By Tara Knott

Evan Farmer must have felt some déjà vu when he hosted CMA Fest’s evening concert at LP Field on June 11.

Along with Broadway icon and Country newcomer Kristin Chenoweth, Farmer welcomed superstar performers to the stage, each of whom has had at least one music video on his GAC Top 20 Countdown.

After a performance of the national anthem in four-part harmony by Dailey & Vincent, Chris Young opened the concert with his hit single, “Gettin’ You Home.”

Young played a radio-friendly set — “Voices,” “Save Water, Drink Beer,” and the fastest rising single of his career, “Tomorrow,” which sold 30,000 downloads in its first week.

As Young left the stage, the Jumbotrons lit up with a short clip of a record-setting event that took place earlier that afternoon in Centennial Park.  Gildan unfurled the world’s largest T-shirt, which was 281.3 feet long and 180.9 feet wide.

“American Idol” veteran Danny Gokey, who hosted the event, told the audience this T-shirt was bigger than 12,000 normal ones, and the director of Nashville Metro Public Schools, Dr. Jesse Register, pledged to donate the same amount to children in need.

The spirit of giving continued when Chenoweth and Farmer announced that the next performers had been raising money for tornado relief with Country duo Sugarland.

“That really means a lot to those of us who were affected,” said Chenoweth, a native of Broken Arrow, Okla.

With that, Little Big Town — Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet — took the stage, opening with “A Little More You.” After a countrified cover of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” and the more mellow “Bring It On Home,” the band launched into a recognizable guitar riff.

The audience jumped to their feet and clapped to the beat as Fairchild led the group in their Billboard Top 10 single “Little White Church.” They closed their set with “Boondocks,” and the audience sang the chorus back, still cheering when Chenoweth and Farmer returned to the stage.

Chenoweth confessed to having a crush on the next performer, welcoming Country legend Clint Black to the stage.

Black led his short acoustic set with a new song, “I’ve Been Better, I’ve Been Worse.” He sang “Galaxy Song” and “Something That We Do” before turning the stage over to another artist known for his good looks and deep baritone.

Josh Turner opened with his No. 1 Billboard Country single, “Would You Go With Me.” Women cheered when Turner began “Your Man,” but the entire audience screamed and flashbulbs lit up the night like fireflies when “American Idol” winner Scotty McCreery joined Turner partway through the song.

“Mr. Scotty McCreery, everybody,” Turner said. “Congratulations to him for winning this season’s ‘American Idol.’ I love it because people are continuing to wave the Country Music flag out in Hollywood, and that’s why we’re all here this week, right?”

The fans shouted their affirmation, and Turner closed his set with “Why Don’t We Just Dance.” Audience members seemed to take his advice, dancing in their seats or grabbing partners to dance in the aisles.

As backstage crews hustled to set up for the next act, fans watched the Jumbotron to see if their tweets with the hashtag #CMAfest would appear. Before long, Chenoweth reappeared to introduce a surprise performance.

“There’s two things I’ve always wanted to be: big and rich. Never gonna happen, but here you go, ladies and gentlemen—Big & Rich!” said Chenoweth. Big Kenny and John Rich gave a rocking rendition of “Fake I.D.,” the song they wrote for the upcoming remake of ‘80s classic movie “Footloose.”

Rich introduced Trace Adkins, who sauntered onto the stage with his trademark swagger and grabbed the microphone to sing “Whoop a Man’s Ass.” His high-energy songs got the audience volleying beach balls around the stadium, but he took a serious moment to thank the crowd for their support in light of his recent home fire on June 4.

“But please take that feeling of generosity and point it somewhere else. Give it to the Red Cross or somebody like that because we’re okay,” Adkins said, eliciting cheers and applause from the crowd before he sang his new single, “Just Fishin’.”

He followed with an old favorite, 2006 hit “Ladies Love Country Boys,” and the ladies in the audience sang along at all the right parts.

“Something else for the ladies in the crowd—we’re gonna do a sensitive love song for you,” Adkins teased as drums led into his humorously suggestive “Brown Chicken, Brown Cow.”

“Two love songs in a row,” Adkins promised, but this time the crowd wasn’t buying it, cheering as the guitars ramped up into his crossover hit “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk.” Adkins held the microphone out to the audience on the last chorus as they yelled back “Whoo-wee, shut my mouth, slap your grandma!”

“I just heard every grandma in town say ‘Shame on you’ for saying that,” Adkins said, leaving the audience laughing and dancing as he walked off stage.

