2005
CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL BREAKS ATTENDANCE RECORDS WITH
MORE THAN 145,000 COUNTRY MUSIC FANS ATTENDING “COUNTRY MUSIC’S
BIGGEST PARTY™”
Tickets
for 2006 CMA Music Festival Selling Fast
NASHVILLE
- Persistent showers from tropical storm Arlene didn’t dampen the
spirit of “Country Music’s Biggest Party™” with a record
145,355 people attending CMA Music Festival June 9-12 in Downtown
Nashville.
“Our
fans are the most dedicated fans in the world,” said CMA Executive
Director Ed Benson. “They didn’t let the weather spoil the fun.
They were on their feet singing in the rain and dancing in the
aisles until the very end.”
Attendance
at the Festival hit an all-time high. Single concert tickets at the
Greased Lightning® Daytime Stages at
Riverfront
Park
and the Nightly Concerts at The Coliseum were up 38 percent. In
fact, CMA opened the upper level of The Coliseum for the first time
in four years to accommodate the demand for single concert
tickets.
"I
see increased single concert ticket sales as an indication of
increased local support and participation in the Music Festival,”
Benson said. “Local companies and individuals are embracing this
event as never before.”
All
available four-day ticket packages sold out, which represent a 16
percent increase over 2004. “We were able to put a few additional
four-days on sale, and as soon as these seats were made available,
they were gone,” Benson said of the demand for four-day packages.
“We certainly could have sold more.” And due to the increased
demand, this year CMA is reallocating Coliseum seating to provide
for more four-day ticket passes in 2006.
And
the fans want to come back. Tickets for CMA Music Festival 2006,
June 8-11, went on sale Saturday and four-day ticket packages sold
fast topping 2005’s first day sales by a robust 44 percent. And
the popular
Gold Circle
seats are already sold out. “They are coming back based on the
experience they had this year, and from what we heard during the
event and what we are seeing at the box office, that experience was
good,” Benson said.
Police
crowd estimates from the free areas including Bush’sâ Baked Beans
Family Zone, the Fun Zone and Sports Zone stayed the same
year-to-year. Attendance figures were very strong Thursday and
Friday, but showers from Arlene caused the crowds to diminish over
the weekend.
Attendance
has grown from 124,000 in 2003, to 132,000 in 2004 to more than
145,000 in 2005. “CMA’s goal has always been to grow this event
into a world-class Festival for our fans, our artists, our industry
and our city,” Benson said. “And working together with our key
stakeholders and partners, we are beginning to accomplish that
goal.”
Nightly Concerts at The Coliseum
35
acts participated in the star-studded Nightly Concerts at The
Coliseum over the four days with continuous shows on the enormous
dual stages.
Collaborations
were the highlight of Thursday night with Dolly Parton performing
with The Grascals and recent “American Idol” winner Carrie
Underwood performing with Phil Vassar. The rest of the star-packed
lineup included Dierks Bentley, Julie Roberts, Sugarland, Trick
Pony, Keith Urban and Lee Ann Womack.
Fans
were treated to performances Friday by Sara Evans, Josh Gracin,
Craig Morgan, Rascal Flatts, SHeDAISY, Blake Shelton and Travis
Tritt. One of the highlights came during Alan Jackson’s
performance. With characteristic calm,
Jackson
greeted the crowd who stood in the downpour and cheered.
“I’m
glad to be here tonight,” he said. “Thanks for hanging around in
this bad weather. And thanks for coming out and supporting my music
and seeing my shows over the years.” He dedicated “To Do What I
Do” to them and when they roared their approval,
Jackson
humbly said, “Thank you so much. You make me proud.”
Saturday’s
lineup included Trace Adkins, Miranda Lambert, Jo Dee Messina, Joe
Nichols, Wynonna, Trisha Yearwood and the legendary Kenny Rogers.
Sunday rocked the house with Jeff Bates, Big & Rich with special
guest Cowboy Troy, Chris Cagle, Diamond Rio, Andy Griggs, Sawyer
Brown and Gretchen Wilson - who capped the night and the Festival.
