International County Music Fan Fair 2003

VINCE GILL & ALAN JACKSON TWO OF THE HOT PERFORMERS AT THIS YEARS CMA FAN FAIR 2003

Superstar Vince Gill (pictured above) and CMA's reigning Entertainer of the Year Alan Jackson (also pictured) head the pack of performers who attended this year’s 32^nd Annual Fan Fair event.

Here are just some of the other artists who performed at this year event included Trace Adkins, Jessica Andrews, Steve Azar, Brooks & Dunn, Chris Cagle, Kenny Chesney (kicked it all off at the Riverfront Stages on the Thursday) Terri Clark, Tammy Cochran, Billy Ray Cyrus, Rodney Crowell, Clint Daniels, Linda Davis, Diamond Rio, Sara Evans, Bill Engvall, Billy Gilman, Lee Greenwood, Jennifer Hanson, Tracy Lawrence, Johnny Lee, Lonestar, Patty Loveless, Brad Martin, Martina McBride, Neal McCoy, Jo Dee Messina, John Michael Montgomery, Montgomery Gentry, , NBC Daytime Stars from "Days of our Lives" and "Passions, Brad Paisley, PinMonkey, Joe Nichols, Sawyer Brown, Blake Shelton, Sixwire, Marty Stuart, Rick Trevino, Trick Pony, Tanya Tucker, Keith Urban, Phil Vasser, Darryl Worley, Mark Wills and Darryl Worley & Billy Yates. More than 40 hours of music spread over the four-day festival. Daily concerts were once again held at the Riverfront Park Stages while nightly shows were held in The Coliseum, (home to the NFL Tennessee Titans.)

In addition to the big nightly shows at The Coliseum, Fan Fair 2003 featured daily concerts on two stages at Riverfront Park; nearly 30 hours of autograph signings Thursday-Sunday at Nashville Convention Center; late night music at Downtown clubs as part of Fan Fair After Hours; activities for the whole family at the Family Zone; the Second Annual Andy Griggs Celebrity Archery Tournament; and new for 2003 a celebrity lecture series with your favorite stars answering questions adding a whole new dimension to the Fan Fair experience (separate ticket required). The stars of NBC Daytime also made an encore appearance with actors from the NBC top-rated soaps "Days of our Lives" and "Passions" greeting fans and signing autographs.

NASHVILLE – CMA’s Fan Fair® has always included its share of surprises and 2003 was no exception with Naomi Judd joining daughter Wynonna for two songs during the last set of the last night of Fan Fair. Performing their first No. 1 song “Mama He’s Crazy” and “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout The Good Old Days)” Wynonna, who has participated in 18 Fan Fairs, reminded the crowd the event will always be about the fans.

A point worth making since there was a lot of speculation about the future of the event when it was announced that Fan Fair would become CMA Music Festival in 2004 when the event returns to Downtown Nashville Thursday through Sunday, June 10-13.

“The name Fan Fair will always remain part of the event in some appropriate way,” said CMA Executive Director Ed Benson. “We value the traditions that made Fan Fair a phenomenon among music events. Fan Fair has come to represent the unique relationship between the artists and their fans and that will always be a centerpiece of this event.”

Change is sometimes hard to understand and even more difficult to accept, so CMA took several years to incorporate the new moniker. “When we made the move from the Fairgrounds to Downtown Nashville three years ago, we recognized that the name Fan Fair no longer represented what the event had become – a world-class, urban-centered, music festival with bigger audiences, multiple venues and many more diverse activities than ever before. Fan Fair has evolved and we are constantly changing to meet the needs of our artists and the fans and this is the latest step in that evolution.”

The changes are designed to benefit the artists, who donate their time and play for free, as well as the fans. “We play a lot of festivals all year, but there is nothing like Fan Fair,” said CMA Board member Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn. “This one is for the fans and for Country Music. It’s important to have a public outlet besides the awards shows and there are many other artists who would love to see it grow into an event that would not only serve charity and the community, but also become a television property that would show Country Music in a more exciting and natural light.”

