2006 CMA Music Festival Breaks Attendance Record

By Wendy Pearl

(c) 2006 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.

The 2006 CMA Music Festival set a new attendance record with 161,590 people attending the four-day Festival, June 8-11, in Downtown Nashville.

“It was an amazing event on many different levels – from the caliber of the artists and our surprise guests, to our incredibly enthusiastic fans, who traveled from around the globe to be here, and the growing support from Nashville and our surrounding communities,” said Tammy Genovese, CMA Chief Operating Officer. “Each year we say it, and it is true again in 2006, this was the best CMA Music Festival ever.”

Attendance at the Festival hit an all-time high. Single concert tickets at the Greased Lightning Daytime Stages at Riverfront Park and the Nightly Concerts at LP Field were up eight percent from 2005. In fact, CMA opened the upper level of LP Field for the second year and doubled the amount of seating to accommodate the demand for single night concert tickets. CMA also experienced a six percent increase in the sale of four-day ticket packages. Increased single concert ticket sales are an indication of increased local support and participation in the Festival,” Genovese said. “It is a trend that started last year and I’m happy to say we saw it continue in 2006. Local companies and individuals are embracing this event as never before – especially now that it benefits music education.”

Fans enjoyed themselves and made it known at the Box Office. Tickets for CMA Music Festival 2007, June 7-10, went on sale Saturday and Gold Circle four-day ticket packages sold out in a record two hours. By Sunday, advance sales bested sales during the same period in 2005, by a robust 41 percent.

“They are coming back based on the experience they had this year, and from the initial response and what we are hearing from the Box Office, they obviously had a good time and will be back in 2007,” Genovese said.

Attendance has grown from 124,000 in 2003, to 132,000 in 2004, 145,000 in 2005 to more than 161,000 in 2006. Increased sales of four-day ticket packages and single concert tickets at Riverfront Park and LP Field contributed to the growth, as well as record attendance at CMA Music Festival’s free areas – including the Family Zone, Fun Zone, Chevy Sports Zone, and Chevy “All Access Music Tour.”

“Our aim has been to grow this event into a world-class Festival for our fans, our artists, our industry, and our city,” Genovese said. “And working together with our key stakeholders and partners, we are well on our way to accomplishing that goal.”

Several factors accounted for the increase including moving the Chevy Sports Zone from the LP Field side of the Cumberland River to a new location adjacent to the Family Zone; an extensive local advertising campaign to drive awareness of the free areas; additional programs, including a sports challenge with celebrities and pro-athletes; additional performance stages; activities for children; and the weather, which had stayed clear and dry until the very end of the event.

The concert at LP Field was delayed Sunday night for more than an hour due to heavy lightning and storms, but the fans weren’t ready to call it quits and the music continued with Sugarland after the storm passed. Unfortunately, a second weather system made it impossible for unannounced, surprise guest reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Gretchen Wilson to perform.

“We were fighting the clock and weather, and we ran out of time with another storm approaching,” Genovese said. “The Office of Emergency Management was advising against going any later and we have to put the safety of the artists, our fans and hundreds of on-site workers and volunteers first and foremost.”

Surprise appearances are a hallmark of this event. And 2006 didn’t disappoint. Thursday night reigning CMA Horizon Award winner Dierks Bentley made an unannounced appearance, while CMA Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban joined CMA Awards hosts Brooks & Dunn during their set. On Friday, Country superstar Kenny Chesney also made a surprise appearance.

“We love giving our fans something special and unexpected,” Genovese said.

And it all benefits children and music education in Nashville. The artists and celebrities participating in CMA Music Festival donate their time. They are not compensated for the hours they spend signing autographs and performing. In appreciation of their exhaustive efforts, CMA donates half the net proceeds from the event to music education on their behalf.

To date, CMA has donated more than $800,000 to worthy causes on behalf of the artists and in 2006, CMA launched “Keep the Music Playing,” which earmarks music education in public schools for this important initiative through a partnership with the Nashville Alliance for Public Education. CMA anticipates contributing $300,000 toward music education for Metro Nashville’s 73,000 public school students in 2006.

The charity donation is appreciated, but at its heart, CMA Music Festival is – and always will be – about the fans and their relationship with the artists and the music. The theme is universal and in 2006, Festival attendees came from every state and 27 foreign countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and Uruguay.

New this year was the “CMA Music Festival Block Party” following “The Second Annual CMA Music Festival Kick Off Parade,” featuring special guests Big & Rich and a variety of artists, celebrities, and athletes riding in classic Chevy vehicles and the newest model cars.

Following the Downtown procession, the party kicked into high gear with a free block party at the Chevy “All Access Music Tour” stage on the plaza at the Gaylord Entertainment Center. Big & Rich made a surprise appearance and Cowboy Troy acted as host and emcee for the event, which drew an estimated crowd of 3,000 according to police estimates.

Nightly Concerts at LP Field

In all, 33 acts participated in the star-packed Nightly Concerts at LP Field.

The lineup Thursday included Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn with Keith Urban playing guitar on “Believe,” Sara Evans, Pat Green, Little Big Town, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blake Shelton, and Hank Williams Jr. Pre-show activities included Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell; Mark Wills, singing the national anthem; and the participation of the United States Marine Corps Recruiting Station Nashville Color Guard and a fly over by three Air Force F-16s from The Checkerboards of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 312, from Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, S.C

Midway through Evans’ hit-filled set, the singer stopped to introduce Kristen Wright and Sean Marks, both 24 of Buffalo, N.Y. When Marks dropped to his knee and asked Wright to marry him, the
crowd erupted into cheers.

Fans were treated to performances Friday by Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Terri Clark, Billy Currington, Montgomery Gentry, Wynonna, and Trisha Yearwood.

