CMA Music Fest On ABC Tonight

Attention country music fans. Tonight’s the night. Tune in to ABC for CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock. The three-hour special, which attempts to capture all the music and excitement of Nashville’s annual country music extravaganza, kicks off at 8:00 PM/ET, with country superstar Tim McGraw serving as host.

The special features performances by Jason Aldean, Billy Currington, Alan Jackson, Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, McGraw, Justin Moore, Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton with Trace Adkins, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, and Zac Brown Band filmed in front of a sold-out audience in June during CMA Music Festival in Nashville at LP Field, home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans.

One highlight of the show is a special performance by reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Taylor Swift, who premiered her soon-to-be-released new single “Mine” for her fans at a top-secret private event in Nashville during the festival. The song is the first single from her upcoming album Speak Now, in stores Oct. 25.

Viewers will also enjoy two collaborative performances filmed at Fuel Bar & Nightclub in Downtown Nashville in front of a jam-packed crowd of Festival attendees. First, Dierks Bentley and Jamey Johnson join Lambert to sing “Bad Angel,” a track from Bentley’s current CD, Up on the Ridge. Later, Uncle Kracker and Kid Rock perform “Good To Be Me,” featured on Uncle Kracker’s recently released CD, Happy Hour: The South River Road Sessions.

Offering an insider’s glimpse at the Festival, Lady Antebellum allowed cameras to follow them for a day at the event. Viewers will see the reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year perform at their fan club party, interact with Festival attendees during an unplanned appearance in the Fan Fair Exhibit Hall, and more.

Humorous segments involving several of the participating artists, surprise guests, and more will be featured in the special as well.
This year, CMA Music Festival served as the Grand Re-Opening of Nashville, after the city and surrounding areas experienced a devastating flood in May. The flood, the recovery efforts, and the coming together of the Nashville community to help its fellow citizens will be spotlighted in the television special. CMA is donating 50 percent of this year’s net proceeds from the Festival to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee for flood relief. As always, the other 50 percent of net proceeds will be donated to the Nashville Alliance for Public Education through CMA’s Keep the Music Playing program to purchase instruments and supplies for music education in Metro Nashville Public Schools.

This is the sixth time ABC will broadcast this special – which invites the whole country to America’s biggest country music bash – since the original Fan Fair® was launched in 1972. This year an average of 65,000 fans from every state and 26 foreign countries attended each day of CMA Music Festival, its biggest turnout yet.

CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock is executive produced by Robert Deaton and directed by Gary Halvorson. The 2010 CMA Music Festival is organized and produced by the Country Music Association. CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock is filmed in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.