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Country's Crown Jewel
Hailed by USA Today as “the crown jewel of country music festivals,” Nashville’s annual CMA Music Festival stands alone among events of its kind. The four-day extravaganza is dedicated to celebrating the unique bonds between country music artists and their fans, and if that’s not cause enough, the Country Music Association donates half the net proceeds from the event to support music education in Metro Nashville Public Schools with the Keep the Music Playing program.
It’s all for a great cause, and just as important, it’s all for a great time. Ask country rocker Bo Bice, who provided breakfast, signed autographs, and performed a free miniconcert during a midmorning “fan appreciation” party at last year’s fest. “This is an absolute gas,” Bice marvels. “For four days, I get to meet and hang out with the people who make my career possible — my fans, people in the business, everybody — and do all sorts of things when I’m not performing.” In those off hours, he could even be found shooting a bow and arrow at the Sportsman Challenge booth.
EnlargeNow in its 40th year, the CMA Music Festival never fails to showcase the big talents of country music, and 2011’s shindig — scheduled for June 9 to 12 in downtown Nashville — is no different. Among the headliners confirmed for the nightly concerts at LP Field are Blake Shelton, Lady Antebellum, Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker, Keith Urban, and the reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year and Grammy winner, Miranda Lambert.
The impressive lineup is all the more remarkable when you consider that every artist on every stage participates for free. They’re happy to help support CMA’s music education program. And they’re happier yet to get up close and personal with the fans.
Rodney Atkins echoed that sentiment during his festival get-together last year: “I think this is why people usually have much longer careers in country music than they might in other kinds of music — because you establish close relationships with your fans. And that’s why people come to an event like the CMA Music Festival. It’s an opportunity to visit all these different artists that they feel close to being family with. It’s just a little more personal than it might be in other kinds of music. Country music fans are the greatest fans in the world.”
Originally established in 1972 as “Fan Fair,” the CMA Music Festival now attracts 65,000 fans per day from all 50 states and 26 nations. On a typical day you can wake up early to attend a “fan appreciation”; wander among various downtown Nashville venues sampling free outdoor performances by the likes of The Judds, Gretchen Wilson, Jack Ingram, Mark Chesnutt, and Patty Loveless; and shuttle-bus over to the Nashville Convention Center for a long stroll through the Greased Lightning Fan Fair Hall, where chart-topping stars, venerated veterans, and up-and-comers appear at exhibitor booths to sign autographs and pose for photos. Then top off your evening with an all-star concert over at LP Field, where the Sunday closing-night bill for 2010 included Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Trace Adkins, Blake Shelton, and Kellie Pickler.
How is it that the CMA Music Festival got to be the crown jewel of country music festivals? It all comes down to the music itself, the people who make it, and the fans who love it. “Country music is very real and relatable,” Lambert says. “There’s something very special about the bond between country music artists and country music fans. That’s what the CMA Music Festival is all about.”
For ticket information and updated concert lineups for the 2011 CMA Music Festival, check out www.cmafest.com.