During her performance, Yearwood stopped to say, “We always hear so much about how great it is for the fans to see all their favorite artists in the same place, but it’s the same for me. I just love coming here and getting a chance to see all the fans.”

Saturday’s lineup included Billy Ray Cyrus, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Craig Morgan, Brad Paisley, Josh Turner, and Carrie Underwood, who made her first Festival appearance in 2005 after being named American Idol.

“It’s been a great week,” Underwood shouted to the enthusiastic audience. “It wasn’t too long ago, I was sitting out there with y’all.”

Sunday rocked the house with Keith Anderson, Clint Black, Los Lonely Boys with Ronnie Milsap, Joe Nichols, LeAnn Rimes, SHeDAISY, and Sugarland — who capped the night and the Festival.

“Country Music fans are the best fans in the world,” Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles shouted as the band launched into “Something More,” to the delight of the wet, but eager crowd.

Greased Lightning Daytime Stages at Riverfront Park
Crowd pleaser The Charlie Daniels Band got the 2006 CMA Music Festival off to a rousing start Thursday morning with the kick off concert at Riverfront Park. Fans were waiting well before dawn to see the legendary fiddle player and the concert venue on the banks of the Cumberland River stayed packed all day and every day after.

“This is all about the fans,” Daniels said just prior to hitting the stage. “It’s like everybody that comes to town gets a backstage pass. It’s really up close and personal for the fans. This is the music of the people, the music of the common man – which is what I am. It’s about the salt of the earth, Country people who get up every morning and make this country work. It’s their music.”

A few blocks away at Rippy’s Smokin’ Bar & Grill, “Good Morning America” Feature Correspondent Mike Barz interviewed artists Billy Currington, Sara Evans, and Josh Turner live on the ABC Television Network in front of an enthusiastic, sign-toting crowd.

Throughout the four days, the Riverfront dual stages bustled with a rich array of performers from both major and independent record labels. In all, 86 acts performed more than 32 hours of concerts.

Backstage, first-time CMA Music Festival performer Danielle Peck was waiting her turn to go onstage. “I came to the Festival last year as a fan, and I’m here this year as an artist,” she said proudly.

In the middle of Tanya Tucker’s typically scorching set, Style Network’s Niecy Nash, host of “Clean House” and special CMA Music Festival correspondent for “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” belted out a soulful “Delta Dawn,” trading verses and harmonizing with Tucker.

Wrangler Fan Fair
The state of continuous commotion that’s been the standard for the Wrangler¬Æ Fan Fair (Exhibit Hall) was back in force at the 2006 CMA Music Festival. A total of 326 artists and celebrities appeared in the Wrangler¬Æ Fan Fair at the Nashville Convention Center for the autograph and photo sessions. Exhibit booths sold out with 115 exhibitors. Attendance over the four days was up from 43,567 in 2005 to 49,507 in 2006.

In fact, several people camped overnight on the sidewalk outside the Convention Center including Joe Vitale of St. Louis, who was attending the Festival with a group of friends. He was first in line at midnight. The 15-year veteran said of this annual tradition: “This is what we do – it’s all in fun.”

Among the biggest draws for the booths were Trace Adkins, Big & Rich, Blue County, Billy Ray Cyrus, Montgomery Gentry, John Michael Montgomery, LeAnn Rimes, Aaron Tippin, Tanya Tucker, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood, and recent “Nashville Star” winner Chris Young.

Other popular artist appearances included Jason Aldean, Keith Anderson, Jeff Bates, John Berry, Kassie DePaiva, Emerson Drive, Ty England, Erika Jo, Josh Gracin, The Grascals, Lila McCann, Neal McCoy, Jo Dee Messina, Ronnie Milsap, Craig Morgan, Julie Roberts, Sawyer Brown, Trick Pony, Trini Triggs, Two Foot Fred, Clay Walker, Bryan White, Trent Willmon, Darryl Worley and Chely Wright.

One of the highlights was a wedding in the MuzikMafia booth. In 2005, Jo Ann Dresch and Brad Moyer of Pennsylvania got engaged while waiting in line at the booth and this year they returned to tie the knot. Officiating at the ceremony was MuzikMafia member/rapper Mista D and Big & Rich made an appearance to congratulate the couple.

Fan Fair featured a mix of artist booths and lifestyle exhibits. “We were up eight percent over 2005 with the Cowboy Store, which is our exclusive Wrangler retailer for the CMA Music Festival,” said Edyie Brooks-Bryant, Wrangler Marketing Manger, Country Music, Licensing and Public Relations. “We believe this continues to be a great event for us to reach our target consumer. It also serves as an opportunity to interface with current Wrangler endorsees as well as met new artists. We look forward to 2007!”

The Acoustic Corner, which launched in 2004 as a showcase for independent artists, featured 24 performers. The area on the second floor of the Convention Center was packed with fans, who usually followed the artists to their booths for autographs.

2007 CMA Music Festival Tickets

2007 CMA Music Festival will take place Thursday through Sunday, June 7-10, in Downtown Nashville and tickets are available now. Tickets for 2007 CMA Music Festival were available to Music Festival attendees during the event and available nationally, today. The Gold Circle section is already sold out and tickets are selling at a rapid pace. Fans are encouraged to order early for best available reserved seating.

“That speaks to the strength of this event and the tradition we have of delivering quality entertainment for the fans,” Genovese said. “They are purchasing tickets before we have announced any artists for 2007, but they know they don’t want to miss it.”

To order, call 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378); visit www.CMAfest.com to download an order form to fax or mail; visit www.ticketmaster.com to buy online or charge-by-phone at (615) 255-9600.

source: CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association