Someone has been making deals with Mother Nature because she decided to ease up on the crews that work this show in the stifling heat.  There were breezes like we’ve never felt and nights that were simply gorgeous outside.  Yes, there was the expected rainfall but not nearly as bad as it was in past years, interrupting the show schedule.

As usual, I spent the majority of my day over at LP Field as the groups loaded in.  This event has always been exciting to be a part of to see all the contacts we have in Country Music and meet some new faces.  I did, however, spend sometime across the river at the Riverfront Stages to catch a few artists.  Jo Dee Messina has been a Shure Artist clear back to her first hit and she never fails to draw a huge crowd at this event.  After so many years in this industry, she still delivers a great performance!  The other artist I caught there was Corey Smith who had a great following and loves playing in Nashville. If you are not hip to his music, go check out his site and download “Maybe Next Year.”  He’s a great songwriter!

LP Field is home to the Tennessee Titans.  This week, it was the evening party spot for all the fans who spend the week in town to catch all their favorites like Glen Campbell, who I have never seen in concert.  What a treat! One night Ronnie Milsap kicked off the evening playing all of his hits.  He sounded amazing as well.

Some of the Shure Artists that rocked the field were The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley, Randy Houser, Little Big Town, Dierks Bentley, and Martina McBride who performed last on Sunday to close out a great week of music in Nashville.

Shure was well represented throughout the fest on both stages thanks to the help of Clair Nashville and Morris Light and Sound.  The wired mics that we brought out to the CMT Music Awards were then brought over to be used at LP Field.

Thanks to all for continuing to wave the Shure Flag and for keeping the spirit of music alive and well in Nashville and beyond.

Ryan

Music City

Day One - empty stadium

Glen Campbell

Covering up at FOH

Paisley's guitar cabs

Brad Paisley

Riverfront Stage

Riverfront 2

UHF-R & PSM900's

Jo Dee's crowd at Riverstages

Jo Dee rocks the river

Jo Dee Messina and Ryan

Luke Bryan

Luke Bryan from FOH

Little Big Town - Front Page News!

Mics a plenty

John McBride and his awesome desk

Side Stage

Crew Humor

Back of the Stadium

Post Show Teardown

This would be a historic event in itself as the group would be the first headliner to perform on a brand new floor that replaced the original floor that was installed when the “Mother Church” first opened.

Fresh off of an exciting performance with Glen Campbell at the Grammy Awards, they showed up for soundcheck and Kimberely said to me “We see you everywhere!”  They will again at the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards in Vegas on April 1.

Before laying down this new floor, they reinforced it to be able to hold a lot more weight.  It was strange to walk across the floor and not hear any creaking.

The group is in the process of finishing up a new record and what a great place to try out some new songs.  They performed their hits and threw in 6 new songs.  They also performed a great version of “Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen!   Kimberly commanded the stage on her UR2/KSM9 wireless while brothers Reid and Neil flanked her with a pair of Beta 58A wired mics.

At one point, the curtain closed in front of the backing band, leaving the Perry’s out in front for some acoustic songs, one of which was a beautiful version of “Amazing Graze” which earned them a standing ovation.

Their 90 minute set concluded with their hit “You Lie.”  This group is full of energy and connects very well with the audience.  Their whole family and crew are a great group of people.

Make  sure to look up their tour schedule and catch them out on some Brad Paisley dates.

Ryan