Thomas Rhett headlines Bridgestone Arena. Photo: Instagram / @thomasrhettakins
Thomas Rhett closed out his Very Hot Summer Tour with a sold-out show on an ironically chilly night at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Saturday night (Oct. 12). The CMA Male Vocalist of the Year nominee showed his earned road-chops with a high energy show, with plenty of moments of intimacy and charisma.
Rhett kicked off the show with his most recent No. 1, “Look What God Gave Her,” after leaping onto center stage to thunderous applause. He quickly transitioned into his 2015 hit “Crash and Burn,” complete with horns and pyrotechnics.
Using the full length of the arena, Thomas Rhett traveled from the main stage to the smaller stage on opposite sides of the floor often. Running from one end to the next, he connected with every fan in the arena.
After a few more back-to-back hits, he brought out Little Big Town for their collaboration “Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time.” The country supergroup was but the first special guest of the evening.
Pictured: Thomas Rhett with Little Big Town. Photo: John Shearer
“Can I take you back to 2012?” Thomas Rhett exclaimed with a grin as he went into “It Goes Like This.”
“Thank you for selling out Bridgestone Arena tonight, this is freaking incredible. This is a very full-circle moment for me because I was born in Georgia but I grew up in Hendersonville, Tennessee. I grew up on a street in Hendersonville called Center Point Road. I grew up going to shows in this arena, and in all the years I’ve been on tour, I’ve never gotten to play a headlining show in Bridgestone Arena,” he said.
Building on the full-circle moment, he played his tender “Remember You Young.” He and his wife Lauren celebrated their 7th anniversary with the Bridgestone show. When their children Willa Gray and Ada James were featured on the big screens, it elicited almost as loud of a cheer from the crowd as Thomas Rhett did himself.
More screams ensued when Rhett brought HARDY out for their “Nothin’ Out Here” tune. Rhett introduced HARDY as one of the best songwriters in Nashville.
Pictured: Thomas Rhett and HARDY. Photo: John Shearer
When it came time for the auto-biographical “Life Changes,” Rhett brought out the horns again. He then traveled to the smaller stage for a stripped down selection of music, playing a song from his 2019 Center Point Road album called “That Old Truck,” as well as a new song he had just written for his daughters called “To The Guys Who Date My Girls.”
While he was out at the small stage, Rhett invited Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard to perform FGL’s hit “Round Here,” that Rhett co-wrote.
Pictured: Thomas Rhett and Tyler Hubbard. Photo: John Shearer
Thomas Rhett picked it back up and invited openers Rhett Akins, Russell Dickerson and Dustin Lynch back to the stage to perform “Beer Can’t Fix.” Akins, Dickerson and Lynch wore Nashville Predators jerseys and drenched themselves in beer for the performance. They also took the time to sing happy birthday to Rhett Akins, who would turn 50 at the stroke of midnight.
Rhett exhibited his exceptional vocal pipes by sounding great on slower tunes like “Marry Me,” after a high-energy “Vacation.” When he played his multi-Platinum hit “Die A Happy Man,” Rhett brought out his saxophone player for a brief moment, leaving the audience wanting more.
During “Unforgettable,” Rhett helped a couple in the audience do their gender reveal. The lucky couple is having a girl, so Rhett warned the father about future dates.
Rhett closed his set with his 2016 hit “T-Shirt,” and left fans covered in confetti and wildly cheering.
Pictured: Thomas Rhett and band. Photo: John Shearer
Before Rhett came on, Lynch got the crowd warmed up with his radio hits and million-watt smile. “I can’t believe this is real, man,” he said. “I’m playing Bridgestone Arena!”
Lynch played his hits “Seein’ Red,” “Mind Reader” and “Where It’s At,” as well as his breakout hit, “Cowboys and Angels.” He also played a selection of songs that he felt told his story from his first love of country music, to his entrance into the format. He started with his inspiration with Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee,” transitioned into Tim McGraw’s “Something Like That,” then Dierks Bentley’s “What Was I Thinkin’,” and then finally Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You,” saying Urban was the first artist to take him on tour.
