Photo: twitter.com/chrisyoungmusic
Drenched heads and squeaky cowboy boots filed into Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night (Sept. 22) for an exciting and sentimental night of music from hit-maker Chris Young.
The Losing Sleep World Tour made its Nashville stop a full circle moment for Young, as it was his first time headlining the massive indoor venue. The Murfreesboro-native brought along Kane Brown and Morgan Evans.
Young hit the ground running early, exhilarating the fans with his guitar-fueled “Losing Sleep” and then thrilling them further with his 2009 mega-hit, “Gettin’ You Home.” It was clear that Young was not messing around.
Several moments throughout the show found Young surveying the packed arena, grinning ear to ear and thanking his supporters and fans.
“I get to do what I love every day because of you. This is your fault,” he joked, “this is all your fault.”
One of the perks of a Nashville show is the chance that collaborators and other special guests are more likely to show up. Young did not hold out on the special guests, first bringing Cassadee Pope out to do their fiery duet “Think of You.”
Photo: Jeff Johnson
Young also surprised the audience when he introduced his friend Brad Paisley to perform “I’m Still A Guy.” The two traded verses and teased each other while singing the playful ode to masculinity. Paisley took it upon himself to grab a fan’s phone and make a call. The voice mailbox on the other line was lucky enough to hear Young and Paisley finish out the tune and the crowd roar.
Photo: Bridgestone Arena
A very grateful Young thanked his family and friends, many of whom were in attendance, and talked a lot about his road to get where he is now. He detailed growing up in middle Tennessee and playing gigs just up the street on Nashville’s Broadway. Young even invited a college friend from his brief time at Belmont University (before he later transferred to MTSU) to play keys at his Nashville show.
“This has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid,” he gushed, “I’m never going to quit saying thank you.”
Couples swayed and slow danced to “Who I Am With You” and “I Can Take It From There,” but Young promised the single audience members that he hadn’t forgotten them as he went into “Lonely Eyes.”
Photo: MusicRow
Young also treated the audience to a few covers throughout the night. iPhone lighters glistened and swayed as Young did a tender acoustic version of Keith Whitley’s “When You Say Nothing At All” and audience members howled when he broke into Brooks & Dunn’s “Neon Moon” when trying to hit the high note at the end of his 2011 hit “You.”
After playing a twangy “Aw Naw,” Young thrilled the audience by extending the set into an acoustic encore featuring “The Dashboard” and “I’m Comin’ Over” without ever leaving the stage. It was clear that Young had made himself quite comfortable playing for a sold-out crowd at Bridgestone Arena.
Kane Brown elicited a lot of screams during his set, playing his record-setting hits “Heaven” and “What If’s.”
Perhaps one of the most touching moments of the night was when Brown talked of abuse and racism he endured during his upbringing in which he details in “Learning.” He brought his weeping mother out during the song and kissed her, and encouraged the audience to persevere through dark times.
Warner Music Nashville’s Morgan Evans opened the show with just a guitar and a loop pedal.
“I call this thing my American band,” he joked as he explained to the crowd how it worked and assured them that there were no pre-recorded tracks being used.
Evans played his radio-hit “Kiss Somebody,” as well as Dylan Scott’s “Hooked,” in which Evans penned with Seth Ennis and Lindsay Rimes. To make things even more exciting, he brought out his wife and country star Kelsea Ballerini to sing harmonies on his delicate “Dance With Me.”
Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena was full of star-studded surprises, full-circle moments and enough encouragement to warm the hearts of nearly 14,000 people. Chris Young’s homecoming made a dark and rainy night in Nashville one not to forget.
Carrie Underwood’s ‘Cry Pretty’ Becomes Biggest All-Genre Female Album Debut Of 2018
/by Jessica NicholsonCarrie Underwood’s new album Cry Pretty is the biggest all-genre debut by a female in 2018. The album debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Album Charts with 265,654 equivalent album units, making Underwood the only woman in history to land four country albums at the top of the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.
