A decade after first visiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where he was immediately inspired to pledge his support, Darius Rucker has surpassed the $2 million mark in his fundraising efforts with this year’s 10th annual “Darius & Friends” benefit concert last week followed by his corresponding golf tournament and silent auction. This year’s event alone raised a record-setting $425,000+, bringing the all-time total to more than $2 million.
“I was struck on that first visit by how St. Jude not only cares for their patients, but also their patients’ families,” said Rucker. “They believe that a financial burden is the last thing a family should face when their focus needs to be on helping a kid get better, and St. Jude makes sure that their patients never pay a dime. It’s an honor for us to be able to help them continue such an important mission.”
The fundraising event has become an unofficial kickoff to CMA Fest over the years as fans descend on Music City for the week of festivities ahead. For its third year at the historic Ryman Auditorium, Rucker was joined by friends Jimmie Allen, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Sheryl Crow, Travis Denning and Brett Young as well as more than 2,400 fans at the sold-out show.
Eric Church was just announced as an additional performer at Nissan Stadium June 7th. He’ll take the stage at CMA Fest between shows on his highly successful Double Down Tour, where he made history Saturday night setting the new attendance record at Nissan Stadium with 56,521 people in the audience. Church is the first solo artist to perform at Nissan Stadium sans an opening act, performing alone for more than three hours, with songs spanning his entire six-album catalog.
A limited number of four-day passes for the nightly performances at Nissan Stadium are still available at CMAfest.com or through the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-FEST.
Church joins previously announced Nissan Stadium performers Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Billy Ray Cyrus, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Chris Janson, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina, Maren Morris, David Lee Murphy, Old Dominion, Pistol Annies, Rascal Flatts, Thomas Rhett, Marty Stuart, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Brett Young, as well as CMA KixStart Artist Scholarship recipients Kassi Ashton, Travis Denning and Jameson Rodgers. Nissan Stadium will open each night with the National Anthem, sung by Nashville School of the Arts (Thursday), Lindsay Ell (Friday), Runaway June (Saturday) and Jimmie Allen (Sunday).
All stage lineups are available in the Official CMA Fest App and are subject to change. A limited number of tickets for Firestone Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater, in addition to single and four-day tickets for Xfinity Fan Fair X, are available at CMAfest.com.
Artists performing at CMA Fest donate their time so a portion of ticket proceeds can directly benefit high-quality music education initiatives across the United States through the CMA Foundation.
“Hey! It’s Jon Pardi, wishing all the fathers out there a very Happy Father’s Day. Here’s to you, Senior. Insert beer can opening sample (sound effect). (laughs)
Lauren Alaina announces today via a special video message that her upcoming THAT GIRL WAS ME TOUR will launch this fall. The singer/songwriter kicks off the tour in Columbia, MO on September 14 and will hit additional markets including Boston, New York, Atlanta and Nashville. Tickets are available for purchase beginning this Friday, May 31 at laurenalainaofficial.com/tour. Special VIP packages are also available through VIP Nation and include a gift item, meet and greet access, a unique performance from Lauren and more.
“Tour” not going to believe this!! I have never been more excited to share something with you. I’m going on my first headlining tour this fall, and we’re taking my buddy @filmoremusic on the #ThatGirlWasMeTour. Pre-sale starts tomorrow. Tickets go on sale everywhere Friday! 😭❤️ pic.twitter.com/QUb1CoJHMs
Known for her “powerhouse, honey-toned vocals that meld timeless twang with a modern sass” (Rolling Stone), Lauren Alaina has earned high praise for her dynamic live show while previously touring with the likes of Luke Bryan, Alan Jackson and Blake Shelton. On the THAT GIRL WAS ME TOUR, fans can expect to hear favorites from Lauren’s highly-acclaimed albums including “Three,” Top 25 hit “Doin’ Fine,” No.1 smash hit “Road Less Traveled,” and the 4x Platinum-selling No.1 hit “What Ifs.”
Joining Lauren on tour is new artist Filmore who just released his debut single “Slower” to country radio. The Missouri native has previously opened shows for Sam Hunt, Brett Young, Carrie Underwood and Jon Pardi.
Lauren just released the official music video for her current single “Ladies in the ‘90s,” watch HERE. Directed by Ben Skipworth, the nostalgic video features Lauren as a QVC host highlighting staple products from the decade such as slap bracelets and butterfly hair clips.
MusicRow has described the upbeat and catchy tune as an “audio delight” and fans can also catch a behind-the-scenes teaser of the official music video by clicking HERE.
THAT GIRL WAS ME TOUR Dates:
Sep. 14 Columbia, MO The Blue Note
Sep. 19 Warrendale, PA Jergel’s Rhythm Grille
Sep. 20 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
Sep. 21 Richmond, VA The National
Sep. 26 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
Oct. 3 Columbus, OH The Bluestone*
Oct. 5 Indianapolis, IN 8 Seconds Saloon
Oct. 24 Atlanta, GA Buckhead Theatre
Oct. 25 Nashville, TN Exit/In
*Opener TBD
Fans can listen to “Ladies in the ’90s” and hear Lauren’s full 90s playlist HERE.
