CMA FEST: WHAT WENT DOWN

The curtain has dropped on the 46th annual CMA Music Festival, which drew capacity crowds, sold-out nightly concerts and the highest level of fan engagement in the now four-day event’s history.

CMA Music Fest, which took place in downtown Nashville, featured 11 stages and music from 350+ artists, including Garth Brooks—appearing by surprise for his first CMA Fest appearance in nearly 20 years—Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Florida Georgia Line, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Martina McBride, Billy Ray Cyrus, Eric Church, Kenny Rogers, Carrie Underwood, Eric Paslay, Brett Eldredge, Cole Swindell, Darius Rucker, Sam Hunt, Little Big Town, Kip Moore, Lady Antebellum, Thomas Rhett, Dan + Shay, Jon Pardi, Rascal Flatts, Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne, Cam, Old Dominion, Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots, Hunter Hayes, LANCO, Luke Combs, Kane Brown, Maddie & Tae, Midland, Chris Janson, Chase Rice, A Thousand Horses, Chris Lane, Tucker Beathard, Lauren Alaina, Bailey Bryan, Brooke Eden, Granger Smith, Morgan Wallen, Aubrie Sellers, Haley Georgia and more.

The superstar pair revealed during their Artist of the Day panel at XFINITY FFX that they’ll be returning to host the CMA Awards (for a tenth consecutive year) at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on 11/8.

There was also a Q&A with Big Machine honcho Scott Borchetta, as well as one with Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.

And on Wednesday night prior to the fest’s official kick-off, CMA partnered with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to host a surprise Jason Aldean concert and a firework show at the Chevrolet Park Stage in honor of the artist’s Asphalt Cowboy featured exhibit.

“This is definitely one for the record books,” shared CMA CEO Sarah Trahern. “This year’s Festival was marked with memorable moments and one-of-a-kind experiences. We’re happy how fans embraced not only our new stages, but also the city during an exciting historic Stanley Cup run for the Nashville Predators.”

According to an official statement, the official app was accessed throughout the four-day event by over 48k users, besting the previous year by 25%. The average time spent per visit on the app was up over 41%. CMA Fan Access users were up 62% and CMA Fan Access engagements were up over 183%. Social posts from Twitter and Instagram were featured on the screens at six different stages, including Nissan Stadium, which saw an increase of 116 percent in social interactions.

Also, the percentage of returning attendees held steady at 48%. Among four-day passholders, the returning attendee level is even higher, with 51% returning for 2017.

Tickets for the 2018 CMA Music Fest, which is scheduled to be held 6/7/18 through 6/10/18, go up for pre-sale next Monday (6/19). The national on-sale date is Tuesday 6/27. Tickets can be ordered online or through the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-FEST (1-800-262-3378).

For a plethora of 2017 photos, scroll through our Music City section with vigor.

In other news, we’re still drunk from Memorial Day Weekend.



*Photo Credit: Donn Jones / CMA