The audience actually did hear two love songs after Adkins left, courtesy of Thompson Square. Keifer and Shawna Thompson sang “I Got You” and their first No. 1 hit, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not.”

Five-time CMA Award winner Martina McBride was up next, leading with several up-tempo, girl-power songs, but her set turned sentimental when she debuted a new song from her upcoming album slated for release in October, “Love You Through It.”

“I feel like it’s going to go out into the world and lift some people up,” McBride said before singing about supporting a friend going through a rough patch in life. Her newest single, “Teenage Daughters,” seemed to lift up a few mothers in the crowd, many of whom had their arms around their own teenage daughters as they swayed to the beat.

“Well, a few weeks ago, I was told there was a girl on ‘American Idol’ who sang my song,” she continued, causing the audience to scream in anticipation.

After seeing the video on YouTube, McBride was thoroughly impressed. “I thought, ‘I wish I could get her here to sing it with me.’ So please welcome Miss Lauren Alaina!” McBride said, once again sending the stadium into a flashbulb frenzy as the 16-year-old “American Idol” runner-up joined her to sing “Anyway.”

“American Idol” launched Alaina’s budding career, and McBride followed up with a song that launched her own: “A Broken Wing.” The audience cheered and applauded for nearly two minutes after McBride finished the song, and McBride took some time to compose herself before speaking again.

“I wish you all could know what that feels like to me,” she said. “I have been so inspired by you guys this week … I love y’all so much, and you’re the reason that I do this.”

After her last song, McBride took a few laps around the stage, waving and curtsying to fans on every side of the arena.
“Um, wow. That just happened,” Farmer said, clearly at a loss for words. “That was unbelievable, y’all!”

McBride is a tough act to follow, but Rascal Flatts was up to the challenge. Band members Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney and Jay DeMarcus popped up in the middle of the crowd to record the introduction for ABC’s annual television special, “CMA Fest: Country Music’s Night To Rock.”

Rascal Flatts remained in the audience to sing “I Won’t Let Go,” encouraging the audience to turn on the lights they’d received at the beginning of the concert. The stadium and the starry sky suddenly became one, with nearly everyone in the audience swaying their lights back and forth.

The band returned to the stage to sing the fan tribute “Here’s To You” and followed with one of the longest sets for a closing act at CMA Fest 2011 yet, a 45-minute parade of their greatest hits, closing with a mashup of “Long Time,” “Free Ride” and Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son.”

The fans continued to cheer and fireworks lit up the sky long after Rascal Flatts had left, closing yet another memorable evening in Nashville.

By Adam Wadding

It had been a day of great music and entertainment at the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage, but as Saturday afternoon wound down along the Cumberland River, many of the spectators on the terraced lawn were especially eager for what was to come next.

Sure enough, Billy Ray Cyrus set off a wave of cheering as he made his way out onstage. But his first appearance would be just long enough to introduce another less known but worthy performer.

Tim Wright, the winner of the Tune Up for COPD Songwriter competition, sang his winning song, “Breathe.” One of many submitted to help raise awareness and stimulate research into curing pulmonary disease, the tune was crafted well enough to get the audience singing along by the last chorus.

Coming back onstage, Cyrus quickly got fans to their feet just by making his entrance. He looked as though he’d jumped back to his ‘90s style, with returning his classic Mullet cut and oversized button up black-and-white shirt.

Joining him onstage was his band, Slydog, whose members, some of whom had been working with him for 20years, he introduced.

He then opened right away with “I’m American,” which got the crowd singing, dancing and gearing up for the many songs to come.

“Y’all keep acting like that I may just stick around a little,” Cyrus quipped at the end of the song, which he followed with his newest single, “Runway Lights.”

In between songs Cyrus took off his button-up shirt and pretended to throw it out into the audience. The reaction was ecstatic as hundreds of fans reached out to grab for the shirt. But even amidst all this excitement, an unspoken sense lingered that nobody was leaving until they had a dose of “Achy Breaky Heart.”

Making everyone wait, Cyrus played more songs from the past and present, including the one dedicated to his daughter Miley, “Ready, Set, Don’t Go.” He even covered Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” with fans singing along in unison. Then finally, after six more songs, as the crowd chanted the title of their urgent request, he dropped a sly hint.

“Don’t push your luck out here and give me an achy breaky heart,” said Cyrus.

With that, the familiar riff crunched, the volume ramped up, spectators started line dancing and their massed vocals echoed from the storefronts along First Avenue.