Cry Pretty is the best-selling country album debut of 2018, as well as the biggest country album debut since Aug. 7, 2015 (Luke Bryan’s Kill The Lights) and the biggest female country album debut since Oct. 22, 2012 (Taylor Swift’s Red). Cry Pretty’s debut week also marks the most first-week streams by any female in country music. This is Underwood’s seventh consecutive album to debut at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart, representing all of her first seven albums including her Greatest Hits: Decade #1.
Cry Pretty is Underwood’s first release on Capitol Records Nashville and marks her first time co-producing alongside David Garcia. She co-wrote nine of the songs on the album including her current single, “Love Wins,” with David Garcia and Brett James. She recently released the official music video for “Love Wins,” which was directed by Shane Drake.
Underwood returns this fall for her sixth season as the voice of Sunday Night Football. This November, she and Brad Paisley will co-host the CMA Awards for the 11th consecutive year. In spring 2019, Underwood will launch a new arena tour, The Cry Pretty Tour 360. Sponsored by CALIA and promoted by AEG Presents, the new tour will kick off on May 1 in Greensboro, North Carolina, and will stop at 55 arenas across the U.S. and Canada. She will be joined on tour by special guests Maddie & Tae and Runaway June.
Core Panel Moderators Announced For Country Radio Seminar’s 50th Anniversary
/by Lorie HollabaughThis year marks the 50th year for the annual industry seminar, and registration is currently available at the rate of $599 here. Tickets to the New Faces of Country Music show are already sold out, and no longer available for purchase with registration packages.
In Pictures: Charlie Daniels, Chris Young, Lucas Hoge, Tegan Marie
/by Jessica NicholsonChris Young Honored With Charlie Daniels Patriot Award
Pictured (L-R): Charlie Daniels, Chris Young and David Corlew (Daniels’ manager and The Journey Home Project co-founder).
On Tuesday, Sept. 18 at the Charlie Daniels Patriot Award Dinner held at The Palm Restaurant in downtown Nashville, country singer Chris Young received a special honor and one that’s very near and dear to his heart. During the sold-out event benefiting The Journey Home Project (TJHP), Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie Daniels presented Young with the first-ever Charlie Daniels Patriot Award.
Lucas Hoge Visits ACM
Pictured (L-R): Lucas Hoge and ACM CEO Pete Fisher.
The Academy of Country Music welcomed Forge Entertainment Group recording artist Lucas Hoge to the office while he was in Los Angeles recently. While at the Academy, Hoge performed his current single, “Power of Garth,” and performed other songs off his current album, Dirty South.
Tegan Marie At WMN’s Pickin’ On The Patio
Pictured (L-R): Missy Iredell (Sr. Dir. Artist Development, WMN), John Esposito (Chairman & CEO, WMN), Tegan Marie, Scott Hendricks (EVP A&R, WMN), Veronica Zelle (Co-Founder and CCO, Sweety High) and Frank Simonetti (Co-Founder and CEO, Sweety High).
Breakout country artist Tegan Marie gave Warner Music Nashville’s Pickin’ On The Patio season an upbeat finale recently. From a fruit punch drink aptly called “Boys’ Tears” (a play off of her song “I Know How To Make A Boy Cry”) to bubbles festively decorating the air, the 14-year-old rising star treated the all-ages crowd to her lighthearted tune “Keep It Lit” and more alongside her high-energy band.
Chris Young Returns Home To A Sold Out Nashville Show
/by LB CantrellPhoto: twitter.com/chrisyoungmusic
Drenched heads and squeaky cowboy boots filed into Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night (Sept. 22) for an exciting and sentimental night of music from hit-maker Chris Young.
The Losing Sleep World Tour made its Nashville stop a full circle moment for Young, as it was his first time headlining the massive indoor venue. The Murfreesboro-native brought along Kane Brown and Morgan Evans.