Lynch closed his set with his multi-week No. 1 “Small Town Boy.”
Dickerson offered a high-energy set full of dancing, and songs like his “Every Little Thing,” “MGNO,” and No. 1 hit “Blue Tacoma.” He also played his chart-topper “Yours,” with the whole crowd singing the words back.
Rhett Akins opened the show with some of the 30 No. 1 songs he’s written, as well as his 1995 hit, “That Ain’t My Truck.”
SMACK Promotes One, Hires Two
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Sam Sarno, Carly Sater, Molly Bouchon Photo: Ford Fairchild
Publishing, management and artist development company, SMACK, has staffed up, promoting Sam Sarno and hiring Carly Sater and Molly Bouchon. The Nashville-based company is led by award-winning songwriters/producers Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne.
SMACK Publishing, home to some of the industry’s top songwriters, artists and producers, has promoted Sam Sarno to creative coordinator. Sarno joined SMACK in 2018 as catalog manager after graduating from Syracuse University. Her recent promotion will expand her role alongside CCO Robin Palmer and senior creative director Lee Krabel. She can be reached at sam@smacksongs.com.
In conjunction with Sarno’s promotion, SMACK Publishing has recruited Carly Sater as catalog manager. Sater will assist the creative team and oversee SMACK’s catalog containing dozens of award-winning songs and chart topping hits. Sater comes to SMACK after 2 years at Nashville-based 1220 Entertainment where she worked as a public relations assistant. Sater can be reached at carly@smacksongs.com.
Rounding out the new hires is Molly Bouchon, who has joined as director of digital. Bouchon will oversee artists as well as SMACK’s social strategy and act as a liaison between SMACK and digital partners across all genres. Prior to joining SMACK, Bouchon spent 3 years at Universal Music Group where she served as senior manager on the global streaming marketing team. Bouchon can be reached at molly@smacksongs.com.
‘AIMP Nashville Pubcast’ Launches Revamped Third Season with NMPA’s David Israelite
/by Lorie HollabaughHosted by Tim Hunze, Senior Director, Creative at Anthem Entertainment and AIMP Nashville Board Member, the now bi-weekly series will run year-round and feature 30-minute interviews with some of the most prominent music and publishing industry figures in Nashville discussing all aspects of the music business.
This year’s inaugural episode, “Winning the Battle, Continuing the War,” will feature David Israelite, President and CEO, National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA). Israelite will be speaking in advance of his Oct. 23 special AIMP event in Nashville, “State of the Union for U.S. Music Publishing.”
“I’ve been a fan of the ‘AIMP Nashville Pubcast’ ever since I was a guest during the first season,” said Tim Hunze, AIMP Nashville Board Member and Senior Director, Creative at Anthem Entertainment. “As the music business evolves, so will the Pubcast. We always need new voices to ensure that publishers adapt along with changing realities. We hope this podcast will give independent publishers and songwriters alike the knowledge and inspiration they need to dive into the industry. This season’s stellar guests are particularly informative.”
The “AIMP Nashville Pubcast” is available from all usual podcast providers. Subsequent episodes will be released every two weeks throughout the year.
Future episodes are currently scheduled as follows:
CRS360 Webinar To Feature Vince Gill, ‘Country Music’ Writer/Producer Dayton Duncan
/by Jessica NicholsonCountry Radio Broadcasters will feature Vince Gill, along with Country Music documentary writer/producer Dayton Duncan, for the latest installment of its CRS360 webinar on Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. CT.
Respected Nashville writer and journalist Rob Simbeck and CRB Executive Director RJ Curtis will co-moderate the discussion, which will focus on the impact of the documentary, how it triggered music sales, and discussion about the genre’s past, present and future.
