural contest at the Festival had returned for this year’s running. “It’s the ultimate compliment when kids come back the next year,” Simmons added.
Winners of fifth- through first-place awards were announced for each age group between ages 12 and 18. The winners received shiny trophies that bore their names. Victors were also crowned in categories for Outstanding Vocal Technique, Outstanding Showmanship and Outstanding Original Performance.
The identity of the overall Music City Rising Star was kept secret, however, until later in the afternoon at the Greased Lightning Riverfront Concert Stages, when the honor was announced officially as Jernie Tallas, from Fort Pierce, Fla. She made her way after that to the McDonald’s–Dr Pepper Family Zone to sing her version of Martina McBride’s “Broken Wing.” Amazed by the 14-year-old’s powerful pipes, the crowd burst into thunderous applause.
Next stop, according to Tallas? Nothing less than an audition for “American Idol” in a few years and an entertainment career after that.
-- Julee Cobb
CHEVY STAGE SERVES TEX-MEX SONIC FEAST
“I believe that we need to keep the Tejano music alive,” said Kathie Sanchez, a dedicated fan from the heart of Texas.
That music was the dominant flavor during a 45-minute set of the Chevy Plaza concerts Sunday afternoon that began with Augie Meyers. A legend in Tex-Mex music, with credentials stretching back more than 40 years to his early days with Doug Sahm, he seemed to embrace listeners with the laid-back feel of San Antonio and Austin simply by asking, “Do we have any Texans in the house this afternoon?”
In remembrance of Freddy Fender, Meyers then performed his smash hit, “Before the Last Teardrop Falls.” As the last notes sounded, people throughout the Plaza raised their water bottles in tribute to the late singer.
As the afternoon wound down, the band La Familia opened with an assertive and embracing “America the Beautiful” and continued to blur generic lines with their positive presentation and Countrified Tejano.
The evening – and the Chevy Stage series for 2008 CMA Music Festival – came to a close with a Grand Finale Tex-Mex jam, spiced by bongos, searing trumpet and a dash or two of hot sauce.
-- Benjamin Kann
CANINES SOAR TO NEW HEIGHTS AT DOCKDOGS CELEBRITY CHALLENGE PRESENTED BY OUTDOOR CHANNEL
With “Who Let the Dogs Out” rocking in the background, the DockDogs Celebrity Challenge Presented by Outdoor Channel was off with a splash on Sunday afternoon.
CMA Music Festival attendees had already made the DockDogs pool a favorite place for repeat visits over the three previous days. With dogs sprinting down a 40-foot runway and leaping into a 40-foot pool in pursuit of a toy hurled by their trainers, the best seat in the house on a steamy afternoon was about midway along the length of the pool, from which explosions of water were frequent on canine contact.
The concept of the Celebrity Challenge was simple: The trainers yielded their responsibility to Katie Cook, host of “CMT Insider,” Mark Wills, and other artists and media personalities.
Onlookers were dazzled as well as doused by the dogs’ antics and amazing leaps. After two rounds, three finalists were singled out and presented with medals. Coming in third place was Cheyenne, partnered with Keith Burns from Trick Pony, with a leap of 19 feet 11 inches. Second place belonged to Big Bad Bo, partnered with Outdoor Channel Host Tiffany Lakosky of “Scentlok’s Gettin’ Close with Lee and Tiffany”, who achieved a distance of 20 feet 5 inches. The winner was Quasi, whom Mike Pawlawski, host of “Familiar Waters” on the Outdoor Channel inspired to a jump of 23 feet 1 inch.
After an interlude to allow for panting and fur shaking, the DockDogs Competitions Finals Presented by Outdoor Channel began as the final four contenders, having survived the preliminary rounds throughout the previous days at CMA Festival, vied for the title of Music City Champion as well as a coveted spot in the World DockDogs Competition.
The final scores found the finalists separated by mere inches. Quasi made it 22 feet 10 inches into the pool and Big Bad Bo recorded a score of 23 feet 2 inches. However, the field narrowed to two as Air Force Major leaped 23 feet 7 inches and Wiley scored with an even 24 feet.
In their showdown confrontation, Wiley won by a nose, with a score of 23 feet 5 inches that topped Air Force Major by four inches.
-- Tawney Milam
A LEGEND AND TOMORROW’S STARS WRAP UP GREASED LIGHTNING RIVERFRONT STAGES
The Riverfront Grand Finale, held late Sunday afternoon at the Greased Lightning Riverfront Daytime Stages, offered a grand beginning as well, with a standout performance by Raul Malo. Punched up by trumpet and saxophone, his band laid down an unstoppable dance-inducing groove.
“American Idol” and “Gone Country” alumna Diana Degarmo then introduced Rissi Palmer, who sparked cheers from the ladies in attendance by launching into “Country Girl.” She was equally persuasive as she belted out the next tune, “No Air,” with the sun glinting brilliantly in her oversized sunglasses.
The crowd danced or sprawled on towels to catch some of the later rays of the day throughout a performance by T. Graham Brown, who drew heavily from the well of Memphis R&B.
“Not just a band, but a way of life,” was how Degarmo described the next act, LoCash Cowboys. The duo opened with a song with a version of Big & Rich’s “Loud,” whose lyrical hook – “we like it loud” – prompted widespread agreement from the crowd. Their energetic disposition, marked by running from corner to corner on the stage, made them a particular crowd favorite.
Other performers during this last Riverfront Stages show of 2008 included Cowboy Crush, Josh Gracin and Greg Hanna.
-- Claire Carville
LIGHTS OUT ALONG THE CUMBERLAND
The last few hours of 2008 CMA Music Festival began with a cooling breeze blowing across the VAULT Concert Stages at LP Field as Chuck Wicks made his entrance. Signs reading “Dad says you can steal me” and “I’ll be your Cinderella” rose through the audience as the sky darkened above the stadium lights.
“At this time last year, I was watching CMA Music Festival from way up there,” Wicks said, pointing toward the highest seats. “It means so much to be here – thank you.”
Highlights of the evening included the newly engaged Sara Evans joyfully introducing her fiancé, Jay Barker, to the audience, and Billy Ray Cyrus performing the affectionate “Ready, Steady, Don’t Go” as a tribute to his daughter Miley.
After finishing that song, Cyrus took a moment to speak from the heart. “It means so much to me to hear you sing along,” he said. “To me, that’s what Country Music is all about.”
Other performers included acoustic performances by James Otto, Australian sensation John Stephan, Phil Stacey, Bucky Covington doing perhaps the most unexpected cover of the Festival with Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall,” and a warm return to old-school traditional Country with Randy Travis.
But an historically significant moment came with a closing set from Dwight Yoakam, returning for his first CMA Music Festival performance in 20 years. Instantly recognizable in blue denim with face shaded by his cowboy hat, Yoakam’s silhouette alone, with guitar held high against his left ear, was enough to provoke screams of recognition from the crowd. His set included a thrilling Bakersfield-style arrangement of “Ring of Fire” and a tongue-in-cheek tip of the brim to Music City with “Nashville Cats.”
The closing tune, though, was an appropriate benediction to four days of celebrating the spirit and sound of Country Music, as he wrung every shade of meaning from the sweet, sad melody and lyric to Buck Owens’ “Close Up the Honky Tonks,” planting a great tune in everyone’s
ear as they began their journeys to CMA Music Festival Hours and then home.
-- Bob Doerschuk and Brenna Mader
