By Chuck Whiting
MCAU Editor
Wil Comstock
MCAU Writer
This
year's CMA Music Festival rocked, sweated, partied and soaked more than 60,000
music lovers young and old (well... mostly young). We tromped just about every
nook and cranny of downtown Nashville to soak in the excitement and atmosphere,
with achy legs and feet to prove it. Like last year, the CMF treated fans to
performances and "selfies" by some of the most successful country
acts in the business... but there were a few amazing (and sometimes even
hilarious) moments. For the most part, a good time was had by all.
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| Luke Bryan wows the crowd in LP Field |
Following
is a list of some of the things we liked (or didn't).
*
The smiling blonde bombshell mermaid at the Chicken of the Sea booth.
 |
| Smiling Mermaid |
* Rascal Flatts joining band members on
an a cappella performance of the song "Happy". (Amazing!)
*
WSM's traditional country spotlight that included a moving performance by
Jeannie Seely.
*
Dustin Lynch's "no-show" at the Big Machine presentation at the CMA
Close Up Stage (because of bad weather). (They replaced his segment with a
wheel-turning trivia quiz game.)
*
Parmalee singing "Carolina" at the Chevrolet Riverfront stage. (Good
job guys!)
*
The free samples of Sauvignon Blanc at the Cupcake Winery truck. (We got back
in line as often as possible.)
*
The American flag-faced man standing in line at one of the celebrity signing
stations. (His face was painted red, white and blue with the stars and
stripes).
 |
| Jeannie Seely |
*
Slipping into the Schermerhorn Symphony Center's shaded courtyard to escape the
crowds. (For some reason, hundreds of other festival-goers passed by without
noticing the gate was open.)
*
Watching a father hand his daughter two twenty-dollar bills so she could buy a
Dan + Shay t-shirt. (It was great to see family members enjoying the festival
together.)
*
Free Blue Bell ice cream... and more free Blue Bell ice cream... and even more
free Blue Bell ice cream... (We weren't counting calories.)
 |
| Dan + Shay perform at the Riverfront stage |
*
Sitting in the rocking chairs overlooking downtown in the Music City Center
lobby. (A nice reminder of the late George Jones.)
*
Free Mountain Dew and Crystal Light drink mix (lifesavers on the hot, muggy
days).
*
Attending a fascinating Q&A with Big and Rich at the Close Up Stage. (We
learned about Big Kenny's mission to help the hungry and John's philanthropic
efforts to help St. Jude Children's Hospital... and the Redneck Riviera
project).
 |
| Big and Rich with David Ross |
*
Rolling the wheel for edible prizes (free jelly beans) at the Jelly Belly
Candies booth.
*
Looking at the perplexed reactions of guys waiting in line in the men's room
after a man dropped his pants to his ankles (buttocks exposed) at a urinal.
(The line came to a screeching halt, causing a pedestrian traffic jam.)
*
Hunter Hayes' energy and talent as a songwriter, producer, "damn
good" guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist.
*
The torrential downpours (which didn't seem to dampen the spirits of die-hard
country music fans).
 |
| Autograph seekers |
*
A group of "hellraisers" who tried to spoil a good time for others in
LP Field, but didn't. (Two young men near us continued to light up cigarettes
again and again after repeated warnings from the ushers.)
*
The proliferation of chained and tattooed hard rockers who claim to be
"country" stars.
 |
| Alligator riding |
*
Missing Dolly... and Reba... and Loretta...
*
Enjoying curbside pizza and hotdogs on the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge.
*
Seeing Alabama on the main stage, flooding our memories and entertaining us
once again.
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| Alabama performs at LP Field |
*
The surprise appearance of Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi (a real rock star) with
Zac Brown on "Dead or Alive". (Okay... We profess to being rock fans,
too.)
*
The Band Perry's terrific performance with a beautiful, broad-smiling Kimberly
Perry encouraging fans to sing along on "If I Die Young".
*
The long (boring) set-up breaks between evening show segments at LP Field. (Why
not air videos of the legendary stars who helped make country music what it is
today? Also consider including live performances of up-and-coming artists on
simple mic and guitar.)
*
Watching a beautiful woman get dunked at the Cracker Jack'D Splash Party (while
eating spicy Cracker Jack'D mix).
 |
| A lady gets splashed at Cracker Jack'D |
*
Missing three-fourths of Travis Tritt's set because we arrived late. (He's a
true country artist in every sense of the genre.)
*
The $9 and $11 beers (outrageous!), and the comical antics of the roaming
sellers. (One beer seller yelled out "Beer with Jesus... "Beer with
Jesus" again and again while Thomas Rhett was performing. Another asked
attendees for their cell phone numbers so he could text them a "Buy my
beer" message. Yet another danced cheek to cheek with several intoxicated
women.)
*
Sweating outside, then freezing inside Music City Center.
*
Catching dinner before the show at the Southern Steak and Oyster restaurant... fried
oysters on a bed of herbs and smashed root veggies (yummy!). And we mustn't
forget the delicious cheddar mac and cheese and garlic-accented Southern green
beans.
 |
| Music City Suds owner with her musical soap |
*
Sunburn and achy feet (and the occasional shivery sneeze).
*
Cut-off shorts, torn blue jeans, tight t-shirts, and sunflower dresses.
(Polyester remains a thing of the past, but boots, cowboy hats and scarves are
still cool.)
*
New York-style pizza (real New York-style pizza) at the newly opened City Pizza
on Third Avenue. (The chef is from Manhattan.)
*
The wig booth (where women were trying on a variety of wigs and add-ons).
*
The singers and songwriters who flew to Nashville to get into the spotlight
(including California artist Eileen Carey, who performed in a jam-packed Honky
Tonk Central on Broadway).
 |
| Eileen Carey performs at Honky Tonk Central |
*
Watching a wanna-be rodeo rider being thrown off the back of a bucking
alligator.
*
Looking over the shiny red and blue cars in the Chevrolet exhibition area.
*
Catching performances by very talented emerging artists (Brooke Eden, Sonia
Leigh and others) at the AT&T U-verse Stage.
*
Cooling off inside the Red Roof showroom truck on Broadway.
*
The crowd-pleasing performance of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by
the Charlie Daniels Band. (Charlie still sports the largest belt buckle on the
planet.)
*
Missing out on free Papa John's pizza (because the lines were too long).
 |
| Riverfront crowd |
*
The stirring rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" by the W.O.
Smith Community Music School choir.
*
The park benches, shrubs and creative CMA street signs (providing a nice atmosphere) at Fan Fair X.
*
The friendly ushers everywhere at LP Field.
*
Hot, sweaty fans of all sizes smashing into each other as they wiggled out a
log-jammed exit at Riverfront Park.
*
Brad Paisley really enjoying himself... giving all to his fans. (It was the
perfect way to end the festival.)
*
The festive fireworks on the final night as fans streamed over the Shelby
Pedestrian Street Bridge.
 |
| Brad Paisley performs at LP Field |
 |
| Man with the American flag face |
 |
| A band performs on Broadway |
 |
| Before the show |
 |
| BMI Tailgate Party |
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| Broadway |
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| Brooke Eden performs at Music City Center |
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| Chevrolet exhibit |
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| Guitars |
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| Music City Center |
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| Red Roof "escaping the heat" truck |
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| Riverfront crowd watching a performance |
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| The new trends in country shoes |
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| Shoppers browse exhibit booths |
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| Wigs galore |
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| LP Field stage shot |
All Photos by MCAU Editor Chuck Whiting (Copyright 2014 used by permission only)