CarrieUnderwood picked up a second CMT Music Award, and it was the night’s biggest honor for Video of the Year for “Cry Pretty.” She accepted the award from the steps of Nashville’s Parthenon at Centennial Park where she turned in an energetic performance of her latest smash, “Southbound.” Earlier in the evening, she won for Female Video of the Year for “Love Wins.”
Caylee Hammack will make her national television debut on Wednesday (May 29th) during the 10am (local time) hour of NBC’s Today Show. She will perform her song, “Family Tree.”
Kacey Musgraves is among the recipients for the Academy of Country Music’s 13th Annual ACM Honors, which will be presented August 21st at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. She will receive the Jim Reeves International Award, in recognition of her efforts to spread country music around the globe by playing shows in Japan, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Other honorees include Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Rodney Crowell, Shane McAnally and many others. The film A Star is Born will received the Tex Ritter Award.
Lauren Alaina is set to play in Craig Campbell’s 7th Annual Celebrity Cornhole Challenge at the Nashville Omni during this year’s CMA Music Fest on June 4th. The benefit will raise funds and awareness for colorectal cancer. Jerrod Niemann, Jimmie Allen, Tyler Rich and Teagan Marie will also take part.
Travis Denning, Kassi Ashton, Caylee Hammack will be among the artists performing on the DISH Presents Next From Nashville Stage during the ACM Festival of the Year, Faster Horses, taking place July 19th-21st in Brooklyn, Michigan. Previously announced performers include Keith Urban, Toby Keith, Zac Brown Band, Brothers Osborne, Kip Moore, LANCO, Maren Morris, Cassadee Pope, Michael Ray, Mitchell Tenpenny and Brett Young.
Maddie & Tae are not only duo partners, but the two are also best friends. They first met nine years ago through a showcase organized by their mutual vocal coach.
“There was just something so special between the two of us and the experiences we were writing about and how different and unique. We just started finding our own sound and our own voice.,” says Maddie Marlow. “Just getting to create with your best friend, and also just having someone to lean on and it’s not all on you. You have someone to bounce ideas off of and collaborate with. We both love collaborating, so this is just a perfect…’
Taylor Dye (aka Tae) adds, “We found a really good balance. When we met…we were so young when we met. And we were just best friends. So, it was a learning process for us to be business partners, but best friends. And we found a great balance.””
The ladies are currently making their way up the country charts with “Die From a Broken Heart,” and they’re also out on Carrie Underwood’s Cry Pretty Tour, which stops in Edmonton on Tuesday (May 28th).
Audio / Maddie Marlow and Taylor Dye of Maddie & Tae recall ow they met.
Maddie & Tae (how they met) OC: (Taylor) 1:34 … “We met when… Tae was 15, and I was 16. We were both going to a vocal coach that was based in Houston and in Dallas. So, she was going to him in Dallas, and I was going to him in Houston. And so, we kind of met through him and like a little showcase where you would get up… it was basically him giving his students opportunities to get in front of a crowd and get rid of the stage fright and everything. So, we met at one of those and really hit it off as friends initially, and just had a lot in common, and both loved country music and loved songwriting. And so, we decided, I was going back and forth to Nashville already, and I was like ‘Well you should just come with me.’ TAE: “I had never been, and I was planning on going, but it was just the perfect opportunity, and I was like, ‘Yeah! I’ll go to Nashville with you!’ MADDIE: “We went together and wrote with a couple writers in town, and there was just something so special between the two of us and the experiences we were writing about and how different and unique. We just started finding our own sound and our own voice. And we’ve been working at it for nine years together now. Just getting to create with your best friend, and also just having someone to lean on and it’s not all on you. You have someone to bounce ideas off of and collaborate with. We both love collaborating, so this is just a perfect…” TAE: “We found a really good balance. When we met…we were so young when we met. And we were just best friends. So, it was a learning process for us to be business partners, but best friends. And we found a great balance.”
Carrie Underwood picked up her 19th CMT Music Award during Wednesday night’s show. She won Female Video of the Year for “Love Wins,” which is from her latest album, Cry Pretty. She thanked the fans – first and foremost – as well as her handsome hubby, former NHL star Mike Fisher, who was celebrating his birthday.
Carrie, who is making her way up the country charts with her latest smash, “Southbound,” will perform at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on Friday (June 7th) during this year’s CMA Music Fest before continuing her Cry Pretty Tour 360.
After delaying the show open to allow the new record-setting concert crowd of 56,521 fans into Nissan Stadium, multi-Platinum superstar Eric Church appeared at the end of his 50-yard-line catwalk beneath a single spotlight to set the tone for the marathon Saturday night ahead. Adorned in his trademark aviators, t-shirt and a Gibson guitar, Church opened his first headlining stadium show with “Drowning Man” before meeting powerhouse backup singer Joanna Cotten center stage for “Country Music Jesus” and what could have been the official mantra of the evening: “That’s Damn Rock & Roll.”
