WKML INsider Magazine
June 11, 2013
» CMA Fest Runs Out Of Rain:
The CMA Music Festival sent the LP Field crowd to bed early Sunday (6/9) without much of a musical meal as the night's lineup rushed through their sets while storms advanced on Nashville.
Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan sang the National Anthem prior to a set from Lee Greenwood.
Gary Allan was "Watching Airplanes" and promising that "Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain)." Brad Paisley brought out Charlie Daniels for "Karate," but had to help him with the lyrics.
The next song, his closer, was "Beat This Summer," which could have just as easily been "Beat This Weather."
Nashville's Lennon And Maisy sang "Ho Hey" just prior to The Band Perry's head-banging, fist-pumping two-song set of "Done" and "Better Dig Two." Jake Owen poured all his energy into his single-song performance of "Anywhere With You," with host Storme Warren taking the brunt of hearty audience booing for the truncated performance afterward.
Carrie Underwood closed, managing to work a "Paradise City" cover into her four-song offering.
Paisley returned for their duet "Remind Me" and fireworks were going off and the stage was being cleared before the clock hit 10:10pm.
» Owned The Night:
On Friday (6/7) Dee Jay Silver laid down the beats as fans trickled in before Gloriana got it started with "The Star-Spangled Banner." Randy Travis honored the late George Jones with his new tune "Tonight I'm Playing Possum." Kip Moore served up "Beer Money" and a solo acoustic "Hey, Pretty Girl." Hunter Hayes gave the audience no excuse for not singing along, with lyrics scrawled across every piece of stage equipment.
He hit the piano for "Wanted," then invited Jason Mraz to duet on "Everybody's Got Somebody But Me."
People were a little drunk and needed Lady Antebellum now.
Among others, they got "Downtown," "We Owned The Night" and the closing "Looking For A Good Time" which, thankfully, had been found during their set.
According to $8-Coors-Light-man, a delay for Little Big Town was "something with their computers." The quartet finally popped up on a small stage with "Your Side Of The Bed" before being escorted to the main structure for "Tornado." Sheryl Crow joined them for "Soak Up The Sun" and finished solo with her own "Easy." Blake Shelton got everybody "Footloose" and wrapped with "Honey Bee."
» Let Love Rule:
On Saturday (6/8) Brett Eldredge handled Anthem duties, Storme Warren introduced the Duck Dynasty crew and the Oak Ridge Boys had fans singing along to "Elvira." Florida Georgia Line turned LP Field into a kegger with "Get Your Shine On" and "Cruise." Country legend Lenny Kravitz stuck around after his appearance at the 2013 CMT Music Awards, and the crowd exploded when he brought out Jason Aldean for "American Woman" and "Are You Gonna Go My Way." After Aldean said goodbye, Kravitz completely lost the room with an extended jam on "Let Love Rule." As he exited, he fired double middle fingers over his shoulders at the crowd in frustration.
Watch here.
Happiness returned and beach balls appeared during Dierks Bentley's set.
Before he went "Home," Bentley told the crowd, "I don't have a hometown.
I have a home country.
It's called the United States of America." The end of the song prompted a stadium-wide "USA" chant.
Kelly Clarkson brought star power, but not too much.
"She's not coming out so don't get excited," she said of soon-to-be step-mother-in law Reba before "Because Of You." Aldean returned for "Don't Ya Wanna Stay" and Trisha Yearwood helped finish it up with Garth Brooks’ "Ain’t Going Down Til the Sun Comes Up." Keith Urban's set was shorter than many expected with "You Gonna Fly" followed by "Long Hot Summer." City ordinances forbid fireworks after midnight, so a full display went off as Urban finished with "You Look Good In My Shirt." He walked deep into the crowd slapping high-fives before signing his guitar, handing it to a fan and hopping in an old pickup truck to drive out of the stadium.
» The Gambler:
On Thursday (6/6) following the Oak Ridge Boys performance of the National Anthem, Tracy Lawrence kicked things off.
