Another CMA Music Fest has come to an end and it is time to reflect on CMA Fest 2019. This year’s lineup featured over 300 live performances on official festival stages and that didn’t include other offerings such as fan club parties and performances held at bars.
I think the Country Music Association does a great job at providing a nice mix of big stars, legends and newer artists. There’s no question that the biggest stars perform at the Nissan Stadium. The performers on the Nissan Stadium stage included Florida-Georgia Line, Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church and Luke Bryan. In addition to several stars taking the Nissan Stadium stage each night, there were also numerous special guests including Brooks and Dunn, Brandi Carlisle, The Chainsmokers, Joan Jett and more.
For those fans who did not attend the stadium shows, there were five stages which were free and open to the public. The Chevy Riverfront stage featured artists such as Billy Currington, Lee Brice, Mitchell Tenpenny, Ashley McBryde, Craig Campbell, Tyler Farr and Walker Hayes. The Budweiser Forever Country stage has performances from 80s, 90s and 2000s country stars including Mark Wills, Tracy Lawrence, Darryl Worley and more. There’s was also performances from newer artists this year including Rita Wilson, Keifer Sutherland and Charles Esten.
One of my favorite stages is the CMA Close Up stage inside Fan Fair X, which is located inside the Music City Center. Fan Fair X is where most of the meet and greets happen, but there are also three stages in Fan Fair X. It costs $10 per day or $25 for a four-day pass to Fan Fair X, but I think that is a great bargain. There’s an artist of the day that kicks off the shows on the CMA Close Up Stage. This year, the artists of the day were Trisha Yearwood and Friends, Old Dominion, Chris Young and Tracy Lawrence. There is great programming throughout the day on the CMA Close Up Stage. This year, there was a Jesus Calling panel with Randy Travis, Mary Travis and Ken Abraham.