Eric Church at Nissan Stadium on May 25, 2019 | Credit: John Shearer
Church, praised by Esquire as “one of the most singular working artists in any genre,” has long done things his own way – perhaps never more evident than on his current Double Down Tour. Continuing the trend of the tour thus far, the country music renegade performed nearly four hours of music and just under 40 songs spanning the catalog of all six of his studio albums. With no opening act – making him the first artist to play Nissan Stadium alone in the venue’s 20+ year history – Church had the record-setting crowd in the palm of his chest-pounding hand the entire evening (the previous attendance record of 56,112 was set in 2018).
Church heard friends were camping out beginning Friday afternoon to be first in line for pit access, so early Saturday morning around 12:30 a.m. he surprised them in line outside the gates of Nissan Stadium. | Courtesy of the Double Down Tour
“I came here 15 years ago and I had dreams,” he explained of Nashville to his loyal Church Choir, “but I’m not sure I could dream this big. Tonight is a special night for me and you know this if you’ve been to any of our shows on the Double Down Tour… I’m gonna give you everything I’ve got all night long, and tonight is going to be a revival. I promise you.”
As the night went on, Church indulged the crowd with everything from hits like current single “Some Of It” –the music video directed by award-winning Reid Long having debuted on stadium screens prior to the show – and No. 1 hits “Drink In My Hand” and “Record Year” to deep album cuts including fan-favorites “Pledge Allegiance to the Hag” and “Knives of New Orleans.” His extensive catalog was evident throughout both halves of the marathon set punctuated only by a 25-minute intermission, making it no surprise that Church has earned 30 million RIAA certifications, a feat he was recognized for with a plaque presentation prior to the show.
He also paid homage to Nashville as he’s done in each tour city thus far – putting the ‘music’ in Music City with stadium-worthy covers of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Night Moves,” “It’s A Great Day to be Alive,” “Sweet Caroline,” “Piano Man,” “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” during his signature “Mistress Named Music” medley. As the epic show drew to a close after midnight, Church sent the satisfied Nashville crowd into Sunday morning with an encore including his classic hit “Springsteen” – the melody sounding like a memory that is sure to remain a soundtrack to this May Saturday night for years to come.
Upcoming Double Down Tour Dates
June 28 & 29 George, Wash. || The Gorge Amphitheatre
Sept. 13 & 14 Green Bay, Wis. || Resch Center
Sept. 20 & 21 Calgary, Alberta || Scotiabank Saddledome
Sept. 28 San Francisco, Calif. || Chase Center
Oct. 4 & 5 Grand Rapids, Mich. || Van Andel Arena
Oct. 11 & 12 Philadelphia, Pa. || Wells Fargo Center
Oct. 25 Little Rock, Ark. || Verizon Arena
Oct. 26 Birmingham, Ala. || BJCC Arena
Nov. 1 Manchester, N.H. || SNHU Arena
Nov. 2 Hartford, Conn. || XL Center
Nov. 15 & 16 Washington, D.C. || The Anthem
Nov. 22 & 23 Sacramento, Calif. || Golden 1 Center
About Eric Church
The three-time Country Music Association and six-time Academy of Country Music Award winner released his highly-anticipated album Desperate Man atop the Billboard Country Albums chart on October 5. The album also debuted at No. 5 on the all-genre Billboard 200. Rolling Stone Magazine describes the album in their July 2018 cover storyas “classic Church: expertly crafted and country-radio-friendly, while also pushing boundaries in a way that sounds natural and unforced” and American Songwriter notes that it “sublimates the pain of a tumultuous year into his most adventuresome album yet.” Church has returned to the road for his 2019 Double Down Tour, visiting nearly 30 markets for back-to-back nights of two unique shows sans-opening act to give fans 6+ hours of his iconic music in each city. The tour also included a massive stop at Nissan Stadium in Nashville where Church nearly tripled the attendance record he set at Bridgestone Arena in 2017.
Audio / Eric Church talks about recognizing fans in the crowd.
Eric Church (fans in crowd) OC: …carried it up the hill. :51 “I recognize them in the crowd. A lot of times I know they’re names and talk to ‘em, We come from, different people have different paths, but we directly came from being up close and personal with our fans because of the places we’ve played. I know a lot of ‘em and recognize even more of ‘em when they’re in the crowd, and it’s always neat to see ‘em out there. It’s just fun for me. I wonder what they feel like when they think about the places that were about empty and they were standing there giving me all they had to turn around now and see all these other people there. I think that would just have to be a neat thing for them too, because they were the ones that discovered it and they were the ones that told other people about it. And I think there’s nothing cooler for a recording artist to have somebody that loves what you do and believes in what you do so much that they really make it their cause and champion to go out there and push it on other people that maybe don’t know about it. They’re the reason I’m here, and they’re the ones that picked up the flag and carried it up the hill.”