Greased
Lightningâ Daytime Stages at
Riverfront
Park
Montgomery
Gentry got the 2005 CMA Music Festival off to a rousing start when
they arrived on a camouflage, all terrain four-wheeler complete with
police escort to kick off the event. Fans were waiting well before
dawn to see the pair - along with Dierks Bentley and Julie Roberts -
interviewed on national television by ABC’s “Good Morning
America” weatherman Tony Perkins.
Throughout
the four days, the riverfront dual stages bustled with a rich array
of more than 100 acts from both major and independent record labels
performing nearly 30 hours of concerts - despite occasional rain
delays.
CMA
Music Festival Kick Off Parade
New
in 2005 was the CMA Music Festival Kick Off Parade, which traversed
four blocks on Broadway before ending at
Riverfront
Park
for the launch of the Festival with Montgomery Gentry. Riding atop
classic and contemporary Chevy vehicles were artists and celebrities
including David Ball, Bush’sâ Baked Beans spokesduo Jay Bush and
his dog Duke, Brad Cotter, Cowboy Crush, Cowboy Troy, Kassie DePaiva,
Lila McCann, NASCAR Busch Series driver Boston Reid (driver of the
No. 51 Lowe’s Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports), Forty5 South
and Lane Turner. CMA’s Benson presided as the parade’s honorary
Grand Marshal.
Wranglerâ
Fan Fair
The
state of continuous commotion that’s been the standard for the
Wrangler® Fan Fair (Exhibit Hall) was back in force at the 2005 CMA
Music Festival. A total of 373 acts and celebrities appeared in the
Wrangler Fan Fair at the
Nashville
Convention Center
for the autograph and photo sessions. Exhibit booths sold out with
117 exhibitors. Attendance over the four days was up from 37,000 in
2004 to 43,567 in 2005. In fact, several people camped overnight on
the sidewalk outside the Convention Center to be the first in line.
Trace
Adkins, Blue County, Bush’s Baked Beans spokesduo Jay Bush and his
dog Duke, Rodney Carrington, “Nashville Star” winner Erika Jo,
Buddy Jewell, Miranda Lambert, Jo Dee Messina, the stars of NBC
Daytime, Oak Ridge Boys, Sawyer Brown, Blake Shelton, Aaron Tippin,
Cowboy Troy “American Idol” winner Carrie Underwood, Bryan White
and Darryl Worley generated lots of excitement and strong lines of
enthusiastic fans - as did many others.
Firebrand
Tanya Tucker signed 300+ autographs over the course of the event.
Dierks Bentley spent three hours greeting fans, Big & Rich
signed at least 100 autographs and Kix Brooks showed up unannounced
at the Brooks & Dunn booth and spent nearly four hours meeting
fans and signing autographs.
The
Acoustic Corner, which launched in 2004, featured 28 performers.
The area on the second floor of the Convention Center was packed
with fans who often ended up following the artists to their booths
after their performance for autographs.
MJI
on the Air
CMA’s
official CMA Music Festival radio partner, MJI Programming, a
division of Premiere Radio Networks, brought 20 of Country radio’s
top-rated stations (including
Los Angeles
,
Philadelphia
,
Phoenix
,
Portland
,
Tampa
,
Washington
, D.C. and
Atlanta
) and the nationally syndicated “After MidNite with
Blair Garner
” to
Nashville
for three days of remote broadcasts from the Convention Center. More
than 70 major record label artists and celebrities participated in
the remotes reaching millions of listeners.
Tower
Record
Sales
According
to Tower
Record
s, which sold CDs at the Wranglerâ Fan Fair and other event
locations, the Top 10 selling artists for CMA Music Festival were
(in order) Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich, Trace
Adkins, Sugarland, Miranda Lambert, Cowboy Troy, Van Zant, Buddy
Jewell and Gretchen Wilson.
