Photo Spread: Road Trip To See Miranda, Chris, and Jerrod

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Sony Music Nashville hosted a road trip Thursday night to Huntsville, AL to catch Miranda Lambert’s On Fire tour with guests Chris Young and Jerrod Niemann.

Offerings included a buffet dinner at The Eaves in Huntsville (a highly recommended stop for anyone traveling to Huntsville), a meet & greet before the show (Miranda-rita’s were flowing), and energy-packed sets by Niemann, Young, and Lambert.

Jerrod Niemann came out strong. There’s no denying that when the first lick of “What Do You Want” drowned the room, the crowd was fully engaged. “Lover, Lover” beckoned the audience into a full chorus sing-along. We also had an interesting discussion of our first names backstage, but I digress.

Chris Young followed with a full assortment of his hits and new material from his latest album, Neon. And it was a real treat for me to pay homage to Young while slow dancing in the audience with his mom, Becky.

Lambert offered a fantastic mix of songs from Four The Record, as well as her past chart toppers. She admitted it had been a tough week—due to the death of a childhood friend, father-in-law, and a beloved pet dog—which only strengthened the connection between her and the crowd. For the last number, she brought the boys back onstage, giving the fans an extra treat. Going to a Lambert concert is like hanging out with a friend and when you leave, you realize why you like her so dang much.

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Lady Antebellum Plots European Tour

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Lady Antebellum will take the headlining Own The Night 2012 World Tour to Europe this summer, the band announced today. The trio will briefly break from the tour, which kicked off Jan. 27, in Tulsa, OK, for the Grammy Awards where they will present and are also nominated for Best Country Album.

“Every time we’ve gone over to Europe, the fans there have given us such a warm welcome,” said band member Dave Haywood. “It’s an honor for us to be able to travel abroad and share our music with so many other countries…plus, we love to get out and sight-see and really experience each place we visit.”

European dates for Own The Night 2012 World Tour:

7/10 Dublin, Ireland—Olympia Theatre
7/13 Glasgow, UK—Royal Concert Hall
7/15 Manchester, UK—Manchester Apollo
7/16 London, UK—Hammersmith Apollo
7/18 Essen, Germany—Philharmonie
7/20 Frankfurt, Germany—Jahrhunderthalle
7/21 Munich, Germany—Tollwood Festival
7/23 Copenhagen, Denmark—Falconer Theatre
7/24 Gothenburg, Sweden—Tradgardsforeningen
7/26 Seljord, Norway—Countryfestivalen
7/27 Stockholm, Sweden—Solliden Skansen

Tickets for the international dates of the tour will be available for purchase on the band’s website beginning this Fri., Feb. 10.

Colt Ford Announces 2012 Tour

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Average Joes Entertainment’s Colt Ford will kick off the first leg of his 2012 Declaration of Independence Tour on Apr. 6 in Albany, GA. Labelmates The Lacs, JB and the Moonshine Band, Rehab and Lenny Cooper will open for Ford on the 20-city tour wrapping June 9 in Belvin, AR.

General admission ticket packages start at $25. Fans who purchase pre-sale tickets will be sent an exclusive 4-song EP with cuts from Ford, The Lacs, JB and the Moonshine Band and Cooper. For more ticket information and tour packages, visit www.coltford.com.

General admission tickets go on sale Feb. 15 and can be purchased through etix.com and www.coltford.com.

2012 “Declaration of Independence” Tour Dates:

4/6/2012     Albany, GA – Sasser Flea Market*
4/7/2012     Florence, AL – Alabama Music Hall of Fame*
4/13/2012    Forest, MS  – Scott County Coliseum
4/14/2012    Monroe, LA – Ike Hamilton Expo Center
4/15/2012    New Braunfels, TX – Whitewater Amphitheare
4/20/2012    Hiawassee, GA – Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds
4/21/2012    Florence, SC – Eastern Carolina Agricultural Fairground*
4/27/2012    Danville, VA – Carrington Pavilion
4/28/2012    Beckley, WV – Beckley Raleigh County Convention Center
5/4/2012     Fort Smith, AR – Phoenix Expo Center
5/5/2012     Shelbina, MO – Shelby County Fairgrounds
5/11/2012    TBA
5/12/2012    Blytheville, AR –  Arkansas Aeroplex*
5/18/2012    Pinnacle, NC – Jomeokee Campground
5/19/2012    Cookeville, TN – Scooter’s Biker Bar
5/25/2012    Brunswick, GA – TBA
5/26/2012    Lake Wales, FL – Triple Canopy Ranch
5/27/2012    Perry, FL – Iron Horse Mud Ranch
6/1/2012     Lake Charles, LA – Lake Charles Civic Center
 (on-sale 2/16)
6/2/2012     Pensacola, FL – Pensacola Interstate Fair Grounds
6/8/2012     Wichita, KS – The Cotillion
6/9/2012     Blevins, AR – The Hilarosa ATV Park

Additional tour dates will be announced at a later time.