The moment left even Cyrus impressed. “I have played 19 of these Festivals,” he concluded. “And you are the wildest crowd I ever played for.”

By Adam Wadding

All morning and into the afternoon on Saturday, June 11, competitors from across the country competed in the Regional Qualifier for the Field & Stream Total Outdoorsman Challenge at Fort Nashboro.

The 38 participants vied for top honors in four categories: Archery, Air Rifle, Bait Cast, and Skills/Endurance.

The event was hosted by Field and Stream magazine and Mobil 1, who had booths set up for giveaways and drawings. One drawing was for gift cards to Bass Pro Shops.

Only the top three overall ranked competitors would advance to the Regional Qualifier at Dogwood Canyon Nature Park in Lampe, Mo. Overall scores were a compilation of all the scores including points and times of the competitors.

Jeff Haney of Fletcher, N.C. took first place with an overall score of 17. Ryan Straley of Olathe, Kans. placed second with 23. Straley did take top honors in one category with a score of 36 in the Archery competition.

Coming in third, but still receiving a ticket to Dogwood Canyon, was Joshua Skelton from Gallatin, Tenn., who finished with an overall score of 42.

By Adam Wadding

Starting at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Chevy Stage in the Sports Zone, several spectators were invited to partner with celebrities in the Chevy Celebrity Outdoor Challenge.

Bob Redfern, host of “Bob Redfern’s Outdoor Magazine,” and Travis ‘T-Bone’ Turner, co-host of “Michael Waddell’s Bone Collector,” presided together at the event and warmed the crowd up for the completion.

“I need to hear some more cheerin’,” joked Redfern. “Maybe y’all need some more Bud Light.”

The seven teams competed in Archery, and “Fishin’ Darts,” where participants reeled their fishing lines at a target, hoping to hit the bull’s eye.

Team Corvette proved strong when fan member, Brent, hit the three-point bulls-eye twice – the only competitor to hit it at all during the two day event. Redfern, amazed, questioned if he wasn’t secretly a professional.

“You just don’t pick those kinds of people from the audience like that,” he said.

Brent’s nine-point score for the Fishin’ Darts competition was enough for Corvette to reach second place.

They ended up winning when Daniel Lee Martin’s Backwoods team, who was in first, was disqualified for the second day in a row for choosing his wife Kristina, no stranger to outdoor sports.

“We are used to being disqualified,” said Martin jokingly as the awards were presented.

Turner returned to the heat game with his partner, Angie, who together were champions in the previous day’s competition. Their team, Heavy Duty, came in second place.

The other teams from last to fourth place included teams Realtree, Durmax, Horsepower and Guns and Bows.

Two children competitors with Guns and Bows didn’t go home empty-handed, as they were given their own fishing poles as prizes.

By Rebekah Pippin

It wasn’t quite large enough to be seen from space, but the enormous T-shirt created by Gildan must have startled pilots of low-flying aircraft passing over Nashville’s Centennial Park on Saturday morning.

In fact, this super-plus-size item was certified officially by a representative from Guinness World Records as the largest T-shirt ever made. Emblazoned with logos for Gildan along with CMA and its Keep the Music Playing charity to support music education, it measures 281.3 feet long and 180.9 feet wide, tipping the scales at nearly two tons. The fabric was shipped from Honduras to Utah, where the pieces were sewed together with more than 1.4 million stitches. Finished after six weeks, it was loaded onto a flatbed truck in time to be unrolled by a crew of 90 during CMA Music Festival.

With the record confirmed onstage at the Saturday night LP Field concerts, work will soon begin to transform it into 12,000 human-sized shirts, all of which will be donated to Metro Nashville Schools through Keep the Music Playing. Danny Gokey participated in both the Centennial Park and LP Field events.

“I thought it would be big, but I didn’t think it would be that big,” insisted Connie McCain, 54, of Smyrna, Tenn., attending her first CMA Music Fest. “You just don’t expect to see something like that, but it’s great that Gildan is given the shirts to the children of Nashville.”

By Rebekah Pippin

WSM-AM Nashville radio host Charlie Mattos introduced Country stalwart Lynn Anderson at Durango’s Acoustic Corner on Saturday.  The crowd was full of excitement as they were waiting to see the two- time CMA Female Vocalist winner.

Fans of all ages cheered for the former CMA Female Vocalist of the Year as she made her way to the stage in her black and white-flower pattered dress and heels, accented by a purple vintage necklace.

