Four days for the June festival broke records;
2020 passes on sale now!
Contributions by Lindsey Sipe and Janeen Megloranzo
Another summer has almost come and gone and for country music fans, that means festival season will soon give way to football games and bonfires. While fans have been racking in the road miles and air points all summer long around the world to see their favorite artists, one summer tradition always brings the stages home to Music City! Eleven official stages this year to be exact, spread out throughout the immediate downtown area, including a few inside the Music City Convention Center. Over 300 artists graciously donated their time, many making multiple appearances throughout the four day event held June 6-9, 2019, to meet with excited fans, sign autographs, take pictures, and of course, play music. The money raised goes directly back into the community and music programs all throughout the country to support and further music education. This is done through the highly respected organization, the CMA Foundation.
What began as a fun spring fling of sorts in 1972 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium now continues to break attendance records year after year, inviting hundreds of thousands of fans from all 50 states, and 36 international countries to descend upon Lower Broad for the biggest party of the year. And even though some locals still call it FanFair after the days spent out at the Fairgrounds in the 80s and 90s, its name was officially changed in 2004 to CMA Fest.
During the day, music lovers can easily travel from stage to stage to see roughly 25 minute blocks of rising artists, chart toppers, and legends. WARNING for next year though: download the CMA app. It breaks down all of the artists, the stages, and the times so you can plan your day in advance. Also, it’s great resource for information, including special rules on bags, weather updates, and pop up shows.
Alright—getting back to the stages. Owning its third year like a true champ, the Budweiser Forever Country stage on the backend of the Ascend Amphitheatre features classic artists belting out their 80s and 90s mega hits. Lorrie Morgan, Pam Tillis, Deanna Carter, Shenandoah, Mark Wills, and Joe Diffie are just a few who brought a sense of nostalgia and even a few new tunes for die hard fans this past June. Duos like Thompson Square and Halfway to Hazard spiced things up on that same stage before Hollywood came calling with actors turned singers Kiefer Sutherland and Charles Esten. Some entertainers like Neal McCoy and Darryl Worley were even gracious enough to greet fans at the side gate afterwards, signing tshirts and memorabilia and carrying on conversation like they were old friends. Because in a way, they are. Perhaps that’s why it’s so easy for Tracy Lawrence to host his “Tracy Lawrence and Friends” spot at that stage, welcoming buddies like Tim Rushlow, Adam Sanders, Jeannie Sealy, and T Graham Brown.
From the Forever Stage, one can easily walk down First Avenue over to Riverfront Stage, otherwise known as the party on the barge. The biggest daytime stage by far, Riverfront is designed with steps and levels and huge screens on either side, so there’s not a bad seat. Rising acts like Ashley McBryde, Ryan Hurd and Jimmie Allen played there for the first time, while returning favorites Carly Pearce, Craig Campbell, Locash, and Lee Brice had the audience singing every word of their biggest radio singles (and even some album cuts). After a jaw dropping Riverfront show, fans could take a little break from the music and wander the streets of downtown. Perhaps they stopped at a food truck or headed off to buy some boots or tank tops, featuring “southern slang” like “Swaller and Holler.” There is a never a dull moment on the streets, as there are plenty of vendors and sponsors with games, prizes, and merch! And when fans needed a break from heat (or the rain this year), they walked right in (okay, they stood in line first—then they walked in) to Blake Shelton’s Ole Red, which got converted into the Spotify House. Performances from Hunter Hayes, Hardy, and Devin Dawson brought the multi-level bar down. Chris Young and Lauren Alaina even surprised everybody with their new single, “Town Ain’t Big Enough.” Of course, if the line was too long, you could always check out any of the other bars along Broadway, bustling with food, drinks, and music like they do everyday. They just catered to about 200,000 extra is all. 😉
Continuing up Broadway from the River, you could take one of two paths to find the next stages. Take a left on 4th or go up to 5th. Either way, rising artists and big names alike were there to await you. On 4th, the HGTV Lodge returned but with a bit of a make-over as host Suzanne Alexander was joined by some members of TV royalty. Brady Bunch cast-mates Barry Williams (Greg), Maureen McCormick (Marcia), Christopher Knight (Peter), Eve Plumb (Jan) and Susan Olsen (Cindy) were on hand to promote A Very Brady Renovation, HGTV’s highly anticipated series that will show a full-scale overhaul (inside and out!) of the world-famous Brady Bunch house in Los Angeles to look like the iconic home from the TV Show (the TV siblings are quite the country fans as well!) The schedule of intimate performances featured Old Dominion, Charlie Worsham, Chris Young, Rita Wilson, Scotty McCreery and more. If you are lucky enough to win a spot in there (or are willing to stand in the hopeful line) next year, just know that it’s a small, temporary, indoor space and be prepared to make good friends with the person next to you. If you wanted to stay outside, you could opt for the Maui Jim Broadway Stage at Bridgestone Plaza. Lots of room and lots of great up and comers. The Sisterhood, Levi Hummon, Ray Fulcher, Jay Allen, Lainey Wilson, Stephanie Quayle, and Fairground Saints performed for their dedicated fans and made lots of new ones. Just inside the doors lies the Nashville Convention Visitors Center, which features an intimate, acoustic stage for a small audience. If you live in Nashville, you will recognize many of the artists who graced that stage, as they are eagerly working the regional circuits. It won’t be long at all before Erin Enderlin, Aaron Goodvin, Tony Jackson, and Tiera work their way down to Riverfront—that much we can tell you.