*Rehab Opens

Rascal Flatts Announces New Tour

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Rascal Flatts recently announced the launch of The American Band Tour, beginning in summer 2012. The tour will feature an all band set-up with Little Big Town, Eli Young Band and Edens Edge opening. The shows will begin in Hartford, CT, on June 15 at the Comcast Theatre.

“We are always looking for new ways to re-energize our live shows,” says Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts. “We thought bringing out these bands, whom are among some of our favorite vocal groups, would make a great night of entertainment!”

Please check www.rascalflatts.com for up to date tour information.

Shelton Celebrates Certifications, Heads To Super Bowl With Lambert

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Warner Music Nashville Pres. and CEO John Esposito and his team surprised Shelton at his sold-out show in Duluth, GA this past Friday, Jan. 27 with three plaques to commemorate his success.

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert will share the stage at Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5. The couple will open the event by singing a duet version of “America the Beautiful.” Super Bowl XLVI will mark the husband and wife’s first TV performance since their nuptials last May. Their version of “America the Beautiful” will be available on iTunes beginning today (1/31).

Following the Super Bowl, Shelton will be returning to the second season of the hit TV show The Voice, premiering Sunday at 10PM ET on NBC.

On Friday he celebrated the RIAA Platinum certification of hit single “God Gave Me You,” and Gold certification of albums Red River Blue and Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton (pictured above).

In more news, Shelton and Lambert recently rescheduled tour dates due to the death of his father, and Lambert rescheduled a Feb. 3 stop in Tallahassee, FL due to the death of her longtime friend Mark Adams.

Randy Travis Sets 25th Anniversary Tour

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Seven-time GRAMMY winner, Randy Travis, will launch a silver anniversary concert tour throughout the U.S. and Canada on February 10th in Grand Ronde, Oregon. The tour will hit more than 30 cities with additional shows to be added.

Travis remarked on the tour saying, “I’m surprised at how fast the first 25 years have gone by, it feels like only five. There’s no better feeling than being on stage and the connection with a live audience.”

In June 2011, Travis marked the official beginning of his 25th year in the industry with Warner Bros. Records by releasing a 17-track Anniversary Celebration album featuring a lineup of guests including Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Kris Kristofferson, Carrie Underwood, George Jones, Zac Brown Band and Jamey Johnson. In May 2011, Cracker Barrel exclusively released the 12-track album, Randy Travis, which benefited the national Wounded Warriors Project and featured three previously unreleased songs.

25th Anniversary Celebration Tour (more dates to be announced)

Feb. 10– Grand Ronde, OR
Feb. 11— Airway Heights, WA
Feb. 13— Boise, ID
Feb. 16— Denver, CO
Feb. 17— Colorado Springs, CO
Feb. 18— Greeley, CO
Feb. 19— Beaver Creek, CO
Mar. 3— Coachella, CA
Mar. 9— Winnie, TX
Mar. 10— Ft. Worth, TX
Mar. 18— Gainesville, TX
March 22— Dothan, AL
Apr. 7— Laughlin, NV
May 4— Biloxi, MS
May 5— Live Oak, FL
May 6— Melbourne, FL

Festival Updates (1/31/12)

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The 13th Annual Americana Music Festival & Conference is set for September 12-15 in and around downtown Nashville, and super early bird rates are available to registrants through today (Jan. 31). Cost is $250 for AMA Members and $350 for non-members. Last year’s festival featured numerous educational sessions as well as late night showcases from diverse talents like Jessica Lea Mayfield, Hymn For Her, Buddy Miller, and many more.