A name change is only part of the strategic initiative to make the event even more compelling to a broader audience by adding more entertainment, more special activities, broader musical styles, more stars and more celebrities. In 2003, the event included appearances by Lance Bass of *NSYNC; Verne Troyer (“Mini Me” from the “Austin Powers” films); Teresa Earnhardt, widow of racing legend Dale Earnhardt; the stars of NBC Daytime dramas “Days of our Lives” and “Passions;” and Tennessee Titans wide receiver Drew Bennett. Fan Fair has a long history of including celebrities and artists outside the genre including the Beach Boys, Paul McCartney, Bryan Adams, Sam Moore, actor Danny Glover, Troy Aikman, and “Brady Bunch” actress/singer Maureen McCormick.

“Any celebrities or musical guests we invite to Fan Fair will have a tangible connection to Country Music and this lifestyle,” Benson said. “Either through their musical influences, personal taste or relationships with Country artists.”

Each step is being carefully considered – especially given the heritage and unique nature of the event. “We recognized that Fan Fair was a brand with a 32-year history, and the only brand with as much if not more equity was CMA itself and the awareness around the world of the annual CMA Awards,” Benson said. “This event is a cornerstone of this trade association and once we settled on the name CMA Music Festival, the decision to incorporate it into the event was very easy and unanimous.”

The response to the ongoing changes was encouraging during the event, which ran Thursday through Sunday, June 5-8. Despite early predictions of an attendance downturn due to the economy and post-Iraq war fallout, Fan Fair 2003 attendance dropped only 1.7 percent with an aggregate headcount of 124,300, compared to 126,500 in 2002.

“We were nervous going into the event with advanced four-day tickets approximately 10 percent down from our projections,” said Benson. “But I’m happy to say that increased awareness in the region drove increased attendance in our Family Zone and a record number of single concert tickets at The Coliseum and Riverfront Park Stages.”

Forty-two artists participated in the star-studded Nightly Concerts at The Coliseum during the four days. In addition to Naomi Judd’s surprise appearance, Verne Troyer joined Steve Azar during his set; Rodney Crowell performed during Patty Loveless’ appearance; MARCEL joined co-writer/girlfriend Jessica Andrews during her performance; and fellow “Nashville Star” contestant Jamey Garner played harmonica for winner Buddy Jewell. One of the most popular elements of the Nightly Concerts continued to be the photo line, where fans get close to the stage to take pictures of their favorite artists.

Lee Greenwood kicked things off with a performance of "God Bless The U.S.A." before Lt. Col. Rose-Ann Sgrignoli, accompanied by the U.S. Marine Color Guard, sang the national anthem.

Sawyer Brown started their set with "Six Days on the Road," with lead singer Mark Miller dancing across the stage and revving up the crowd. The band performed hits "Some Girls Do," "The Boys and Me," "Thank God For You," and their cover of George Jones' "The Race Is On."

Vince Gill took the stage sporting a casual look in baseball cap, jersey and sunglasses, then performed fan favorites "One More Last Chance," "Liza Jane," "Slippin Away," "What The Cowgirls Do," as well as "Someday," and "Next Big Thing" from his new album.

Steve Azar performed "Waitin' On Joe" then surprised the crowd as he welcomed actor Verne Troyer ("Mini Me" of Austin Powers fame) on stage to play bongos on his hit "I Don’t Have to be Me (‘Til Monday)."

Joe Nichols performed his No. 1 singles "The Impossible" and "Brokenheartsville" then said "There's only one thing better than two number one singles and that's three," while introducing "She Only Smokes When She Drinks."

            Jessica Andrews performed "Good Time" from her new DreamWorks Nashville album, Now, and brought her boyfriend and frequent co-writer Mercury Nashville recording artist MARCEL out to sing a duet. She also sang "There's More To Me Than You," and has the crowd join in on the familiar chorus of her first hit "Who I Am." This 19 year old can really sing and we personally think she has a very bright future ahead of her.