“During the two weeks this expansive and compelling film aired on PBS, it was the constant topic of conversation in our industry,” commented Curtis. “Sixteen hours is a lot to process; even Country music experts learned things about our music and artists they never knew previously. This led to a collective, and thoughtful analysis of how and why our format has evolved, where it may be headed, and what its challenges may be. Dayton Duncan and Vince Gill will help provide greater insight, and we’re honored to have them share with our industry.”
Register for the webinar here.
Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Thomas Rhett To Headline Stagecoach 2020
/by Lorie HollabaughRhett headlines the Friday night show, Underwood closes things out on Saturday, and Eric Church rounds out the stellar weekend of performances on Sunday.
“Shattering our all-time attendance record in 2019 only made our team work harder and dive deeper to deliver more to our fans this year,” says festival Talent Buyer Stacy Vee. “The Stagecoach 2020 lineup is all about high energy and getting every type of country music fan fired up. On top of this crazy lineup, Guy Fieri is back, Diplo is back, and we have much more in store that is absolutely going to blow minds!”
Sunday night marks the return of Diplo Late Night In Palomino, and also returning to the festival this year is the SiriusXM Spotlight Stage, which will once again highlight today’s rising stars like Hardy, Caylee Hammack, Gabby Barrett and others. The Honkytonk Dance Hall also makes a comeback in addition to High Class Hillbilly owner and singer Nikki Lane’s Stage Stop Marketplace. Festival passes go on sale Friday, Oct. 18 at stagecoachfestival.com.
Canadian Country Great Dallas Harms Passes
/by Robert K OermannDallas Harms. Photo: CMA Ontario
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame member Dallas Harms died last weekend at age 84.
He was a singer, songwriter, producer and TV star in his home country, but is best known in the U.S. as the songwriter of the Gene Watson hits “Paper Rosie” (1977), “The Old Man and His Horn” (1977) and “Cowboys Don’t Get Lucky All the Time” (1978). Harms also wrote Billy Walker’s “A Violin That Has Never Been Played” (1978) and dozens of songs for Canadian country artists.
He began his career in the 1950s in the clubs of Hamilton, Ontario and on country TV shows. He launched his recording career in the 1960s and landed his first chart record in 1972, “In the Loving Arms of My Marie.” Harms placed 20 singles on Canada’s RPM charts, including the No. 1 hit “Honky Tonkin’ (All Night Learn)” (1982).
He appeared on all of the major Canadian country TV shows throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Harms produced Canadian country acts Artie MacLaren, Cathy Chambers, Larry Mattson, Glen Logan, Wayne Rostad, Neville Wells, Brent Williams, Lynn Dee and more. He was also a photographer and a graphics artist who designed his own album jackets.
Dallas Harms was inducted into the CCM Hall of Fame in 1989.
His death occurred on Oct. 12.
Kane Brown Reschedules Staples Center Concert
/by Jessica NicholsonKane Brown
Kane Brown has rescheduled his sold-out, headlining show at the Los Angeles Staples Center, set for Friday (Oct. 18), following the death of his drummer Kenny Dixon. Dixon died following a car crash in Tennessee on Saturday (Oct. 12).
Brown’s Staples Center show was intended to be the first of several concerts lined up to celebrate the arena’s 20th anniversary. Brown has rescheduled his show for Jan. 9, 2020, and attendees who had purchased tickets for the Oct. 18 show will have their tickets honored for the new show.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to Kane, his entire team and the family of his long-time drummer Kenny Dixon for their tragic loss this weekend,” the Staples Center said via a statement.
Dan + Shay’s “10,000 Hours” Posts Biggest First-Week Stream Total In Country Music History
/by Lorie HollabaughDan + Shay‘s new smash single with Justin Bieber, “10,000 Hours,” is already breaking records. The song has racked up a whopping 75 million-plus global streams in the first days of its release, making it the biggest first-week streaming total in country music history by a wide margin.
