The massive white 58,000 square-foot big top across from the Gaylord Opryland Hotel was abuzz with excitement Wednesday night (Aug. 30) as Mayor Megan Barry, Senator Bill Frist, artists like Chris Young and Tracy Lawrence, local council members, and thousands of Nashvillians welcomed the anticipated arrival of Cavalia Odysseo’s Music City debut.

The breathtaking theatrical experience featuring 50 horses and an array of equestrians, acrobats, dancers, aerialists, and musicians finally arrived in Nashville after six years of touring the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, making us the 30th city to host the spectacular multi-million dollar production.

Cavalia Artistic Director and Creator Normand Latourelle, (who co-founded Cirque Du Soleil,) welcomed the eager crowd, saying Nashville was by far the warmest and friendliest city they had encountered throughout their extensive travels. Mayor Barry acknowledged the work it took and initiative by several council members to convince the Montreal-based Cavalia company to come to town before the curtain unveiled on the set, which is a marvel in itself.

An 8,400 square-foot screen projects the multitude of scenic backdrops used in the massive production, and the 17,000 square-foot stage is covered in 10,000 tons of a sand/earth mixture providing the horses plenty of room to roam and run. At one point in the production, an actual lake is created by flooding the stage for the four-legged stars to frolic in with their riders. Picturesque waterfalls, serene mountain pastures, and even an African desert are created in an almost 3-D like way to take the audience on the magical journey that is Odysseo.

From the pulse-pounding excitement of trick riders barreling across the stage unmounting and mounting back in the saddle at high speeds to the soul-stirring simple beauty of a pack of Lusitanos roaming free then on command lining up into perfect groups and marching towards the stage, the show offers plenty of jaw-dropping and unforgettable moments. Cirque Du Soleil fans will find plenty of moments to love as well in the ethereal numbers like the life-sized carousel segment, which blends horses and aerialists in an almost dreamlike way.

With visual beauty at every turn, heart-stopping action from the beautiful stallions gathered onstage, live music that accompanies each montage, and talented dancers and acrobats bounding across the stage at every turn, Odysseo is truly a can’t miss during its stop in Music City. Due to high demand, the company has extended its run in Nashville through September 17 before the rolling city of 110 semis transporting the world’s largest touring production heads off to its next destination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jamie Grace is back with a brand new album after taking a few years away from the spotlight. Her new project, ‘91, her third, is named for the year she was born.

“I really wanted to take the listener on a journey through my life,” says Grace. “This is absolutely my most personal record and the most personal lyrics I’ve ever written. My heart is literally on this record and I am ecstatic that it’s out today!”

’91 explores the singer’s life in great lyrical detail, from the intro track “Different,” which explains how it feels to not fit in, to the song “Games,” which addresses how fickle people can be. The project also includes some catchy sing-a-long pop-rock fun on “The Happy Song” and “Party Like A Princess,” and Grace delves into deeper spiritual material in the songs “Daughter of The King” and “Bella.”

At just 25 years old, Grace has racked up an impressive list of accolades: four No. 1 singles, a GMA Dove award for New Artist of the Year, a Grammy nomination, and a Billboard Music Award nomination, along with millions of views on her weekly Youtube videos.

Sony Music Nashville band LANCO recently previewed songs including “Born To Love You,” “Trouble Maker” and current single “Greatest Love Story,” during a visit to the MusicRow offices. LANCO is made of lead singer Brandon Lancaster, Tripp Howell, Eric Steedly, Jared Hampton, and Chandler Baldwin.

The barn burner “Trouble Maker” was inspired by shows the band would perform at Nashville’s concert series Whiskey Jam. “When we played this song at Whiskey Jam for the first time, it was like, ‘Oh yeah, this song is about so many people we’ve seen there,’” said Lancaster.

They played an acoustic rendition of “Born To Love You,” which they finished recording a few weeks ago, while wrapping the recording stage of their upcoming album with producer Jay Joyce. The song grew from the struggles that most 20-somethings go through to determine their place in life.

“I’ve grew up in Smyrna [Tennessee] and maybe you go to college or you go to work at the Nissan plant,” said Lancaster, who is soon to be wed. “We have a lot of young friends our age who, even as musicians, there is this struggle to find out what you were born to do. When you find that someone special a lot of those worries go away and you realize you were born to love this person.”

They closed with their current single, “Greatest Love Story.” The song’s video has recently notched more than 50 million streams.

“People can look at stat sheets and whatever, but our measurement of how a song is doing is on the road,” say Lancaster. “People are not shy on the road. They have no problem coming right up and letting it all out and telling you what they think of a song. We found that this song was impacting people.”

Lancaster says that it was fans from all over the world that ultimately gave “Greatest Love Story” its title.

“The song is pretty much my journal and at first it didn’t even have a title. People would ask me what it was called, and I’d say, ‘Maybe it’s called ‘Love Story?’ Oh, wait Taylor Swift already had a song called that, so ‘American Love Story?’ That was the working title, but people on the road people kept calling it ‘Greatest Love Story.’ We would have people from the UK and Ireland saying they loved it and related to it, so we were like, ‘This isn’t just an American love story. People relate to it all over the world.’”