CMA Music Festival

Wed 6/3/09

IT"S MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR IN NASHVILLE AGAIN!

The band hit's the big power chord and the guitar, bass and organ are rumbling the speakers-Wesley is
Pounding the living daylights out of those cymbals and the floor tom, hammering the kick drum, building it all up to
a deafening crescendo, Will's using 12 fingers on the organ keys making a huge "D" chord, and using his 13th finger to slowly ride the volume slider all the way up to "11",
Mark Johnson's index and middle fingers look like the legs of an olympic track runner hammering the top string of the bass guitar,
Robert Arthur's got three guitars and he's making power chords on all three of 'em, swapping faster than the human eye can see, banging out the chord, putting one guitar down
with it still singing and grabbing another and doing it again while STILL calling a turkey, Barry's out front using his hands and somebody else's too, sliding the faders up as far as they'll go adding even more thunder and volume to it all!
I'm standing in the shadows at the back of the stage at the bottom of the steps waiting, anticipating the show just like everybody else who's there. I'm nervous, with butterflies in my stomach, happy, excited, ecstatic, and READY TO PLAY AND SING, just like every show, and at one point right before I hit the stage I always think that I'm the most blessed fortunate man in the world to get to do what I love to do-entertain you and share my songs with YOU!
The band keeps building it and then suddenly Wesley slams the snare and kick to a screeching, deafening halt the first notes of "A Country Girl Can" blast out of Robert's guitar amp and then the whole band starts rockin' the song and groove! That's my cue, and I'm more than ready, I'm PUMPED! and I bounce up the steps skipping most of them and I don't even feel my feet touch the stage as I walk out and strap on my guitar and crank it up and
trade licks with Robert. The lights are flashing and hot as little miniature suns shining on me and blindingly bright in my eyes and I can barely see the first row of people closest to the stage as I step up to the microphone and start singing, "In her cut off jeans and her John-Deere cap-she can put the boondocks square on the map!" and I can't tell how many people are there, how big the crowd is, but it sounds like a LOT singing with me and for the next 90 to 120 minutes I and every man on that stage are doing what we love most, what we each and every one believe God put us here to do; play and sing and entertain! We all live each song as we perform it right along with the audience, laughing and crying, loving and feeling all the way through the show, just like you, and when the last song is sung and the final note dies, I join Kirk out the merchandise booth and I get to do my other equally favorite part-meet everybody who came to see the show, all of YOU! I see many familiar faces, a lot of new faces, and I shake hands with every man and boy and hug every woman and girl who comes through the line.
You won't hear ANYBODY telling you "ONE PICTURE-ONE AUTOGRAPH ONLY" at our shows!! I don't believe in it! I don't EVER want to be treated like that and I don't want to treat anyone else that way!
I stay and meet and greet everybody until EVERYBODY gets a "Thank you" and an autograph because I believe from the bottom of my heart that I at the very least owe EVERYBODY that! And when the last person comes through the line, the last light goes out, the last piece of equipment is loaded onto the trailer, we all climb back on the bus and head to the next town to do do it all again. And the next night is at least as fun and exciting as the one we just had!!
This is me. This is US. This is who we are and what we do and what we've been doing for over 5 years now and we never want to stop! As a band we're taking a break this summer while I go out and do the Honky Tonk Tailgate Tour with Mark Wills and Trent Wilmon for about 30 shows, but at the end of that we'll pick back up and keep on bringing the show to another town and another crowd. Why? All because of YOU!!!!
I admit we get tired and no matter what what anyone tells you, we NEVER get as good a night's sleep on the bus as in the bed at home, but it's sufficient. And by the end of the year we're all ragged out and worn out and need a break and a rest.
That's why CMA Music Festival is my favorite time of year in Nashville! Because for ONE WHOLE WEEK in June, you all come here! I don't have to get on a bus to travel to town to see you, sing to you and visit old friends and new ones, You all are already here!!!! ANd almost every artist in Country Music is too!!
I get to visit different booths at the convention center and see you and visit all week long, and then Friday I, MArk and Trent will perform on the River Stages just for you!!! And I still get to sleep in my own bed at home that week!
What could POSSIBLY be any better???
Saturday we'll all climb on that bus and head out to Georgiana, Alabama and give you our best show. But from Monday, June 8th through Friday, June 12th we'll be right here in Nashville hanging with YOU! Monday night of course I get to Bowl Again with Lonestar and Friends at Hermitage Lanes in Hermitage TN! And Tuesday night on June 9th starting at about 6 pm at the Limelight we'll have our Nashville Navy Party, and afterwards our huge fan appreciation show along with Trent Wilmon!!! It's gonna be a blast!!
Then Wednesday night at the Texas Troubador Theater starting at 6pm my friend Billy Yates invited me out to perform at his annual Countriest of The Country Show along with him, Chris Young, Jimmy Fortune, George Ducas, Sunny Sweeney, Sherrie Austin, George Hamilton IV & V, The Broussard's, Billy Ryan and David Kroll!!! Thursday during the day starting at 10am I'll be at the convention center at the Wrangler booth signing autographs, then on to the Power Source Christian Music Booth, then the Opry Booth after that. Then at 1:30pm I'll be at BB Kings for a performance there!!
It's gonna be a busy fun week!
I'm SO looking forward to seeing you all! CMA Music Festival to me isn't a week just for fans! IT'S A WHOLE WEEK FOR FRIENDS!!!
WE'LL SEE YOU THERE!!!!!!!

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