Mattos welcomed Anderson and asker her, “What do you remember most about your appearances at CMA Fest?” She responded, “Big fun. We just couldn’t believe that we were here. We had stick ponies and just had a good ole’ time.”

Anderson opened with her hit ‘Rose Garden’ as the fans clapped their hands, tapped their feet and sang along, never missing a word.

After singing last chorus, Anderson said, “There’s gonna be a little rain sometimes, but not today.” Moved by the standing ovation that followed, she told added, “Never let anyone tell you that we don’t appreciate when ya’ll get up and clap for us.” Wiping away a tear, she admitted, “Ya’ll got me. I didn’t expect that so early today.”

After then performing her version of Johnny Ray’s “Cry,” she wondered out loud, “Do we have any bluegrass fans? Ya’ll say yee haw!” This led her into the Tennessee’s classic, “Rocky Top,” a definite crowd pleaser. Anderson closed with Johnny Cash’s ”Daddy Sang Bass” with backup vocals from two fans she invited up from the audience.

Ron Weikle, 50, of St. Petersburg Fla. and second-year CMA Fest attendee, said, “I’m her biggest fan. She’s a legend and still a great female vocalist.”

Kevin Breasley, 56, of Cootamundra, Australia, a newcomer to CMA Music Festival, said, “I came to see Lynn. She’s Country Music of my era. We love the old style of Country Music and it’s been my lifelong ambition to see her. She’s a real favorite of mine.”

By Hunter Patterson

It’s a wonder that one could get chills during a Nashville summer, but everyone at the Bud Light Stage in the Sports Zone on Saturday experienced just that.

Kim Tribble kicked off the CMA Songwriters Series Presented by SESAC by playing a song off Jason Aldean’s latest album, My Kinda Party. (Previous Songwriters Series events, featuring writers from ASCAP and BMI, had happened over the two previous days of the Festival.) The song, “Just Passing Through,” is about living a life in adoration of someone else.

Tim Johnson was next, playing his first-ever hit, “I Let Her Lie.” The song was cut by Daryle Singletary and stayed at No. 2 on the charts for four weeks straight behind “Check Yes or No” by George Strait.

Third in line was the only woman of the group, Annie Tate. Tate also played her first hit, “Shut Up and Drive,” which was recorded by Chely Wright in 1997.

Bryan White was next on the lineup, playing his first hit “Rough and Ready” which was recorded by Trace Adkins in 2004.

“I wrote the song with Craig Weisman and a guy from England (Blair Mackichan) who was trying to understand what it was like being a redneck,” White said. “And this was the result.”

Tribble then asked for a little help with a song he wrote for Montgomery Gentry – and help he got. Most of the fans joined him in singing the chorus of “Long Line of Losers.”

Johnson then played a song that he wrote for Jimmy Wayne entitled “Do You Believe Me Now.” Annie Tate also joined him on the chorus for a bit of harmony.

Annie Tate then played a favorite of hers. Originally recorded by Mark Wills in 2001, Reba recorded “Somebody” just two years later for her album Room to Breathe.

“I remember hearing Reba sing the song and thinking, ‘Thank God, she is just great,’” said Tate.

Kim Tribble once again took advantage of the large audience by asking for more audience participation during his rendition of “One in Every Crowd,” originally cut by Montgomery Gentry.

“I wrote that song with Eddie Montgomery and Ira Dean,” Tribble said. “And to be honest, it was most ridiculous songwriting session I have ever had. Guess it was worth it.”

The session was capped off by Annie Tate’s performance of Rodney Atkins’ No. 1 song of 2006 “If You’re Going Through Hell.”

“The song was inspired by a Winston Churchill quote and an old Irish saying,” Tate explained. “We thought those two things combined would make for a pretty cool song.”

Tribble, Johnson and White –along with the entire audience — sang the song in its entirety, making it a fitting end to the session.

By Rebekah Pippin

That tall shadow being cast through Fan Fair Hall on Saturday could only have come from Trace Adkins, who drew cheers throughout the room as he strode in shortly before noon.

With his ponytail pulled back from beneath his black cowboy hat, wearing tight Wranglers and black shirt, the 6’6” Adkins came out smiling and waving. He greeted his long line of fans with a ‘Hey, everybody” as he sat down and began signing autographs at the Waggin’ Train Dog Treats Booth.

After accepting a peck on the cheek from the woman who held first place in line, Adkins signed hundreds of autographs and posed for fans, many of whom had waited long hours for the opportunity.