Exhausted just thinking about CMA already? We’ve got more stages! Keep walking down 4th (or 5th) toward the Country Music Hall of Fame and you will run into the Chevy Breakout Stage, right next to the Music City Walk of Fame. The ladies ruled that stage for sure as Jillian Jacqueline, Tenille Townes, Rachel Wammack, Clare Dunn, and Kassi Ashton left their boots, their hearts, and their massive talents on that platform. Of course, rising acts Adam Doleac, Cale Dodds, Smithfield, Austin Jenckes, Drew Baldridge, Waterloo Revival, James Barker Band and Travis Denning also proved why they are some of the best young acts we lay claim too. And the best thing about this stage? The covered VIP area, the water stations, the proximity to food trucks along 5th. . . .and the phone charging stations.
Of course, if the heat really does get to you, The Music City Center is just a few feet over and has its own party going on up the escalators. The flashes are lighting. The sharpies are writing. And the vendors are selling inside these four walls. And the music? Well, it’s playing of course. Between the Radio Disney Country Stage and the Close Up stage—take your pick. Savannah Keyes, Caylee Hammack, Tegan Marie, JD Shelburne, JoLivi, spent time talking with fans and playing some tunes on those risers. And for those that wanted to sit down, relax, and hear some intriguing once in a lifetime conversation, the Spotlight Stage was the place to be. Trisha Yearwood and Friends sat down for girl talk, LOCASH got real with brotherly love, and 2019 Country Music Hall of Famer Ray Stevens chatted with Peter Cooper. A special discussion was also held with Randy and Mary Travis and Ken Abraham, who assisted not only Travis with his recent memoir, but many artists over the years when it comes to writing their autobiographies.
Okay. . . .now you are allowed to be exhausted from taking all of that in. If you have actually been to CMA Fest, you get bonus points because you know how overwhelming and yet amazing it can be. And that’s only the daytime. That doesn’t include the nightly shows at Nissan and Ascend. For the second year in a row, Ascend Ampitheatre hosted nightly performances for those who didn’t go to Ascend. This year’s sponsor was Firestone Tires. Broken Bow Records had the first night which meant artists like Runaway June, Adam Craig, Lindsay Ell, and King Calaway were on deck. Universal took over Friday night’s slot, with acts like Jordan Davis, Mitchell Tenpenny, and Brett Young. And Warner rounded out Saturday night with Ashley McBryde, Hunter Hayes, and Cody Johnson.
If you were one of the lucky ones who got to go to Nissan Stadium, then you saw country’s biggest artists, all sharing one massive stage, night after night. And you also witnessed some of the coolest collaborations country music has ever offered. Lil Nas X was joined by Billy Ray Cyrus and Keith Urban; Kelsea Ballerini hung out with The Chainsmokers, and Brothers Osborne teamed up with Brooks and Dunn. Not to mention Maren Morris and Brandi Carlile waved “The Highwomen” flag loud and proud and rocker goddess Joan Jett collided worlds with country Queen Carrie Underwood. Rascal Flatts, Dan and Shay, Kane Brown, Little Big Town, Chris Janson, and more also rocked the Titans home for those four nights in June. And for those that missed it, ABC caught the highlights and aired them during a 3 hour special simply called “CMA FEST.” Hosted by Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini with guest host Bobby Bones, the show takes fans on a journey with clips from the live performances as well as behind the scenes footage, not seen anywhere else. 2019 marks the 16th consecutive year of the airing, a feat no other music festival has achieved.
Did you get the chance to attend the record breaking 2019 CMA Fest? What was your favorite performance? We want to know! Share your pics on socials and tag @thecountrynote so we can see them! And if you didn’t get to come in years past, make plans for 2020 now!!! And hurry! Four day passes just went on sale this past Friday, August 2nd, and they will sell out—we are warning you now! You can visit CMAfest.com for more info on the passes.
To see our collection of photos from that crazy week in June, click here! See ya next year friends!