The
Sports Zone
CMA’s
Sports Zone, in its second year, was a hit with participants and
fans in 2005. On Thursday, tournament host Andy Griggs was the
surest shot at “The Fourth Annual Andy Griggs Celebrity Archery
Tournament.” Last year’s winner, songwriter Neil Thrasher
(formerly of the duo Thrasher Shiver), came in second place out of
the 15 participants.
When
Amber Dotson got her record deal at Capitol
Record
s Nashville, she treated herself to a Shimano Curado bay casting
reel, a G-Loomis rod (with fast action) and a pair of Maui Jim
sunglasses. Saturday her high-end gear paid off at the “Second
Annual BASS Anglers and Artists Tournament” when Dotson and 1982
CITGO Bassmaster Classic Champion of the Year Paul Elias won the
Festival tournament with the five fish limit - totaling 8.14 pounds.
What
will she do when she has her first No. 1? “I’m getting a bass
boat - a pink one!” Dotson said after the event.
Dotson
and Elias bested the efforts of 10 teams of fishing pros who were
paired with artists and songwriters including Barry Bales, Tresa
Jordan, Lila McCann, last year’s champ Monty Powell, Jon Randall
and Chalee Tennison.
The
T.G.I. Friday’s® Sports Challenge took place Friday in the Sports
Zone. Two-dozen celebrities faced off in friendly competitions
including basketball, golf, hockey, football and baseball. One team
reigned supreme. Country stars
Steve
Azar and Danni O’Neill, former NFL star
Steve
Cole and Nashville
Kat
Aaron McConnell won 2005 bragging rights.
The
Chevy “All Access Music Tour” and Stage was a hit with fans and
local attendees. In addition to free, live, evening concerts which
preceded The Coliseum shows, fans enjoyed five interactive exhibits
and more than 10 Chevrolet display cars, and got registered to win
floor-seat ticket upgrades for The Coliseum.
Bush’s
Baked Beans Family Zone
Growing
in popularity each year, the Bush’sâ Baked Beans Family Zone was
buzzing during CMA Music Festival with activities for youngsters and
the young at heart.
CMA
and The Tennessean’s
Newspaper in Education program teamed up with Bush’s® Baked
Beans, the Nashville Zoo and Office Depot to sponsor the “Second
Annual Color Me Musical” Poster Contest. The contest encouraged
children in kindergarten through 8th grade to design a poster around
how music moved them, and then write an essay about it. Entries
doubled to nearly 800 this year. The kindergarten through fourth
grade winner was Aaron Wood, 10, of
Mount Juliet
,
Tenn.
Jessica Crane, 13 of
Franklin
,
Tenn.
, won for the fifth through eighth grade category.
On
Friday, Jay Bush and his dog Duke, spokesduo for Bush’s® Baked
Beans, presented the winners with $500 savings bonds and tickets to
CMA Music Festival. The winners also received a one-year family
membership for the Nashville Zoo and prizes from Office Depot.
Five
hundred Festival fans and local residents attending the Family Zone
Sunday got a free lunch from CMA Music Festival partner Bush’s®
Baked Beans and the opportunity to meet spokesduo Jay Bush and his
dog Duke. At least 150 pounds of Bush’s® Baked Beans were served,
along with 1,000 hamburgers and hot dogs.
CMA Celebrity Close Up
The
inside track is what CMA Celebrity Close Up is all about with a
lively question and answer format hosted by media personality
Lorianne Crook
. And she treated the audience of nearly 2,000 people to a bit of
insider information Thursday when she disclosed to the fans first,
that Brooks & Dunn would be hosting the 2005 CMA Awards.
Close
Up guest Kix Brooks deadpanned that he and partner Ronnie Dunn must
not have messed up too badly the first time and the crowd roared its
approval. Other celebrity guests during the series at the Ryman
Auditorium included
Eddie
Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry and Sugarland on Thursday and Travis
Tritt and Trisha Yearwood on Friday.
CMA
Music Festival After Hours™
Fourteen
Downtown Nashville clubs participated in CMA Music Festival After
Hours™. Each received official Music Festival T-shirts with a
“Why Sleep?” motto that was a late night call to action for the
party hardy attendees.