First-time Vicki Libick, of Lake Charles, La., a first-time CMA Fest attendee, said, “Me and my sons love Trace. They think the world of him. We didn’t get to meet him, but at least we got to see him.”

Many thought it was even more special that Adkins made an appearance at all, given unfortunate recent events. Since his home caught fire on June 4 and burnt completely to the ground, it was evident that his fans especially appreciated his presence.

Shelby Pennington 36, of Dallas TX, found it extremely heartwarming that Adkins still made time for his fans. “After everything that’s been going on with Trace and his family, he still came out and saw his fans,” said Shelby Pennington, 36, of Dallas, Texas. “He cares about his fans a lot and it was great to see him despite everything that’s happened to him and his family.”

By Rebekah Pippin

The two-day ABC Block Party got off to a full-speed start Friday afternoon, as Rossi Morreale, host of ABC’s “Dancing in the Dark” and host of CMT’s “Can You Duet,” welcomed The Lunabelles to the stage.

Recently signed to BNA Records, the all-female group is made up of sisters Dominique, Gabriela and Olivia, with fourth member Alex Kline.

They came out onstage wearing vintage dresses and cowgirl boots. Lead vocalist Olivia explained their name to the crowd, noting, “We get Luna from the moon and belle from being Southern belles.” before they started the party with their newly released song, “Place to Shine.”

Later, Olivia drew laughter when host Rossi Morreale asked them what it was like being in a band with sisters. “Well,” she answered, “I would be lying if I said we didn’t bicker from time to time, but it’s always fun.”

Sara Johnson, 24, of Nashville Tenn, and five-time CMA Fest attendee said, “I enjoyed listening to the Lunabelles. They were a lot of fun to watch. It’s good to see the next generation of Country Music, I hope to hear more from them in the future.”

The Block Party continued as Morreale selected contestants to compete in a round of “Family Feud.” All who took part received CMA T-shirts. He continued to distribute hats and T-shirts to  audience members who answered questions correctly about ABC’s network and popular shows.

By Hunter Patterson

Saturday afternoon, CMA Fest fans settled under a tent in the Family Zone for ABC’s Summer Block Party. With thundersticks in hand, they welcomed Rossi Morreale, former host of CMT’s “Can You Duet” and current host of ABC’s “Dancing in the Dark” to the stage.

The first event of the day was ”ABC Lingo Bingo.” Participants were given clues about ABC Shows; the first to fill in a letter ‘A’ shape on their card won a T-shirt and some other prizes. The winner, Jessie Elmore, 68, from Bowling Green, Ky., screamed when the final spot on her card was filled.
After the game was over, ABC gave away 50 more T-shirts to those that had nearly “bingoed.”

Rossi then introduced a 10-minute screening of a new ABC show, “Expedition Impossible.” The show is similar to “The Amazing Race” in that teams of three race across the Sahara in hopes of winning $150,000 and three 2011 Ford Explorers.

For those not watching the screening, there were several other things to do. For instance, one could get their caricature drawn or have wacky balloon animals made. There was also a tent where fans had the chance get their picture made with cutouts from “Modern Family,” “Dancing with the Stars” and “The Middle.”

After the screening, Morreale introduced the next event. Three teams of three were picked out of the crowd and brought up onstage for the CMA Fest version of “Expedition Impossible.” After introducing themselves, each team picked individual members to represent them in a series of physical challenges; each winner was then challenged to answer three questions based on the “Expedition Impossible” clip they had just seen.

The first challenge was won by Team Sims Kids, a group of siblings from Henderson, Tenn. During the challenge, contestants had to sort colored balls into their matching cups. The second was a balancing act: Participants had to somehow balance a plate on their heads while stacking five Styrofoam blocks on top of one another on the plate. After several failed attempts from the contestants, a trio of sisters from New Jersey won the challenge. The third challenge, which involved a threading competition, was fittingly won by the third team, Team Tri-Thom, a family of three from Franklin, Tenn. Team Tri-Thom then answered three questions in a row and won very large gift bags from ABC containing a “Grey’s Anatomy” poster, “Desperate Housewives” and “Castle” DVDs, along with two Modern Family books.

The youngest of the Trio, Colin Thompson, 9, was thrilled about winning after just narrowly losing bingo earlier in the afternoon.
“I was a little sad after losing bingo and my physical challenge,” Colin said digging into his gift bag. “But all this awesome stuff totally makes up for it!”