18 Jun, 2010
CMA Music Festival A Real Treat for Country Music Fans
Some thoughts on the recent CMA Music Festival: http://www.cmafest.com/
What a fantastic event for country music fans! I highly recommend this pilgrimmage to anyone the least bit a country music fan.
If you couldn't make it down this year, ABC will be running a special on September 1, "CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock."
I am a pretty casual, latecomer to country music having been introduced to it by coworkers in Austin, TX and the annual precursor to the Austin City Limits Music festival. I still remember riding with coworker from Austin to Dallas on business listening to country radio following the rule that he who drives chooses the radio station.
I can't think of another genre or industry that treats its fans so well. In a time where almost every fandom event is increasingly commercial ($100+ for an autograph or picture, really?), the only other event I can think of is the annual San Diego Comic-con but only a few of the artists/stars there are as acceible as the country music artists at the CMA Music Festival.
I heard a lot of complaints from CMA oldtimers of the autograph tickets system that has people waiting at the Fan Fair hours before open. I think that is just the natural result of their success in drawing in increased crowds. Better use the time before the event opens than force people to wait in lines with no guarantee to get an autograph during the actual event.
As for the concerts, they are outstanding. I might want to see the evening headliners perform more than 25 minute sets, but getting to see all the headliners as opposed to having to choose from multiple venues led to many great discoveries, as did just hanging out at a stage during the day. The photo line is an awesome idea, but with the incredibly quick set changes at CMA, it required choosing between seeing more of the concert or getting better pictures.
I also appreciate being able to bring in non-tripod mounted semi-pro camera equipment unlike many music festivals for some bizarre reason...
Oh God, how I love Blue Bell ice cream and their never ending free ice cream cups! I only wish I could buy their product in Seattle...
As for my favorite artists from this year:
- Taylor Swift is a real trooper. Holy smokes a 14.5 hour meet and greet. That's a lot of chatting, hugging, signing, and picture mugging. Great acoustic set in the middle as well. This showed major love for her fans.
- Martina McBride brought the house down with her LP Field performance. Dang, I only have her greatest hits album, I'll be buying the rest of her catalog after this.
- Tim McGraw was also his usual outstanding self both at his autograph signing at Fan Fair and at LP Field
- The Band Perry that I never heard of was super charming all around at the Opry In The Know Show. I haven't seen such an upbeat, chipper performance in years. I only wish theuy had full albums. http://www.thebandperry.com/
- Jordyn Shellhart also at the Opry In The Know Show shows great promise as a super cute, poised 16yr old singer-songwriter. Not as polished as a Taylor Swift, but you have to love a 16yr old singing about watching CNN and social responsibility in her song "My Generation." http://www.jordynshellhart.com/
I also have to give a shout out to the Music City Hostel as a great place to stay and hangout in Nashville. People there are incredibly nice and it is a great place to hang with fellow travellers from around the world.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/music-city-hostel-nashville
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