           Mark Wills performed songs from his Greatest Hits album, including "Don’t Laugh At Me," "19 Somethin’" and "When You Think of Me." Wills then asked the audience if they remembered 1996, he then pulled "Jacob's Ladder" from the vault as well as a new ballad from his collection.

         Terri Clark took The Coliseum stage decked out in her trademark hat and white Telecaster guitar, performing the hits "Pain To Kill," "I Just Wanna Be Mad," "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me," "Better Things To Do" and new single "Three Mississippi." This was Terri's first Fan Fair performance in awhile and she received a great response from the fans.

Darryl Worley closed out the show, singing the hits "Good Day To Run," "I Miss My Friend" as well as Merle Haggard's "Working Man Blues." Representatives from DreamWorks Nashville presented Worley with a plaque commemorating his first Platinum-selling album, Have You Forgotten? To the delight of fans, Worley quickly shifted the credit for the sales to the fans, proclaiming, "It’s all because of you!" Darryl also debuted "Tennessee River Run" and the new Jimmy Buffet inspired single "Breather." Despite the many obvious monitor problems, Worley and band put on a tremendous headlining show and had everyone standing for the closer, "Have You Forgotten?"

The rain set in on Friday afternoon and continued throughout most of the evening, although it didn't seem to damped the spirits of the performers or fans, most of which were equipped with ponchos.

      Brad Paisley started things off with current single "Celebrity" and No. 1 hit "I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song)." Brad is one amazing guitar player and only gets better with time. He also seems to be one of the few artists that takes the preservation of traditional country music to heart.

     Phil Vassar, the high-energy piano man, danced around the dual stages singing hits "American Child," "Another Day in Paradise" and "Carlene." Vassar and band also provided an impromptu version of Queen's "We Will Rock You" that had everyone clapping and stomping to the beat.

     Diamond Rio took the stage as the rain started up again and performed "Meet in the Middle," "Unbelievable," "One More Day," and as an ode to the rain, "Beautiful Mess."

  Sara Evans sang "I Could Not Ask For More" and No. 1 hit "Born to Fly" as well as new single "Backseat of a Greyhound Bus," from her forthcoming summer release.

   Lonestar performed songs spanning their career starting with the hits "No News." "Amazed" and "I’m Already There" and new single "My Front Porch Looking In." Leader Richie McDonald took over piano duties for a cover of Mark Cohn's hit "Walking In Memphis."

   Martina McBride followed, singing hits "Broken Wing," "Where Would You Be," "Independence Day" and debuted her new single "The One's For The Girls." There's no doubt that Martina is in a league of her own vocally, this is backed up by her incredible and consistent live performances.

   Alan Jackson put smiles on the faces of the rain-drenched crowd, performing his hits "Gone Country," "Little Bitty," "Work In Progress," "Who's Cheatin' Who," Livin’ On Love," "Don’t Rock The Jukebox" and closed his set with No. 1 hit "Where I Come From." One of the more interesting moments in Alan's show was the inclusion of the music video for "Drive" which seemed to sync perfectly with the live performance. As a testament to Alan's extreme's "Chattahoochee" had the fans dancing in the aisles and "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" had everyone standing in reverent silence, remembering the tragedy of 9-11.

Racecar driver Dale Earnhardt’s widow Teresa made a special appearance to introduce the final performer of the night.

Brooks & Dunn gave the crowd a worthy Friday night send off with a high octane set that included "Ain’t Nothin’ ‘Bout You," "Boot Scootin’ Boogie" and "Rock My World Little Country Girl." The duo concluded the night’s festivities with patriotic hit "Only in America," bringing members of the U.S. Marines on stage.

Clint Daniels kicked off the show singing the song he co-wrote for Joe Nichols, "Brokenheartsville," and "Good Time to Go Home" from his forthcoming Epic/Monument Records debut album. With a good strong voice and stage presence we reckon this is one new artist to watch.