Young hit the ground running early, exhilarating the fans with his guitar-fueled “Losing Sleep” and then thrilling them further with his 2009 mega-hit, “Gettin’ You Home.” It was clear that Young was not messing around.
Several moments throughout the show found Young surveying the packed arena, grinning ear to ear and thanking his supporters and fans.
“I get to do what I love every day because of you. This is your fault,” he joked, “this is all your fault.”
One of the perks of a Nashville show is the chance that collaborators and other special guests are more likely to show up. Young did not hold out on the special guests, first bringing Cassadee Pope out to do their fiery duet “Think of You.”
Photo: Jeff Johnson
Young also surprised the audience when he introduced his friend Brad Paisley to perform “I’m Still A Guy.” The two traded verses and teased each other while singing the playful ode to masculinity. Paisley took it upon himself to grab a fan’s phone and make a call. The voice mailbox on the other line was lucky enough to hear Young and Paisley finish out the tune and the crowd roar.
Photo: Bridgestone Arena
A very grateful Young thanked his family and friends, many of whom were in attendance, and talked a lot about his road to get where he is now. He detailed growing up in middle Tennessee and playing gigs just up the street on Nashville’s Broadway. Young even invited a college friend from his brief time at Belmont University (before he later transferred to MTSU) to play keys at his Nashville show.
“This has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid,” he gushed, “I’m never going to quit saying thank you.”
Couples swayed and slow danced to “Who I Am With You” and “I Can Take It From There,” but Young promised the single audience members that he hadn’t forgotten them as he went into “Lonely Eyes.”
Photo: MusicRow
Young also treated the audience to a few covers throughout the night. iPhone lighters glistened and swayed as Young did a tender acoustic version of Keith Whitley’s “When You Say Nothing At All” and audience members howled when he broke into Brooks & Dunn’s “Neon Moon” when trying to hit the high note at the end of his 2011 hit “You.”
After playing a twangy “Aw Naw,” Young thrilled the audience by extending the set into an acoustic encore featuring “The Dashboard” and “I’m Comin’ Over” without ever leaving the stage. It was clear that Young had made himself quite comfortable playing for a sold-out crowd at Bridgestone Arena.
Kane Brown elicited a lot of screams during his set, playing his record-setting hits “Heaven” and “What If’s.”
Perhaps one of the most touching moments of the night was when Brown talked of abuse and racism he endured during his upbringing in which he details in “Learning.” He brought his weeping mother out during the song and kissed her, and encouraged the audience to persevere through dark times.
Warner Music Nashville’s Morgan Evans opened the show with just a guitar and a loop pedal.
“I call this thing my American band,” he joked as he explained to the crowd how it worked and assured them that there were no pre-recorded tracks being used.
Evans played his radio-hit “Kiss Somebody,” as well as Dylan Scott’s “Hooked,” in which Evans penned with Seth Ennis and Lindsay Rimes. To make things even more exciting, he brought out his wife and country star Kelsea Ballerini to sing harmonies on his delicate “Dance With Me.”
Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena was full of star-studded surprises, full-circle moments and enough encouragement to warm the hearts of nearly 14,000 people. Chris Young’s homecoming made a dark and rainy night in Nashville one not to forget.
TobyMac’s Hits Deep Tour To Visit 37 Cities In 2019
/by Jessica Nicholson2019 concertgoers will be treated to tracks from The Elements releasing on Oct. 12, marking the first new collection of music from the chart-topping artist in three years. The Elements boasts TobyMac’s biggest song in six years, “I just need U.” along with the current radio favorite “Everything.”
The 2018 “HITS DEEP Tour” sold out 18 arenas including Sacramento, St. Louis, Phoenix, Denver, Grand Rapids, Minneapolis and San Antonio, drawing 11,000 at Portland’s Moda Arena alone. It was noted as the highest-grossing Christian tour of 2018.