Luke Bryan, Eric Church and Miranda Lambert kept the crowd at fever-pitch, starting with Bryan's instructions to deliver the "best damn 'boom-boom' I've ever heard" for a partial singalong on "Drunk On You," before inviting a few female fans to the front of the stage for a group dance on "Country Girl (Shake It For Me)." Church performed "[She Got A Rock] I'm Gettin' Stoned," "These Boots," and "Smoke A Little Smoke," among others.
And Lambert, donning a flame-laden black corset, delivered seven fan-favorites including "Fastest Girl In Town," "Mama's Broken Heart" and "Gunpowder And Lead."
Taylor Swift and the Zac Brown Band delivered the night's big surprises, beginning during Swift's set when Tim McGraw helped perform "Highway Don't Care" with Keith Urban on guitar made you happy there wasn't a roof on the place.
Swift's coy, "Goodnight, Nashville" as the three left the stage may have been the only thing that competed. Zac Brown Band came well-prepared to close, offering two big crowd-pleasers – a special appearance by Kenny Rogers for "The Gambler," and the finale with Kid Rock and Blackberry Smoke's Charlie Starr for a cover of Grand Funk Railroad's "We're An American Band."
» Side Order:
Jana Kramer has been singing the catchy Nationwide Insurance jingle "On Your Side," since last summer.
Given her acting background, she was recently asked to play the role of a leather-clad anti-thief in their current campaign.
"It started with singing the jingle," says Kramer, "but now the TV ad takes a fun and creative approach to communicate how Nationwide protects its members, and I’m proud to represent the brand.”
Watch here.
» Mighty Ducks:
It was only a matter of time before the first music project from the Robertson family, cast of A&E's Duck Dynasty, took wing ...
so to speak.
The merchandizing monsters made the announcement at the 2013 CMA Music Festival and started promoting immediately with a giant snow globe and 200 Santas roaming Nashville's Lower Broad to help spread the word.
Duck The Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas is due Oct.
29.
Hit List
-
Due to "unforseen circumstances," Pistol Annies have cancelled two weeks of scheduled tour dates.
Miranda Lambert will make up for the cancelled shows with solo performances.
-
American Idol runner-up Kree Harrison performed the National Anthem to open the 23rd Annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge Sauturday (6/8).
Team Opry beat Team After MidNite 29-27 at Nashville's Greer Stadium, with Maggie Rose winning the fan-voted MVP.
Birthdays
Junior Brown (6/12)
Chris Young (6/12)
Jason Michael Carroll (6/13)
On TV
Tuesday (6/11): LeAnn Rimes, The View (ABC); Darius Rucker, The Ellen DeGeneres Show; Blake Shelton, The Voice (NBC).
Wednesday (6/12): LeAnn Rimes, The Wendy Williams Show; Trace Adkins (with Colbie Caillat), The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (NBC).
This Week's Album Releases
Now That's What I Call Country Music Vol.
6 (Universal)
Luke Bryan's "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye," Little Big Town's "Pontoon" and Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" are just three of the 18 chart toppers on this joint venture between Universal and Sony.
Ash Bowers Shake It Off (Wide Open)
Produced by the artist with help from Billy Decker and Noel Golden, the 12-song album features "Picture This" written by David Lee Murphy and Randy Houser, and the title track by Bowers, Adam Craig and Shane Minor.
Upcoming Album Releases
Hunter Hayes Encore (6/18)
LoCash Cowboys LoCash Cowboys (6/18)
Various Artists Live From The Archives of 650 AM WSM - Volume 1 (6/25)
Gwen Sebastian Gwen Sebastian (6/25)
Travis Tritt The Calm After ...
(7/9)
Joey + Rory Inspired Songs of Faith and Family (7/16)
Brett Eldredge TBD (8/6)
Keith Urban Fuse (9/10)
Sheryl Crow Feels Like Home (9/10)
Billy Currington We Are Tonight (9/17)
Chris Young A.M.
(9/17)
Duck The Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas (10/19)
» Duck Tale: Duck Dynasty's Si Robertson found Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town backstage at CMA Fest to let her know he was born on a pontoon and raised in the boondocks.
