Top Reasons to Attend CMA Music Festival
Country music fans equate their love for CMA Music Festival to the indie-rock faithful and their commitment to Lollapalooza and Coachella. The CMA Music Festival compares to those festival giants in both the quality and quantity of fans, who every year make their pilgrimage to Nashville to attend the festival’s eclectic festivities, which range from tour-de-force country music performances to celebrity softball, meet and greets, and good southern cooking. Fans applaud CMA for its organization and general openness; the latter is indicated by a variety of free shows that take place at the waterfront throughout the long weekend, open to those who didn’t even purchase a ticket. Festival goers frequently praise the cleanliness of bathrooms, the variety of seating, and the willingness of Nashville residents to show tourists around for a few days. Whereas many festivals are harshly criticized for packing attendees in like sardines and treating them not much better, CMA actually tends to abide by the “good ol’ southern hospitality” stereotype. Stereotyping suggests negative connotations in many circumstances, but here it serves as a complementary embodiment of one of country music’s premiere music festivals and the musically historic city it takes place in.
The festival’s inaugural year was in 1972, when it was called “Fan Fair”, but its origins trace back to the formation of The Country Music Association (CMA) in 1958. The first trade organization to promote a music genre, CMA is essentially an overseeing PR effort to promote the good of country music. And there is no better way than to hold a festival in a place ripe with country and folk music history: Nashville. The CMA held the first CMA Awards ceremony in 1967, in Nashville as well, and the “Fan Fair” was quick to follow five years later. Held in April the first year, it was shifted to June in 1973 in hopes of better weather conditions. The crowd grew quickly each year, doubling from 5000 fans in 1972 to 10,000 in 1973. The first non-country musician at the festival, Paul McCartney, was invited the following year, and by then what would later become the CMA Music Festival began to make waves among country music fans. Four decades later, it is the place of many fascinating events in country music history – from Garth Brooks’ nonstop 23-hour autograph spree in 1996 to Shania Twain meeting future husband, producer Mutt Lange, at the festival in 1993. Most music festivals tend to have fun tidbits like these, but one can see even by Brooks’ autograph commitment that country music folk tend to be more receptive to fans than several other genres.
As the CMA Music Festival now attracts about 200,000 visitors, it’s not surprising to see huge names like Kelly Clarkson, Lady Antebellum, Luke Bryan, and Taylor Swift headlining the 2013 festivities, which will take place from June 6th to the 9th. All premium seats for the four-day pass are sold out. As these tread upward of $400 each, it shows that money is no obstacle for a passionate fan base. After all, the 2013 festival will feature a fun new event called Fan Fair X, where fans and artists alike convene at “Nashville’s newest, most state-of-the-art venue – the Music City Center.” There, they can engage in artist meet and greets, live music, a “history walk” that shows the festival’s history, and a variety of shopping and other entertainment. It’s essentially like a supermall of country music entertainment. Better yet, the majority of meet and greets do not require tickets. So even if you don’t have tickets for the entire festival, you can still check out free shows at the waterfront and meet some of your favorite artists! That southern hospitality tends to work well in instances like these.
The CMA Music Festival attracts fans from all around the world, most of whom are ecstatic to be in Nashville for a three-day festival of nonstop country music glory. The list of performers, which stretches around 150 hours overall, gives fans the opportunity to compile their own schedule — as is the case with Lollapalooza or Coachella. And while CMA Music Festival may occasionally slow down due to a glaring sun or overwhelming amount of lineup decisions, there is no denying that the combined passion of about 200,000 country music fans results in one heck of a good time.
Check-in with us next week as we report on country music’s best weekend from LP Field in Nashville. Coverage starts Friday, June 7