Hold The Ice PLEASE!

Jimmy Carter in Panama City, FL for Labor Day Weekend

Big Country festival here at the beach to end the Summer or begin the Fall ... you decide. Blake, Carrie, Dierks are the headliners for The Guilf Coast Pepsi Jam 2014. Nice lineup and just one of the many great shows at this stretch of beach in 2014 ... Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney and now this. Huge crowds and a max amount of excitement for the Country music world. Rock shows had nothing on any of those events. And they were, for the most part, trouble-free. One arrest with 40,000 at Kenny Chesney. North of Mason-Dixon Line -- not possible! Not sure why, but not possible based on any measuring stick in 2014.

The first eight months of 2014 have been historic for the format. From the return of Garth Brooks to the exit of Taylor Swift. From the massive success of Luke Bryan to the continuing success of Tim McGraw. Florida-Georgia Line ... what can you about what they accomplished? You can go on and on. It has been Country's year to shine on network TV and at the football and baseball stadiums. And dependable headliner Kenny Chesney only did one show. In the history books, this will be an important year and one of great change.

Radio may be the biggest change magnet this year. Transition time. Trying to find the balance for the audience. Harder and harder to be all things to all segments of the Country audience. The next year is going to really be critical. This streaming stuff is very confusing for the artists and songwriters ... is it the future or just a fad?

The award season is about to start. New CDs from Country superstars are beginning to appear ... First Brad Paisley ... then Kenny Chesney. Soon Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood ... New Tim McGraw. Big Fall. I guess new Blake Shelton ahead, too. Carrie Underwood is out there somewhere. And Taylor's pop album. So fasten your seat belts and let's see if physical CDs are completely dead ... will cherry-picking buyers going to pick apart the new projects or download the whole thing ? Will Luke get the big award at the CMAs? He seems the one to beat!

It's a pretty exciting time. Pop music is pretty boring. Country is alive and on fire. If there is a problem, it is the balance of Pop and traditional Country. Maybe that's not a problem at all, but I think you are about to see the waters shift again. The party stuff seems a little long in the tooth.

Maybe it's time to sing about love and life again? And as we go into September, who gets to say STOP to the Ice Bucket Challenge? Please enough cold water on everyone ... it's better than hot dog eating, but we have seen everyone and seen everything dumped with water.

Please for the sake of mankind. Stop the madness ... send money to ALS ... stop the ICE ... Happy Labor Day to all the working men and women who make this Country great!