In collaboration with guest correspondent Edward James
This past week found no shortage of free country music concerts in Nashville when the annual CMA Fest descended upon the streets of downtown. But even before the 4 day event, which started Thursday, June 6, and ran through Sunday, June 9, fans were treated to intimate shows from their favorite artists. And for a packed crowd at Marathon Music Works, the fun started Monday night when the ladies took over, all thanks to our friends at Pandora!
Maren Morris, Lindsay Ell, and Tenille Townes are some of the hottest females slaying tours all across the country right now. Maren’s new album, GIRL, recently broke records when it became the largest ever debut streaming week for a country album by a woman. Her 484 million + streams on Pandora added fuel to the fire for the superstar. Her most recent collaboration with icons Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks, “Prove You Wrong” debuted on national TV at the CMT Awards Wednesday night and should keep her in high demand for quite some time! And speaking of high demand, Lindsay Ell is no longer Canada’s little secret! Her guitar slayings and mix of rock, blues, and R&B into her country sound have thrown her into the limelight on tours with Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Sugarland, and more. Her song, “Criminal”, produced by Kristian Bush, became her first U.S. Top 20 and it hit #1 in Canada as the first in that slot by a solo female in over a decade. Lindsay’s multiple CMA Fest appearances throughout the week included Riverfront and Ascend stages, and a spot over at Nissan Stadium when she and Brantley Gilbert performed “What Happens in a Small Town”. It’s no surprise that her lifetime streams on Pandora are now up to 47.6 million! And at the rate Tenille Townes is going, it sure won’t take long for her numbers to get there-they’re already over 5 million in case you’re wondering. Between the intense and much needed storytelling of her fast climbing single, “Somebody’s Daughter” and her opening spot on last year’s Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town tours, this firecracker is taking country music by storm! Dierks Bentley definitely seems to think so, as he put her on his current tour and brought her out Saturday night to Nissan Stadium.
But a record setting number of lucky fans didn’t have to wait til the CMT Awards or actual CMA kickoff to see their girls! They were treated to an up close and personal time with all three ladies at the Pandora LIVE show—FOR FREE–as a thank you for being loyal PANDORA listeners! And in a time where female empowerment is as necessary as ever, the call to SHINE was answered with sparkles and halos!
Country music fan and Country Note guest correspondent for the evening Edward James had this to say about his epic start to the week:
“A Monday with Pandora is always a tradition of mine and this year sure didn’t disappoint with an all-star, all female lineup that had the packed house at Marathon loving every second of the show. Kicking things off, Tenille Townes got us going with her soulful melodies and catchy lyrics with songs like “White Horse” and “Somebody’s Daughter”. Next on the lineup was country music guitar goddess Lindsay Ell. Not only does she kill it on guitar, but her songs and lyrics are relatable, making it easy for the crowd to sing along too. “Criminal” and “Good” had everybody mouthing the words and her cover of “Signed, Sealed, Delivere” brought the house down. Closing the show out was one of the top females on country radio, Miss Maren Morris. Everything about Maren’s performance was stellar. From the soulful slow ballad “Hell and Back” to the up tempo, “All My Favorite People” where she brought hunky hubby Ryan Hurd out, her set was top notch. The energy Maren exudes on stage is definitely fueled by her fans and while Maren admitted to not feeling the best, her fans clearly gave their all as did Morris herself. And side note: red is definitely her COLOR as evidenced by a strapless, red one piece pant suit and dramatic eyeshadow! YES, QUEEN! What an amazing evening of Girl Power at Marathon Music. If you missed this year’s event, make sure you attend next one. It’s one we never miss!”
And when we are at a PANDORA event, we also never miss the giveaways and goodies that come when you stop by a vendor booth. Thanks to sponsors like Baskin-Robbins®, Burt’s Bees®, Cremo®, Shipt, Spindrift® sparkling water, The Krystal Company, Twisted Tea Hard Iced Tea and USAA, listeners were well taken care of!
And for the fans that couldn’t be in town the night of the show, they still had the chance to listen to Maren’s set. That’s because SiriusXM broadcast it live on The Highway channel at 10 pm ET, making it the first PANDORA LIVE event to broadcast on SiriusXM since they acquired the rights to Pandora earlier in the year.
All of that to say this: These ladies command the stage every time. They energize. They captivate. And at the end of the night, they leave it all out there-no secrets, no pretention, no walls. Just a group of strong and talented women chasing the dream, living the hustle and supporting the incredible teams around them. Because more than anything, they relate. Not only do they deal with the day in, day out Music Row politics centering around a woman’s place in country music, but all three will tell you that more often than not, they have been that “fan” and that “dreamer” and that “listener” in the audience. They know what it’s like to watch their idols take the stage, hoping somebody it’ll be their turn. Monday night, it was.
And if we had to guess, this is only the beginning of women led shows. There has been an anthem going around town for a while now of “Let the Girls Play.” Pandora sure doesn’t seem to have a problem with it. The hope is that this show will send a loud and clear message to the entire music community. The women in Music City are here to kick tail and take names. Nobody’s hangin’ their head low or losin’ their halo anytime soon. . .. not if Pandora has anything to say about it!
Check out some photos from the event below: