With a week of rest, we are finally able to take a look back at CMA Fest 2018 and all the fun that we had!
With eleven official stages and blocks upon blocks of activities in downtown Nashville, there was no shortage of things to do from June 7th-10th in downtown Nashville! The streets were packed with tens of thousands of fans and the stages were filled with country legends, newcomers and everything in between.
Country legends Garth Brooks and Randy Travis both shared in the CMA Festivities. Following a last minute announcement, Garth Brooks was joined by a couple thousand of his closest friends at the CMA Close Up Stage for an interview with Sirius XM’s Storme Warren and to play a few songs for the crowd. He even made time to meet a handful of fans backstage after his performance. Grand Ole Opry member Randy Travis made a surprise appearance at the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater to accept the first ever Cracker Barrel Country Legend Award! The night was a celebratory event for Travis who was dressed in jeans and cowboy boots for the first time since his near-death stroke in 2013.
As much as we love to see familiar faces, CMA Fest is a great opportunity to see up and coming acts that you might not see in your hometown. Kassi Ashton, one of our Artists to Gab About, took to the Chevy Breakout Stage full of energy to perform a few songs including her lastest single, “Taxidermy.” Gab friend and American Idol contestant Emily Brooke kept it cool in the AC of Bridgestone Arena at the Nashville Acoustic Corner Stage.
The 50,000 mega-fans that were able to purchase a 4-Day Pass were treated to performances by country music’s hottest stars including Carrie Underwood, Florida Georgia Line, Brett Young, Old Dominion, and more than 20 additional acts. If you want to join the thousands of country music fans that will make the trek to CMA Fest 2019, be sure to set a reminder to grab your 4-day pass at cmafest.com/tickets starting August 6th!
Were you there this year and want to relive it? Did you miss out and want to know what could have been? Be sure to tune in to ABC on August 8th for a three-hour highlight reel hosted by country favorites Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini!