» Totally Ducked Over: Just like everybody else at CMA Fest, Blake Shelton grabs that once-in-a-lifetime photo opp with the cast of Duck Dynasty only to find out later ...
they're The Oak Ridge Boys.
» Dirty Hairy: If you're at a country music event and there aren't any Duck Dynasty dudes around you have to be resourceful so ...
Jana Kramer and Rodney Atkins beard up to surprise Darius Rucker on the True Believers Tour Sunday night (6/9) in Dallas.
© 2013 LH Publications, LLC
June 7, 2013
» Buckle Down:  Jason Aldean kicked off Wednesday night's 2013 CMT Music Awards with Lenny Kravitz live from Nashville's Bridgestone arena (6/5).They performed "American Woman" followed by Aldean's stage drop into an opening sketch starring his co-host Kristen Bell, Blake Shelton, Reba, Vince Vaughn, Dr. Drew, Kelsey Grammer and Lorraine Bracco. Cassadee Pope took care of Twitter coverage during the show and performed a commercial bumpout on the Nationwide Insurance Stage, as did Ashley Monroe, Dustin Lynch, Kree Harrison, Love And Theft and Randy Houser, all backed by house band The Mavericks, who paid tribute to George Jones with "The Race Is On."
Aldean performed "Night Train" and Hunter Hayes did "I Want Crazy" on the arena plaza stage outside, while Luke Bryan took the show honky-tonkin' a block down the street at The Stage. |
» Buckle Up:  Carrie Underwood's "Blown Away" took home Video Of The Year at the 2013 CMT Music Awards.Other "buckle" winners were:
|
» Tonight We Fest! A few showers didn't stop dozens of country artists from throwing swag out the back of pickups during the 9th Annual CMA Music Festival Kick-Off Parade Wednesday (6/5).Grand Marshall Kix Brooks led the way and the Budweiser Clydesdales followed as GAC's Nan Kelley and Storme Warren emceed the march down Nashville's Lower Broad. Clydesdale Levi stopped by the CMA office to pick up his credential and was greeted by Country Music Hall-of-Famer Brenda Lee.
|
Levi has access to events throughout the weekend which started with Lady Antebellum cutting the ribbon on the Fan Fair X experience at the gleaming new Music City Center Thursday morning (6/6).
» Pickler Back:  Kellie Pickler came back to Nashville from her Dancing With The Stars win to perform at the Grand Ole Opry Tuesday (5/4).She sang her new single “Someone Somewhere Tonight” and was surprised when the Opry audience held up DWTS perfect 10 paddles. "Did y’all plan that or did everybody just happen to have those in their pocket?" she asked. "That is so sweet. I wish y’all could’ve been the judges!" American Idol runner-up Kree Harrison made her Opry debut the same night and was joined by Keith Urban to perform Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through The Night." "Unbelievably proud of @KreeHarrison," tweeted Keith. "So honored to share the stage @ her @Opry debut! You brought the house down." |
» In Case You Missed It:  Taylor Swift surprised Team Usher contestant Michelle Chamuel Monday (6/3) on The Voice."Thanks for picking my song," said Swift as she entered Chamuel's rehearsal of "I Knew You Were Trouble." Watch here.
"Filing this under 'never in my wildest dreams.' Thank you @RollingStones for inviting me to Chicago to sing with you," Swift tweeted after her performance of "As Tears Go By" and slow dancing with Mick Monday (6/3). Gretchen Wilson fought back nerves at The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson last night (6/5) to discuss her new album Under The Covers and perform "Hot Blooded." Watch here.
LeAnn Rimes explained how her husband inspired "You've Ruined Me" from her new album Spitfire on Chelsea Lately last night (6/5).