This year’s tour will again feature the fan friendly 20 percent off First Weekend promotion. During the first weekend tickets are on sale fans can save 20 percent on ALL tickets by using the code word “INSIDER” when purchasing tickets online. This promotion begins at 10 a.m. Sept. 28 and runs through 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 30.
2019 “HITS DEEP Tour” Dates:
Jan. 29: Alexandria, LA Rapides Parish Coliseum
Jan. 31: Cypress, TX Berry Center
Feb. 1: Cypress, TX Berry Center
Feb. 2: Cedar Park, TX H-E-B Center at Cedar Park
Feb. 7: Huntsville, AL Von Braun Center
Feb. 8: Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
Feb. 9: Louisville, KY Freedom Hall at Kentucky Exposition Center
Feb. 10: Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Feb 14: Charleston, WV Charleston Coliseum
Feb. 15: Greenville, SC Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Feb. 16: Duluth, GA Infinite Energy Arena
Feb. 17: Norfolk, VA Constant Center
Feb. 21: Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
Feb. 22: Sunrise, FL BB&T Center
Feb. 23: Estero, FL Germain Arena
Feb. 24: Tampa, FL Amalie Arena
Feb. 25: Toledo, OH The Huntington Center
March 1: Fairfax, VA EagleBank Arena
March 2: Fairfax, VA EagleBank Arena
March 3: Hershey, PA GIANT Center
March 8: Youngstown, OH Covelli Centre
March 9: Hoffman Estates, IL Sears Centre Arena
March 10: Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
March 14: North Little Rock, AR Verizon Arena
March 15: Grand Prairie, TX The Theatre at Grand Prairie
March 16: Grand Prairie, TX The Theatre at Grand Prairie
March 22: Dayton, OH Wright State University’s Nutter Center
March 23: Pittsburgh, PA Petersen Events Center
March 24: Newark, NJ Prudential Center
March 26: Wilkes-Barre, PA Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
March 27: Albany, NY Times Union Center
March 29: Philadelphia, PA Liacouras Center
March 30: Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena
March 31: Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
April 5: Charlotte, NC Bojangles’ Coliseum
April 6: Birmingham, AL Legacy Arena at the BJCC
April 7: Jonesboro, AR First National Bank Arena
Thomas Rhett Adds Canadian Trek To Life Changes Tour
/by Lorie HollabaughTickets for the Canadian tour run go on sale Friday, Sept. 28 at ThomasRhett.com.
“My fans in Canada are incredible, so I’m really excited that we will be headed there for a couple weeks next year and get to bring all the energy of the Life Changes tour with us,” Thomas Rhett said.
LIFE CHANGES TOUR 2019 Canadian Dates:
4/24/19 | Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
4/26/19 | Ottawa, ON – Richcraft Live at Canadian Tire Centre
4/27/19 | London, ON – Budweiser Gardens
5/2/19 | Sakatoon, SK – Sasktel Centre
5/3/19 | Regina, SK – Brandt Centre
5/4/19 | Winnipeg, MB – Bell MTS Place
5/8/19 | Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
5/10/19 | Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
5/15/19 | Vancouver, BC – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
SiriusXM Acquires Pandora In $3.5 Billion Deal
/by Jessica NicholsonSiriusXM has acquired Pandora in an all-stock transaction valued at $3.5 billion. The transaction has been unanimously approved by both the independent directors of Pandora and by the board of directors of SiriusXM. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2019.
Under the deal, the Pandora brand will remain current, including Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium. Pandora products and pricing will not change as a result of this announcement.
SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer said, “We have long respected PANDORA and their team for their popular consumer offering that has attracted a massive audience, and have been impressed by PANDORA’s strategic progress and stronger execution. We believe there are significant opportunities to create value for both companies’ stockholders by combining our complementary businesses. The addition of PANDORA diversifies SIRIUSXM’s revenue streams with the U.S.’s largest ad-supported audio offering, broadens our technical capabilities, and represents an exciting next step in our efforts to expand our reach out of the car even further. Through targeted investments, we see significant opportunities to drive innovation that will accelerate growth beyond what would be available to the separate companies, and does so in a way that also benefits consumers, artists, and the broader content communities. Together, we will deliver even more of the best content on radio to our passionate and loyal listeners, and attract new listeners, across our two platforms.”