Additionally, with more than 250,000 U.S. track equivalents, “10,000 Hours” is the first song by a country duo or group ever to debut in the Billboard Hot 100’s top five. Arriving at No. 1 on the Country Streaming Songs and all-genre Digital Song Sales charts as well, this is also Dan + Shay’s third song to reach the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
The duo announced their arena tour last week, and their show at Madison Square Garden sold out in less than 90 minutes. CMT is celebrating their amazing year this Wednesday (Oct. 16) on the 10th Annual CMT Artists of the Year special.
Thomas Rhett Closes Very Hot Summer Tour With Sold-Out Hometown Show
/by LB CantrellThomas Rhett headlines Bridgestone Arena. Photo: Instagram / @thomasrhettakins
Thomas Rhett closed out his Very Hot Summer Tour with a sold-out show on an ironically chilly night at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Saturday night (Oct. 12). The CMA Male Vocalist of the Year nominee showed his earned road-chops with a high energy show, with plenty of moments of intimacy and charisma.
Rhett kicked off the show with his most recent No. 1, “Look What God Gave Her,” after leaping onto center stage to thunderous applause. He quickly transitioned into his 2015 hit “Crash and Burn,” complete with horns and pyrotechnics.
Using the full length of the arena, Thomas Rhett traveled from the main stage to the smaller stage on opposite sides of the floor often. Running from one end to the next, he connected with every fan in the arena.
After a few more back-to-back hits, he brought out Little Big Town for their collaboration “Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time.” The country supergroup was but the first special guest of the evening.
Pictured: Thomas Rhett with Little Big Town. Photo: John Shearer
“Can I take you back to 2012?” Thomas Rhett exclaimed with a grin as he went into “It Goes Like This.”
“Thank you for selling out Bridgestone Arena tonight, this is freaking incredible. This is a very full-circle moment for me because I was born in Georgia but I grew up in Hendersonville, Tennessee. I grew up on a street in Hendersonville called Center Point Road. I grew up going to shows in this arena, and in all the years I’ve been on tour, I’ve never gotten to play a headlining show in Bridgestone Arena,” he said.
Building on the full-circle moment, he played his tender “Remember You Young.” He and his wife Lauren celebrated their 7th anniversary with the Bridgestone show. When their children Willa Gray and Ada James were featured on the big screens, it elicited almost as loud of a cheer from the crowd as Thomas Rhett did himself.
More screams ensued when Rhett brought HARDY out for their “Nothin’ Out Here” tune. Rhett introduced HARDY as one of the best songwriters in Nashville.
Pictured: Thomas Rhett and HARDY. Photo: John Shearer
When it came time for the auto-biographical “Life Changes,” Rhett brought out the horns again. He then traveled to the smaller stage for a stripped down selection of music, playing a song from his 2019 Center Point Road album called “That Old Truck,” as well as a new song he had just written for his daughters called “To The Guys Who Date My Girls.”
While he was out at the small stage, Rhett invited Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard to perform FGL’s hit “Round Here,” that Rhett co-wrote.
Pictured: Thomas Rhett and Tyler Hubbard. Photo: John Shearer
Thomas Rhett picked it back up and invited openers Rhett Akins, Russell Dickerson and Dustin Lynch back to the stage to perform “Beer Can’t Fix.” Akins, Dickerson and Lynch wore Nashville Predators jerseys and drenched themselves in beer for the performance. They also took the time to sing happy birthday to Rhett Akins, who would turn 50 at the stroke of midnight.
Rhett exhibited his exceptional vocal pipes by sounding great on slower tunes like “Marry Me,” after a high-energy “Vacation.” When he played his multi-Platinum hit “Die A Happy Man,” Rhett brought out his saxophone player for a brief moment, leaving the audience wanting more.
During “Unforgettable,” Rhett helped a couple in the audience do their gender reveal. The lucky couple is having a girl, so Rhett warned the father about future dates.