Ronnie Dunn surprised fans leaving the 2013 CMT Music Awards with a four-song set at Rippy's in Nashville accompanied by a flash mob. |
|
BirthdaysThe late Les Paul (6/9) On TVSunday (6/9): Blake Shelton, The Voice (NBC). Monday (6/10): Blake Shelton, The Voice (NBC). Upcoming Album ReleasesAsh Bowers Shake It Off (6/11) Hunter Hayes Encore (6/18) LoCash Cowboys LoCash Cowboys (6/18) Various Artists Live From The Archives of 650 AM WSM - Volume 1 (6/25) Gwen Sebastian Gwen Sebastian (6/25)
Travis Tritt The Calm After ... Joey + Rory Inspired Songs of Faith and Family (7/16) Brett Eldredge TBD (8/6) Keith Urban Fuse (9/10) Sheryl Crow Feels Like Home (9/10)
Chris Young A.M. |
Hit List
|
» Fry Guys: Jana Kramer and Brantley Gilbert are lovin' it late night at McDonald's after the 2013 CMT Music Awards. |
|
» Wimbledumb: Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood (l) face off against Little Big Town's Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet (r) at Ping Pong & Songs in the Fan Fair X exhibit hall during CMA Fest. |
© 2013 LH Publications, LLC
June 4, 2013
|
» Rascal Flattered: |
Rascal Flatts opened their Live & Loud Tour Friday at Jones Beach in Wantagh, NY, and our insider was their to cover the action.
|
» Texas Road Houses: |
George Strait wrapped his 2013 Cowboy Rides Away Tour at the Alamodome in San Antonio in front of 73,086 fans Saturday (6/1), a new venue record for Strait.
|
» Rum Runner:
|
Kenny Chesney accepted an invitation from Seattle Seahawks' coach Pete Carroll to join the team for practice Friday (5/31).
|
» Mick, Taylor: |
The Rolling Stones continue to collaborate with country artists on their 50 & Counting Tour, announcing Monday (6/3) via Twitter, "Tonight's special guest will be @taylorswift13! #Stones50 #Chicago." Sheryl Crow joined them for "All Down The Line" Friday (5/31) in Chicago, Carrie Underwood in Toronto 5/25 for "It's Only Rock 'N Roll (But I Like It)" and Keith Urban helped them kick it off in Los Angeles 5/3 with "Respectable."
|
» Smells Like Twain Spirit: |
Shania Twain took home the Smitty Award for Most Innovative Use of Scent Marketing.
|
» Please Move: |
If you're the type of concert-goer that likes to stand still and drink 15 beers, make sure you catch Farmers Insurance Dance Y'all Experience With Special Guest Laura Bell Bundy: United We Dance.
|
» Black & White & Web All Over:
|
Brad Paisley's "kitchen-sink approach never descended into the kitschy." –
Hit List
BirthdaysDon Reid of The Statler Brothers (6/5) On TVTuesday (6/4): Blake Shelton, Cassadee Pope, The Voice (ABC); LeAnn Rimes, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (NBC); Lady Antebellum, Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC). Wednesday (6/5): LeAnn Rimes, The Wendy Williams Show; 2013 CMT Music Awards; Gretchen Wilson, Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (CBS); LeAnn Rimes, Chelsea Lately (E!). Thursday (6/6): Gretchen Wilson, The Talk (CBS). This Week's Album Releases
The first full-length from the band in more than three years, this album marks the return of original lead singer Richie McDonald and features 12-tracks including the single "Maybe Someday." LeAnn Rimes Spitfire (Curb)
“This album is a peek into my world; who I am, what I’ve gone through, what my emotions are," says Rimes. Dee Jay Silver Country Club - EP (Sony)
Mash-ups from popular artists create the four-song album that features "Two Black Cadillacs/Jolene (Dee Jay Silver Edit)" by Carrie Underwood and Dolly Parton. Upcoming Album ReleasesAsh Bowers Ash Bowers (6/11) Hunter Hayes Encore (6/18) LoCash Cowboys LoCash Cowboys (6/18) Various Artists Live From The Archives of 650 AM WSM - Volume 1 (6/25) Gwen Sebastian Gwen Sebastian (6/25)
Travis Tritt The Calm After ... Joey + Rory Inspired Songs of Faith and Family (7/16) Brett Eldredge TBD (8/6) Keith Urban Fuse (9/10) Sheryl Crow Feels Like Home (9/10) |
Jason Aldean will perform with Lenny Kravitz during the 2013 CMT Music Awards.
Lonestar Life As We Know It (4 Star)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2013 LH Publications, LLC