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After a hiatus during 2011, BamaJam will return to Enterprise, Alabama for a weekend of music June 14-16, 2012. RLM/Mission Management’s Rendy Lovelady has been tapped as Executive Producer for the event, and will facilitate talent booking for all stages. “The history of BamaJam might be short, but it is sure exciting,” says Lovelady. “Headliners ranging from Kid Rock, Hank Williams Jr., Brooks & Dunn, Jason Aldean, and Taylor Swift have all graced the BamaJam stage and this year will be just as exciting, with our 2012 plans already underway.” Reach him at [email protected].

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The 8th Annual Bloomin’ Barbeque & Bluegrass Festival will be held May 18-19 in Sevierville, Tenn. Previous years have seen performers such as Marty Stuart, Sam Bush, and more. This year’s lineup is still being finalized but includes The Quebe Sisters Band, Mountain Ruckus, Rockin’ Acoustic Circus and more.

Dierks Bentley Extends Tour Through Spring

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Dierks Bentley‘s Country & Cold Cans Tour will play 20 U.S. cities starting April 13, after he returns from tour dates abroad in Canada and Australia. Bentley wrapped the first leg of the tour in late 2011.

Joining Bentley for the Country & Cold Cans Tour in April will be Republic Nashville’s Eli Young Band, as well as a combination of Will Hoge and The Cadillac Black in the opening slot. Tickets for the April 13th date at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles go on sale Fri., Feb. 10. Additional dates will be announced soon. See his itinerary here.

“Country & Cold Cans was such a great tour last fall…it’s just way too much fun to stop and we knew we had to continue it into the spring and make another run across the U.S. when we get home from Canada and Australia. We’re even going to Alaska…giving new meaning to COLD cans,” laughed Bentley.

Bentley will also play a special date at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium Thursday, Feb. 2 before heading to New York and Chicago for album release shows and then on to Vancouver for his Canadian trek. His sixth studio album Home will be released on Feb. 7. The album’s title track recently received an ACM nomination for Song Of The Year and currently sits at No. 3 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart.

Ryman Auditorium To Replace Stage

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The Ryman Auditorium will be replacing its stage for the first time since 1951. Plans for the new stage include an 18 inch section cut from the existing stage running across the front to honor the historical significance of past performances, similar to the famed circle of the same Ryman stage wood that resides center-stage at the Grand Ole Opry House near the Opryland hotel.

Around-the-clock security will be present as the current stage is dismantled and the oak planks are moved to an off-site location. An announcement on future plans for the historic planks will be made at a later date.

The last performance on the stage will take place on Friday, Feb. 3 when the Grand Ole Opry closes its annual winter run at the Ryman featuring Keith Urban’s first performance since vocal surgery.

The project will close the stage for two weeks beginning Saturday, Feb. 4, but self-guided daytime tours will remain open throughout the project at a $10.00 special rate.

The Band Perry will be the first public performance exhibiting the new stage for their sold-out headlining Ryman debut on Feb. 20.

“To play the Ryman is to step into country music’s rich history and we are honored to perform there. Now, as the venue makes plans for its future, we promise to inaugurate the new stage with all the respect and reverence it deserves,” said Kimberly, Reid and Neil Perry.

The current oak plank stage will be replaced with Brazilian teak certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, the same type of wood used to replace the Grand Ole Opry House stage after the 2010 flood. The size of the stage will remain unchanged at 60.5’ by 36.5’, but new cross-beams and the existing hickory support beams will be bolstered to enhance weight capacity from 40,000 pounds to 120,000 pounds.

Installed in 1951, the current stage reflects wear and tear as it hosted the evolution of country and global music including the Grand Ole Opry, the filming of “The Johnny Cash Show,” Roy Acuff, The Carter Family, Dolly Parton, Minnie Pearl, Marty Stuart, Porter Wagoner, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, and Neil Young.

Adkins Announces Ryman Tour Date

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Trace Adkins recently announced a special Songs & Stories Tour stop at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Trace will host a “homecoming” of sorts during the May 18 show in the city where he’s lived and worked for the last two decades.

The Ryman show will actually be the first time Adkins has performed a full-band performance at the venue. Tickets go on sale to fan club members on Monday, Jan. 30 and to the general public on Friday, Feb. 3.

“The point of this Tour is to get together and share meaningful songs, stories and some laughs ‘around the campfire’ – it’s the Country music tradition,” says Adkins. “The Ryman Auditorium also plays a very important role in the tradition of this genre, so it’s fitting that we would play this stage on this particular tour.”

Fans can share their own stories, questions and the songs that have inspired or shaped their lives on the Songs & Stories page at www.traceadkins.com.