Rhett closed his set with his 2016 hit “T-Shirt,” and left fans covered in confetti and wildly cheering.
Pictured: Thomas Rhett and band. Photo: John Shearer
Before Rhett came on, Lynch got the crowd warmed up with his radio hits and million-watt smile. “I can’t believe this is real, man,” he said. “I’m playing Bridgestone Arena!”
Lynch played his hits “Seein’ Red,” “Mind Reader” and “Where It’s At,” as well as his breakout hit, “Cowboys and Angels.” He also played a selection of songs that he felt told his story from his first love of country music, to his entrance into the format. He started with his inspiration with Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee,” transitioned into Tim McGraw’s “Something Like That,” then Dierks Bentley’s “What Was I Thinkin’,” and then finally Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You,” saying Urban was the first artist to take him on tour.
Lynch closed his set with his multi-week No. 1 “Small Town Boy.”
Dickerson offered a high-energy set full of dancing, and songs like his “Every Little Thing,” “MGNO,” and No. 1 hit “Blue Tacoma.” He also played his chart-topper “Yours,” with the whole crowd singing the words back.
Rhett Akins opened the show with some of the 30 No. 1 songs he’s written, as well as his 1995 hit, “That Ain’t My Truck.”
Zach Crowell Moves Into Top Five On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart
/by LB CantrellZach Crowell moves up five slots to the No. 5 spot on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart with co-writer credits on Chris Janson’s “Good Vibes” and Dustin Lynch’s “Ridin’ Roads.” Ashley Gorley remains at the top spot for the eleventh consecutive week.
Ross Copperman maintains position at No. 2, Blanco Brown moves up one to No. 3 and David Garcia climbs to No. 4 from No. 8 with “Hell Right” (Blake Shelton feat. Trace Adkins) and “Southbound” (Carrie Underwood) charting.
The MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart, published every week, uses algorithms based upon song activity garnered from airplay, digital downloaded track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the first songwriter chart of its kind.
Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.
Pop/Rock News: Jon Santana, Hey Monday, Friday Pilots Club
/by Jessica NicholsonNashville-based Producer/Songwriter Jon Santana On Chart-Topping SuperM Album
Jon Santana. Photo: Seiji Inouye
K-pop supergroup SuperM debuted at No. 1 this week on Billboard’s Top 200 albums chart, with the group’s EP The 1st Mini Album ‘SuperM’ moving 168,000 equivalent album units. Among the contributors to the album is Nashville-based producer/songwriter Jon Santana, who co-wrote the album cut “No Manners,” alongside Shae Jacobs and Tyler Holmes. All three writers are signed with Prescription Songs.
Santana’s previous production successes include Peter Manos’ “In My Head,” which has earned over 100 million streams. Santana’s own song “NY90” off his debut EP And There They Were, placed on Spotify Viral Charts in the U.S., Canada, Germany, Norway and Poland. He has had sync placements on MTV and VH1.
Cassadee Pope Returns To Her Punk-Rock Roots With Hey Monday Show
Pop-punk artist turned country singer Cassadee Pope will return to her rock roots with a “Homecoming” show in Nashville as part of her early pop band Hey Monday.
The show will take place Monday, Nov. 25 at revered Music City rock venue Exit/In. It has been more than a decade since the band debuted with Hold On Tight (Decaydance Records); the band has been on hiatus since 2011. Tickets are available here.
Friday Pilots Club Cover Classic ’80s Pop Tunes On New EP
Big Machine/John Varvatos group Friday Pilots Club cover a trio of classic ’80s pop songs on a new EP While You Wait. The band offers its own spin on The Psychedelic Furs’ “Heartbreak Beat,” Echo and the Bunnymen’s “Lips Like Sugar” and Iggy Pop’s “Real Wild Child (Wild One).” The project was produced by James Kourafas and Friday Pilots Club’s Robert Drew Polovick.