Pandora CEO Roger Lynch said, “We’ve made tremendous progress in our efforts to lead in digital audio. Together with SIRIUSXM, we’re even better positioned to take advantage of the huge opportunities we see in audio entertainment, including growing our advertising business and expanding our subscription offerings. The powerful combination of SIRIUSXM’s content, position in the car, and premium subscription products, along with the biggest audio streaming service in the U.S., will create the world’s largest audio entertainment company. This transaction will deliver significant value to our stockholders and will allow them to participate in upside, given SIRIUSXM’s strong brand, financial resources and track record delivering results.”
According to the agreement, the owners of the outstanding shares in Pandora that SiriusXM does not currently own will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 1.44 newly issued SiriusXM shares for each share of Pandora they hold. The transaction is expected to be tax-free to Pandora stockholders. SiriusXM currently owns convertible preferred stock in Pandora, representing a stake of approximately 15 percent on an as-converted basis.
AIMP Celebrates Nashville Songwriter Series
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R) Shane McAnally, Kylie Morgan, Jordan Brooker, Nicolette Hayford, Luke Laird. Photo: Josh Lockhart
The Nashville Chapter of the AIMP (Association of Independent Music Publishers) hosted its fourth annual AIMP Nashville Songwriter Series on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018 at The Hutton Hotel’s music venue, Analog. The event featured two rounds of up-and-coming songwriters who performed two songs each. Both rounds were hosted by GRAMMY Award winning songwriter/producers Shane McAnally and Luke Laird. The class included six emerging writers who have yet to earn a Top 20 on the country charts and were selected by a special committee made up of music industry professionals, based on submissions from current AIMP Nashville members.
The 2018 class includes Anna Vaus (Black River Publishing), Jordan Brooker (Warehouse West Entertainment), Kassi Ashton (Creative Nation), Kylie Morgan (SMACKSongs), Mike Walker (HoriPro Entertainment Group) and Nicolette Hayford (Diamond Eye Music).
Pictured (L-R): Shane McAnally, Anna Vaus, Mike Walker, Kassi Ashton, Luke Laird. Photo: Josh Lockhart
Carrie Underwood Receives Star On Hollywood Walk Of Fame
/by Jessica NicholsonSeven-time Grammy Award winner Carrie Underwood was honored with the 2,646th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018, by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in California.
The star is dedicated in the category of Recording at 1750 N. Vine Street in front of the historic Capitol Records Building. Emcee Leron Gubler, President & CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, unveiled the star with Simon Cowell, who was a judge when Underwood won the 4th season of American Idol, and Brad Paisley, with whom Underwood will co-host the CMA Awards for the 11th consecutive year in November.
Underwood released Cry Pretty, her first studio album on Capitol Records Nashville, on Sept. 14. In Spring 2019, Carrie will launch The Cry Pretty Tour 360, which will kick off in May and will play 55 arenas across the U.S. and Canada.
Smith & Wesley’s New Album ‘For Better Or For Worse’ Out Today
/by Lorie Hollabaugh“We are so excited to get this music out to our fans,” said Smith & Wesley. “We have to thank country radio for supporting us and for the amazing team behind us. We feel like we’re just getting started!”
Smith & Wesley’s Scott and Todd Smith wrote or co-wrote all but two of the tracks on For Better or For Worse, which was produced by Shayne Hill for Dream Walkin’ Records.
The duo also wrote or co-wrote 11 cuts on their debut album, Choices & Chances. Their “Sweet Life” single hit Top 30 on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart, and their third single, “You’re The One,” hit No. 27 on the same chart. In addition to being a top-researching single with all demographics, the heart-tugging “You’re The One” became an in-demand wedding song.