Stars Kick Off 2015 CMAFest

The first day of CMA Music Fest is over, and the stars were out in full force.  Gary Allan was the first artist to play the Riverfront Stage, kicking off a full day of music.  Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum were at the brand new Music City Center, announcing special charity events.  Gary Allan was the first artist to play the Riverfront Stage, kicking off a full day of music.  The day ended with Alan Jackson, Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flatts, Sam Hunt, Florida Georgia Line, and Jason Aldean at LP Field.

Several stars dropped by the media center, including Tyler & Brian of Florida Georgia Line.  “I think CMA week there’s a great energy in town.  It’s crazy!  This week is like no other.  Those are the most passionate fans in the world who are here this week.  To see 70,000 of them in a stadium together is on another level.  It’s a really cool week for us.

Alan Jackson has been coming every year since he got started in 1989.  “It’s evolved tremendously since when I first started, when it was Fan Fair out at the old fairgrounds, signing autographs in the hot buildings, but the fans are the same, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Has a fan said something that surprised you? Oh yeah, I’ve had them mention an album cut that I can hardly remember.  I’ve cut several hundred songs, even some I’ve written I’ve forgotten that I haven’t sung recently.  So they can ask me about a song I’ve completely forgotten about.”

Do the fans ever give you gifts? Oh yeah, just yesterday I got home from out of town, and there was this box on the kitchen counter, came in the mail, it was from Germany, some fan got my home address, not everyone has that, and it was actually a bottle of beer from over there, and wrote this long message to me, I think they said they were gonna be at the festival this week.”

Dierks Bentley brought a special guest with him to the media room: His mom! “This is probably her first time to come out here, she came to sound check today, we went to the CMT Awards last night, we went to my favorite meat & threes today, driving around in Big White, just going to come of my favorite places.”

The festival is a benefit for school music programs, and Dierks said music was important when he was in school: “I wanted to play bass in the school band, but someone else was playing it, so I played the sax, I was lucky to have music in school.  Having kids now, watching my 6 year old plays the piano, my 4 year old plays the fiddle, and my son Knox plays the harmonica.  We’re fortunate to have a school where they can play music.”

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