NBC
Daytime
NBC
Daytime and CMA continued their successful partnership for the fifth
consecutive year with stars of “Days of our Lives” and
“Passions” making several appearances.
Actors
appearing at the Festival from “Days of our Lives” included Kyle
Brandt (“Philip”); Martha Madison (“Belle”); Jason Cook
(“Shawn”); Farah Fath (“Mimi”); Melissa Reeves
(“Jennifer”); Matt Ashford (“Jack”); Brody Hutzler
(“Patrick”); and Julie Pinson (“Billie”). From
“Passions” attendees met Charles Divins (“
Chad
”); Justin Hartley (“Fox”); Lindsay Hartley (“Theresa”);
Eric Martsolf (“Ethan”); Liza Huber (“Gwen”); and McKenzie
Westmore (“
Sheridan
”).
NBC
Daytime After Hours Party
Soap
opera fans had to summon yet another burst of energy to attend
Saturday night’s sold-out NBC Daytime After Hours™ Party at the
Wildhorse Saloon featuring stars from “Days of our Lives” and
“Passions” plus a special performance by Blue County.
2006
CMA Music Festival Tickets
2006
CMA Music Festival will take place Thursday through Sunday, June
8-11, in Downtown Nashville and tickets are available now.
To
order tickets for the 2006 CMA Music Festival call 1-800-CMA-FEST
(262-3378); visit www.CMAfest.com
to download an order form to fax or mail; visit www.ticketmaster.com
to buy online or charge-by-phone at (615) 255-9600. Prices do not
include applicable handling fees. Ticket prices are subject to
change without notice. All sales are final and non-refundable.
Four-day
ticket package categories correspond to a different level of
reserved seating at The Coliseum. Children 3 years and younger are
admitted free.
Packages
are divided into four categories, based on the level of reserved
seating at The Coliseum. Four-day ticket packages include the
Nightly Concerts at The Coliseum; Daily Concerts at Daytime Stages;
daily admittance to the Fan Fair (Exhibit Hall) featuring the
Acoustic Corner; Family Zone; Fun Zone; Sports Zone and performance
stage; CMA Music Festival After Hours™; free in-town shuttles; the
CMA Music Festival Program Book; CMA Music Festival pin; special
discounts to area attractions, restaurants, shops and more.
2006
CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL FOUR-DAY TICKET PACKAGE PRICES
LEVEL
ADULT 14
& YOUNGER
Gold
Circle (Floor)
SOLD OUT
n/a
Floor
Level
$155
$110
Lower
Level
$135
$ 95
Club
Level
$125
$ 86
Patty
Grace
of
Tacoma
,
Wash.
, already has hers. She was in line early when tickets went on sale
Saturday for 2006 CMA Music Festival. “I got here early because we
want to sit in the
Gold Circle
section next year,” she said. “We waited too long to get our
tickets for this year, but come next year we are going to be front
and center.”
Television
Special
As
previously announced, the CMA Music Festival was filmed for a
two-hour network television special scheduled to air on the ABC
Television Network on Tuesday, Aug. 2 (9:00-11:00 PM/ET). The
special is produced by Robert Deaton and directed by Gary Halvorson.
For
up-to-the-minute information about tickets, travel information,
schedules, artists appearing and more, visit www.CMAfest.com
<http://www.CMAfest.com>
and sign up for e-news.
2005
CMA Music Festival is organized and produced by the Country Music
Association. CMA Board member Tony
Conway is the Executive Producer of CMA Music Festival.
MJI Programming, a division of Premiere Radio Networks, is the
official radio broadcaster. Chevy, An American Revolution, is the
official automotive sponsor of the CMA Music Festival. Promotional
partners include Bush’s® Baked Beans, Carl Black Chevrolet,
Chick-fil-A®,
Crème
Savers® candies, Coca-Cola®, Crisco®, Greased Lightning®,
HCA/Tri-Star, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt,
NBC Daytime, Prilosec OTC, Purity Dairies, T.G.I. Friday’s,
Tennessee Lottery and Wrangler®. Fan Fair is a registered trademark
of CMA.
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