CMA Fest 2014 - Day 4

Sunday, June 8th

Great American Country Breakfast Series
Yes folks, that's right... Theresa and I got to eat breakfast while listening to performances by 4 wonderful country artists.

Rose Falcon was first to take the stage. I'd venture to say that I'm more familiar with the songs she's written than any music she's recorded herself. She was quite sweet to the nearly 250 of us while we were still in the midst of waking up.

Leah Turner was next up and seemed bound and determined to get the room rockin'. I enjoyed the edge to her music and the little grit in her voice. A very strong performance for 8:30ish in the morning.

Third to take the stage was Jamie O'Neal. Another wonderful set to wake up to and it was nice to hear some of her stories about the songs and happenings prior to the show so early in the morning.

Rewinding a bit... I debated back and forth whether I wanted to get tickets for this GAC Breakfast. Buffet starts around 7:00am with music at 8:00, assuming you can get out of bed early enough after the LP Field concert the night before and make your way back into the heart of Nashville.

Not knowing when I might get back to CMA Fest again and having the opportunity to Kristian Bush in an intimate venue with the promise of a meet and greet... well, I couldn't pass it up. I do still cringe thinking about how I woke up earlier that Sunday morning than any workday.

My absolutely favorite pic I snapped of Kristian is above. I just love his smile. As he was warming up the audience, I yelled out, "Riverfront", with a fist pump. He assumed none of us knew any of his music, but I had to let him know I supported him at the Riverfront Stage earlier in the week. Another lady in the audience chimed in too, and that's when Kristian told us that he expected us to sing along with all the lyrics. I did my best, but will practice up once his solo album comes out. Can't wait!

After the concert, we headed over to FanFair X where we got our photos taken with the artists. I was able to sneak in a super short conversation with Kristian, and for some reason... well, he decided to give this overly excited fan a guitar pic (see first photo in this post). I kind of wish I had a picture of the smile on my face after that. I hope I didn't bruise Kristian's arm with my "thank you" pats.

Samsung Galaxy Stage
You might be wondering how Theresa and I knew of all the artists and events that were going on during the CMA Fest. It was actually quite easy thanks to an CMA Fest 2014 app we were able to download on our phones. Prior to the trip as I scrolled through the 100's of artist listings, I can across the names Matthew and Gunnar Nelson. Holy Smokes! That's Nelson! Rewind to the early 1990's and the cassette tape that got played round the clock.

To no surprise I turned into a little kid. It was fantastic! They gave out a couple CDs for those of us who waited to meet them after the show. Not only do I have a photo with them, but they autographed the CDs to/for me. Too bad David Cassidy wasn't there for Theresa to meet.

I have no stats, but I believe based on the beautiful weather that Sunday was the busiest day of CMA Fest during the day. Theresa and I were ready to get out of the heat for bit come early and afternoon and as we passed over the pedestrian bridge we couldn't help but notice how crowded the Riverfront Stage was, and about a dozen boats listening from the river.

I promise you, there is grass, stairs, and tiers within that sea of people. Not only did good weather contribute to the size of the crowd, but they had a good lineup, and all of these daytime festival stage concerts were free for anyone to see.

LP Field
After some relaxation time in the afternoon, Theresa and I made it back to LP Field for the last night of shows. As I look back, I probably should have taken a nap, but I was more focused on making sure I would sleep well that night and didn't want to throw myself off. Here's a shot of Nashville from the upper deck concourse at LP Field. (I still don't know what LP stands for.)

The last night started out with Charlie Daniels Band. Theresa and I had high hopes of staking out our lower bowl obstructed seats, but the arena staff was on to everyone this night, so up to section 333 we treked. Charlie Daniels still has it and was quite the crowd pleaser with Devil Went Down to Georgia.

Next up was Thomas Rhett. He got some good crowd participation with the cell phone flashlights, but that's about all I remember. During the ride back to the hotel I asked Theresa who was playing on the radio. She told me it was Thomas Rhett... the guy that just played that song about an hour ago. Note: I did say I should have taken a nap.

I was excited to see Lady Antebellum take the stage, since I've never seen them in concert before. One would not be able to tell that based on my posture at the time. Feet up on the seat in front of me, elbow on knee, and chin resting on hand. If Theresa were taller than me, then I may have been asleep on her shoulder in between acts. Lady A did a nice job, but lacked the oomph to truly wake me up.

Then there came Hunter Hayes, the human equivalent to a Mexican Jumping Bean. The only reason why I got a clear shot of him on my phone camera is because he was sitting down. His showmanship has grown since I last saw him and he put on an awesome show! Dude is so talented... writing music and playing all instruments.

Last up for Theresa and I at CMA Fest 2014 was Zac Brown Band. I saw them once upon a time opening up for Little Big Town. To see them on this grand stage was a treat. They had the whole place rocking & swaying and they truly connected with the audience. It was a joy to see and a perfect note to end the night on.

Ummm, yeah, Brad Paisley must have drawn the short straw. Poor guy played to a fairly sparse crowd. We weren't the only ones who decided to boogie after ZBB to the stage. Luckily we managed to beat getting stuck in a parking fiasco, and not seeing Brad leaves me with a reason to go back someday.

My first CMA Fest experience was unforgettable. I had a blast and couldn't have asked for a better person to enjoy the adventure with than Theresa. We were going to get one last selfie as we left that evening, but none of the lights were in our favor. I suppose that's one more reason to go back.