Theresa Montgomery with thanks.
Tammy Cochran followed, performing "Life Happened," "Good Girls Go Bad," then dedicated "Angels In Waiting" to the memory of her brothers Shawn and Alan, both tragically taken by cystic fibrosis.

Colt Prather was introduced by Marty Stuart as a 'guitar slinger' and proved it with his new single "The Dash" and songs from his forthcoming album including "Workin’ Hard Lovin’ You."

Buddy Jewell (winner of "Nashville Star") performed "Abilene On Her Mind" and "Help Pour Out the Rain (Lacey’s Song)" while fans sang along. Fellow "Nashville Star" contestant Jamie Garner surprised Jewell and accompanied him on harmonica. Buddy's performance seemed a bit green, but as a new performer he can only get better with time.

Cledus T. Judd put smiles on the faces of The Coliseum crowd when he announced "I'm about to ruin four perfectly good country songs." he then launched into the parodies "It’s A Great Day To Be A Guy," "Breath" and "I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Pop." The latter being a dig at artists like Shania Twain with his take on Barbara Mandrell's "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool."

Brad Martin performed "Before I Knew Better" and "Wings of a Honky Tonk Angel."

Patty Loveless brought the fans to their feet with "Blame It On Your Hear," "Here I Am" and " You Can Feel Bad." Rodney Crowell made a surprise appearance to duet with Loveless on "Lovin’ All Night," her new single from her forthcoming album On Your Way Home.

Marty Stuart took the stage and announced "it’s hillbilly time." Stuart with his band, the Fabulous Superlatives, opened with "Back in the Country," and then performed "Too Much Month at the End of the Money," "The Whiskey Ain’t Workin," and a new song "I Met My Wife At The Waffle House" dedicated the corporate sponsor of his upcoming Electric Barnyard tour, which will also feature Merle Haggard, BR549, Rhonda Vincent & the Rage, the Old Crow Medicine Show and Stuart's wife Connie Smith.

Montgomery Gentry lit up the stage with performance worthy of any arena rock band. Starting with "All Night Long," they moved right into "Bad for Good" and "Daddy Won’t Sell the Farm." Their set also included the new hits, "Speed" and "My Town." Racecar driver Dale Earnhardt’s widow Teresa made a special appearance to present them with a custom made guitar featuring the #3 logo and Earnhardt’s name on the neck. The show was interrupted momentarily when Troy and Eddie were each presented with Gold plaques, commemorating more than 500,000 units sold for their album, Our Town. The duo thanked the fans for making it happen and a fireworks display closed out the show.

Neal McCoy kicked the evening off, rousing the crowd with "Wink," "Celebration," "The Shake" and a patriotic-themed "I’m Your Biggest Fan" from his forthcoming album. Neal gave way for a light moment when his guitar player sang an anti-Dixie Chicks song, and although Neal stated that he had nothing to do with it, the song was well received by the fans. Neal McCoy continues to prove that he is one of the best live acts around.

Jennifer Hanson performed songs from her self-titled Capitol Nashville album "This Far Gone" and "Beautiful Goodbye." She also introduced an important member of her band, her father, who toured for 17 years with country supergroup Alabama.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Drew Bennett made a special appearance to introduce the next act and asked the fans to "be kind to the field."

Billy Ray Cyrus performed songs from his new album Time Flies including new single "Back To Memphis," and ended his set with his signature song, "Achy Breaky Heart." Also included were "Stand Still," "Hard To Leave" and the gospel standard "Amazing Grace."

   Trick Pony energized the fans with a hard hitting - high energy show, performing "On A Mission," "Pour Me" and included a cover of The Eagles "Take It To The Limit." This trio is definitely out there having fun. Ira Dean's dog house bass antics are worth the price of admission alone.

   Chris Cagle has come a long way since last year's show. His well performed and well received show included "Chicks Dig It," "My Love Goes On and On," "What A Beautiful Day" and a cover of Charlie Daniels "In America."

