CMA Fest 2014 - Day 3

Saturday, June 7th

Greer Stadium
Remember how we got trapped in the parking lot after the show the night before? Well, there was an added level of... shall we call it stinky cheeseness because someone bought us tickets to watch the City of Hope Celebrity Softball game at 9am. The ability to sleep in on this vacation had run its course!

The teams consisted of quite a few country artists, sports figures, radio personalities, and a couple guest players, children who had successfully battled cancer. And the umpires were servicemen... pretty cool!

I was most impressed with the skills of Sara Evans. As a true softball player, she was a bit anxious to hit the ball during her first at-bat to help her team take the lead. She played the whole game at first base and made positive contributions throughout the game. She's an all-star in my book, plus she wore her socks up! A close second would be Lauren Alaina, catching below. Not a true softball player, but athletic and had some pop in her bat.

Another player with all-star status was Chase Rice, who we saw perform at the Riverfront Stage. Not only did he surprise with the set he performed the day before, but the man has decent underhand pitching form.

Not only could Chase pitch, but he could hit too. And he didn't even flinch when they switched out the ball on him. A classic prank... loved it! Now I understand this was a game for charity, but I was a bit disappointed that the "official scorer" lost track of the game which led to runs being scored for the opposite team. It was quite bizarre... maybe the heat was getting to them.

Yep, not only did we have an early day, but it was a hot one too! Theresa and I vacated our seats for higher grounds where we found a scosche of shade. As we looked into the future, we saw ourselves frying in the heat, surrounded by our sweaty drunk friends while watching The Swon Brothers at Riverfront Stage. Flashbacks of yesterday also creeped into our minds and we opted for some R&R instead... it was vacation after all.

BMI Tailgate Stage
Naps, yes we napped. But we were up-and-at-em in time to make it to LP Field where Brett Eldredge was scheduled to play the Tailgate Stage. We knew weather was headed our way, so with ponchos in hand we weaved through the crowd and made our way to the stage, which was just outside the LP entrance. Next thing we knew, we'd been whisked inside with everybody and their brother and were told to take cover under the concourse. Something about Thunderstorm Warnings and Tornado Watches in the area. I snapped this picture as the heaviest part of the rain blew sideways (That's not a cloud in front of the big screen tv) at the end of the concourse.

The most eventful moment was when the yellow fencing took a topple in the high-speed winds. We were "entertained" by a street performing drumming on 5-gallon buckets. It was so loud and he seemed to follow us around. With this delay, Brett Eldredge never took the stage and the main event started at least an hour after scheduled.

LP Field
With the wind and rain, Theresa and I opted to squat in some seats in the endzone. The stage itself was blocked by... well, all the stuff in the photo below, but our goal was to have a good view of the big screen. That's really all we watched in our nosebleed seats anyway. If you look closely, you can see one of the crew members climbing the pole on the left, on their way to man the cameras for the show to begin. I wish I had the ability to thank them all personally.

Up first was Sara Evans, my softball all-star. Only familiar with her hits on the radio, I still thoroughly enjoyed her set. She played my favorite song, As If, and rocked the stage in the wind and rain. I definitely need to check out more of her music! Such a beautiful voice.

Taking the stage next was Little Big Town. My love for them has grown over the years as I've seen them perform many a show with Sugarland. It's been awesome to watch them explode over the last few years! I was looking forward to singing my heart out with them. Although I must say that with the current weather conditions, it was a little unnerving to listen to them play Tornado. Maybe it was just me... most everyone by that point had a WTF attitude and was three sheets to the wind.

You'll notice I have no pics of LBT or the next artist, Darius Rucker. I was in full poncho mode, arms inside, trying to keep warm as the temperature dropped, plus I didn't want to ruin my phone in the pouring rain. I've enjoyed Darius' voice ever since Hootie and Blowfish and couldn't wait to see him perform. He played my country favs and even a throwback song to his Hootie days. We didn't win a meet & greet with him, so the cardboard cutout will have to do for now. Someday... someday.

As the night continued, the WTF attitude of the crowd got worse and our somewhat empty, obstructed section became inundated with sopping wet, so drunk we can barely stand country music fans. Between these new "friends", being chilled to the bone, an early wakeup call, and having already see one of the last acts, we headed back to the hotel. Don't get me wrong, Keith Urban would have put on a good show as Theresa and I both know, and Florida Georgia Line can definitely hold their own as I've seen, but in the long run, it just wasn't worth it. I thank Theresa for skipping out on seeing FGL, which would have been her first time to see them in concert.