Morgan Wallen just proved you can go home again by taking over Neyland Stadium in his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, for a two-night run (9/20-21) that broke the all-time attendance record for a concert.
Wallen paid his respects to the #5 Tennessee Volunteers football team, who usually take center stage at the stadium, by bringing out Super Bowl-winning alum Peyton Manning, as well as the Vols’ current coach and star players.
Naturally, the shows featured musical walk-ons as well, including Eric Church (EMI Nashville), who joined Wallen on his acoustic stage on night one for the Dangerous Church-penned cut “Quittin’ Time.” Darius Rucker (Capitol) turned up on Saturday night for a duet on the diamond-certified “Wagon Wheel,” while HARDY and ERNEST repped Big Loud on both nights with guest performances.
The sold-out two-nighter drew 156,161 across both nights, surpassing the record previously held by The Jackson 5 across three shows in 1984 (148,407). “When me and the boys first started playing shows, we started out playing bars, real small venues. Worked our way up to places like Cotton Eyed Joe. Then we worked our way up to clubs, theaters, arenas and amphitheaters. We pretty much played any kind of venue there is, and all of a sudden you guys went and sold out Neyland today," Wallen said. "Thank you.”
The “Lies Lies Lies” singer has three shows remaining on his One Night At a Time 2024 tour, including at Tampa, Florida’s Raymond James Stadium on 10/4, and another two-nighter at Charlotte, North Carolina’s Bank of America Stadium on 10/18-19.
HITS will be packing the cocktail shaker and the hangover cure before hitting the road for that finale.
Tornadoes can swallow 18-wheelers, but they can also move songs—just take Luke Combs’ Twisters soundtrack hit “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” (Sony Music Nashville), which rises to #1 on the Mediabase airplay chart.
The track, which Combs wrote with Jessi Alexander and Jonathan Singleton, dropped 5/20 and became his 19th consecutive Mediabase #1.
Combs will be back on the road starting with a 10/4-5 stand at Gorge Amphitheatre outside Seattle before heading Down Under for early ’25 dates in New Zealand and Australia.
SMN's Steve Hodges is celebrating by purchasing a surrey with a fringe on top
Fresh off releasing her new Republic album Postcards From Texas, Miranda Lambert has been honored with the SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award, which recognizes her status as one of the most streamed artists in the organization’s history.
Lambert has been part of the SoundExchange family since its 2005 and utilizes it to collect his neighboring rights royalties worldwide, with more than 65 agreements covering 88% of the global market.
“I’ve been a member since the beginning of my recording career and I appreciate all that SoundExchange does in advocating for the fair treatment of all creators," remarked Lambert, pictured with SoundExchange President/CEO Michael Huppe.
The artist has another award on the horizon, as she will receive the Country Icon Award at the People’s Choice Country Awards on 9/26. NBC will air the ceremony from Nashville's Grand Ole Opry.
RCA's The Red Clay Strays added to growing Grammy buzz across multiple genres by taking home Emerging Act of the Year last night (9/18) at the 2024 Americana Honors & Awards in Nashville.
The Mobile, Alabama-reared group is pricking up ears with its latest album, Made by These Moments, and recently sold out three nights at Ryman Auditorium. Its soul-tinged rock sound can be experienced on a fall U.S. tour of clubs and theaters, as well as high-profile festival appearances at Bourbon and Beyond this weekend in Louisville, Kentucky, and Austin City Limits in October.
Red Clay Strays could be contenders for the Best New Artist Grammy, and if so, they'd likely be the only Americana band in the mix. Frontman Brandon Coleman’s terrific voice and smoldering presence have galvanized crowds on the road, and the troupe’s songs are deep and strong.
Elsewhere at the Americana Honors, Sierra Ferrell won artist of the year and album of the year for Trail of Flowers. Brandy Clark and Michael Pollack took home song of the year for "Dear Insecurity," a duet with Brandi Carlile.
Jelly Roll and Kane Brown will headline New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash airing 12/31 on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
The annual event returns to Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, where the famed Music Note will drop at midnight. Brown and Jelly Roll are among the many country superstars who will perform during the five-hour broadcast. Additional performers are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
New Year's Eve Live is executive produced by Robert Deaton and Mary Hilliard Harrington in partnership with Music City Inc., the foundation of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. The special will be directed by Sandra Restrepo.
Both Brown and Jelly Roll are having a banner year, while we're just having...a year.
On 9/17, BMI hosted the final installment of this year’s Rooftop on the Row series, presented by George Dickel, with nearly 800 attendees. The event—emceed by BMI’s Mason Hunter—served as the official kickoff to the 25th annual AMERICANAFEST.
Featuring performances by The Hanseroth Twins, Kade Hoffman and Emily Nenni, the evening was headlined by Island’s Wyatt Flores, who opened with “Orange Bottles” and “Running Out of Time,” before playing fan favorites like “Please Don’t Go” and “Milwaukee.” He also performed “Don’t Wanna Say Goodnight,” “Oh Susannah” and his unreleased track “Welcome to the Plains” from his upcoming album.
Throughout season six, performers included Colbie Caillat, Jackson Dean, Mae Estes, Ella Langley, Ryan Larkins, Redferrin, Josh Ross and Lauren Watkins. Past years have also seen the likes of Morgan Wallen, Billy Strings, The War and Treaty, HARDY, K. Michelle, Riley Green, Maddie & Tae, Mackenzie Carpenter and Dylan Marlowe.
Seen just before platters of hot chicken were served are (l-r) BMI’s Josh Tomlinson, Claire Dodelin, Clay Bradley, Nina Carter; Flores; BMI’s Mason Hunter, MaryAnn Keen, Kelsey O’Neill and Shannon Sanders.
Photo credit: Erika Goldring for BMI
Luminaries from across the music world joined forces Tuesday (9/17) to honor Big Loud CEO Seth England with the T.J. Martell Foundation's Lifetime Music Industry Award. The organization raised $2.6m with the gala, which is being touted as its most successful in more than two decades. Big Loud artists Morgan Wallen, HARDY and ERNEST took the stage to celebrate England at Cipriani 42nd Street, with the former playing the unreleased new song "Love Somebody" for the first time in the U.S.
Randy Goodman has announced that he will retire as Chairman/CEO of Sony Music Nashville at year’s end.
Goodman, whose biz career spans 35 years, was appointed to the top spot at SMN in 2015. During his impressive tenure he and his team have seen huge success with such acts as Luke Combs, Kane Brown, Maren Morris, Megan Moroney and Nate Smith; recent breaking artists have included Mitchell Tenpenny, Kameron Marlowe, Corey Kent and Morgan Wade, to name a few.
He has also had oversight of Sony Music’s Christian music operation, Provident Entertainment.
“Thank you to Randy for leading our Nashville company through the last nine years and providing some of the biggest new superstars in the genre of country music,” reads a statement issued by Sony Music boss Rob Stringer. “These artists are part of his legacy, and he should be proud of that. We look forward to building on the strong base he and his team have set up for the future.”
“Thank you to Rob for his leadership and support throughout my entire time at the company,” reads Goodman’s quote. “The Sony Music Nashville and Provident Entertainment teams are some of the finest executives I’ve had the privilege of working with over my many years in this business.