Theresa Montgomery
Keith Urban took the stage with pre-recorded sounds of a car engine revving and radio station switching. Not surprising though, every station was playing a Keith Urban hit. Keith jammed on the guitar and performed "But For The Grace of God," "Where the Blacktop Ends" and "Somebody Like You." A special acoustic performance of "I Wanna Be Your Everything" was marred by microphone problems but once resolved proved to be the highlight of the set.

JoDee Messina showcased songs from her recently released Greatest Hits album, performing "I’m Alright," "That’s The Way It Goes" and "Bye Bye Love," and covered Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" and the Aretha Franklin hit, "FreedomJoDee also performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" in front of a video image of the American flag, dedicating it to all of our troops overseas.

Trace Adkins gyrated his way through hits "Thinkin’ Thing," "Big Time," "More," "Chrome," "I'm Tryin" and "Every Light In The House Is On."

Wynonna brought the crowd to its feet with Elvis Presley’s "Burnin’ Love" then performed "Tell Me Why," "She Is His Only Need," "Only Love," "Rock Bottom" and "No One Else on Earth." Wynonna’s mother and former musical partner Naomi Judd made a special surprise appearance to sing their No. 1 hits "Mama He’s Crazy" and "Grandpa." Wynonna performed new single "What The World Needs" from her forthcoming album, It All Comes Down to Love, set for release Aug. 12. To finish her set, and bring Fan Fair 2003 to a close, Wynonna performed "No One Else On Earth" with heavy audience participation.

The Greased Lightning™ Riverfront Park Stages bustled with a rich array of 82 artists from both major and independent labels performing during more than 31 hours. It was a laid-back showcase of a broad range of musical influences and styles from classic to alt.Country, bluegrass, Hispanic, Texas swing, contemporary Country, gospel and more solidifying it as one of Fan Fair’s favorite venues on the bank of the Cumberland River in Downtown Nashville.

A total of 522 artists appeared in the air-conditioned Wrangler® Exhibit Hall at the Nashville Convention Center for the autograph and photo sessions. There were 212 booths and 119 exhibitors in 2003. One of the highlights was a surprise appearance by Kix Brooks, who arrived inauspiciously in a baseball cap through the main entrance.

KELLOGG’S kicked off the 75^th anniversary of RICE KRISPIES by launching the RICE KRISPIES JAMMIN’ JINGLE Contest in the Family Zone. Kids aged 4-12 had the opportunity to perform onstage and get tips from some of their favorite Country Music stars including Sherrié Austin, Tammy Cochran, Linda Davis, Mark Wills, Michelle Wright, Scott Reeves of Blue Country and wife Melissa Reeves, star of NBC Daytime drama “Days of our Lives.”

Fan Fair’s aspiring performers will be eligible to enter the national contest and win the JAMMIN’ JINGLE grand prize: a VIP trip to “The 37^th Annual CMA Awards” on Nov. 5, 2003, in Nashville. For more information on the JAMMIN’ JINGLE contest, please log on to http://www.ricekrispies.com/.

The stars of NBC’s daytime dramas “Days of our Lives” and “Passions” made a return trip to Fan Fair in 2003. The enthusiastic stars signed autographs in the Wrangler® Exhibit Hall, hosted a show at the Greased Lightning™ Riverfront Park Stages as well as a sold-out Fan Fair After Hours™ event at the Wildhorse Saloon. The actors sang, read scripts with fans and performed with special guests Trick Pony. Montgomery Gentry and Tommy Shane Steiner also showed up for the festivities.

Long after the concerts were finished at The Coliseum, the party was still rocking at many of Nashville’s most popular Downtown nightspots during Fan Fair After Hours™. A record 15 clubs and venues participated in the popular program in 2003 offering specials and entertainment for party-hardy Fan Fair attendees.

The Second Annual Andy Griggs Celebrity Archery Tournament Thursday, June 5, scored a bulls-eye with fans and participating artists. The Outdoor Channel’s Rusty Tabor took the top prize with 138 points. Returning champ Griggs came in a close second with 134 points after a tie-breaking shoot-out with Craig Morgan.

CMA’s official radio partner MJI Programming, a division of Premiere Radio Networks, brought to Nashville some of Country radio’s top-rated stations for a four-day remote that covered the excitement of Fan Fair from the Nashville Convention Center reaching an estimated audience of more than 4 million. Stations taking part were KFRG-Los Angeles, WUSN-Chicago, WXTU-Philadelphia, WWWW-Detroit, WKHX-Atlanta, WQYK-Tampa, WGAR-Cleveland, KSD-St. Louis, WPOC-Baltimore, WFMS-Indianapolis, WKKT-Charlotte, WQDR-Raleigh-Durham, WDAF-Kansas City, WSM-Nashville, WYGY-Cincinnati, WCOL-Columbus, WGKX-Memphis and the syndicated radio shows “After Midnite with Blair Garner” and “Ben & Brian in the Morning.” Nearly 90 artists and celebrities took part in the remote broadcast including “American Idol” finalist Kimberley Locke.

According to Tower Records, which sold CDs at the Nashville Convention Center, The Coliseum and Greased Lightning™ Riverfront Park Stages, the top 10 selling artists for Fan Fair 2003 were (in order from 1-10) Lonestar, Montgomery Gentry, Cledus T. Judd, Joe Nichols, Darryl Worley, Jo Dee Messina, Chris Cagle, Keith Urban, Terri Clark and Mark Wills. All of these artists performed during Fan Fair.

www.FanFair.com, Fan Fair’s official website, had 88,046 visits during the 10 days prior to Fan Fair. For the first time, CMA initiated customized, electronic greeting cards that fans could send to friends. Launched the week before Fan Fair, 400 cards were customized and sent with Chris Cagle, Kenny Chesney, Billy Ray Cyrus, Alan Jackson and Martina McBride among the most popular artists.

Four-day ticket packages for CMA Music Festival 2004 are now on sale for a limited time at 2003 prices including the popular Gold Circle ticket option, which includes preferred seating on the field, preferred parking at The Coliseum and wait service at your seat. Tickets were available to Fan Fair attendees only Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center. Fans started lining up at 3:00 PM, Friday to get their reserved seat tickets with the line eventually winding up around the block – signifying the largest number of four-day ticket packages sold in advance for the festival.

Four-day ticket packages are divided into categories corresponding to different levels of reserved seating at The Coliseum. CMA Music Festival 2004 continues its popular program of offering a discount for fans 18 and younger. Prices do not include applicable handling fees.

LEVEL	Full Price	18 and younger
Gold Circle (Center Floor):	$250	N/A
Floor (Field):	$145	$100
Lower Level:	$125	$86
Club Level:	$125	$86

CMA Music Festival 2004, which takes place Thursday through Sunday, June 10-13 in Downtown Nashville, includes all the elements that have made Fan Fair a rousing success including Nightly Concerts in The Coliseum home of the NFL Tennessee Titans; Daily Concerts at the Riverfront Park Stages; family activities in the Family Zone; the popular exhibits and autograph sessions at the Nashville Convention Center; and more. Tickets are available by calling toll-free (800) CMA-FEST (262-3378) or (866) FAN-FAIR (326-3247) and through Ticketmaster outlets, including Internet and charge-by-phone.

Fan Fair 2003, CMA Music Festival, is organized and produced by the Country Music Association. Country Music Magazine and Country Weekly are official media partners. MJI Programming, a division of Premiere Radio Networks, is the official radio broadcaster. Promotional partners include CMT, Coca-Cola, Greased Lightningä, KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES, Martha Whiteâ, NBC Daytime, Southwest Airlines, The Rage, Georgia Pacific, Pigeon Forge and Wrangler®. Fan Fair is a registered trademark of CMA. With thanks to the CMA