You're Still The One

Broke and tired after 12 days "vacation" in often overcrowded, expensive but beautiful California. Saw some hard partying County music fans of all ages near the Mexican border outside San Diego to Silicon Valley/SF.

To the ones in Phoenix who showed up for a hot Country show, they got one with Brad Paisley/Dustin Lynch/Chase Bryant/Lindsay Ell. Over 105 at the start ... big crowd. The artists and the crowd survived to party another day.

In the sun ... at tour buses ... digital reflected temperature was 160. Bus breakers were blowing. Fans were spreading hot air ... How do they live in that? Much less party? A Country fan can survive.

The Summer tour season in full swing with millions of dollars in revenue coming in ... Dierks pulled in over 13 million so far in ticket sales from this current tour. Said he was giving up his

iPhone for a while. It was stealing parts of his brain. Well, that illness does seem to be going around ... just look out in the audience any night ... You don't see faces, you see phones!

Saw where Brian Philips is leaving CMT. He has been quite the cheerleader over there. Nothing is easy in these digital times.

Had a strong last semester with some impressive shows. Wish him luck in whatever is next. And wish Country music luck with the new boss.

Shania Twain was in in town this week ... She has nothing to prove but is back with new music and for now, a more public image. Everyone was reminded of her amazing sales track record. 40 million sales of one album, Come on Over. Only a dozen or so other projects in recording history have done better. First album pretty much fails, second sells 20 million then a third 40 million ... Those records may never be broken. New world order. Physical sales landmark!

Shania looked great, gave a very nice reflective speech about her exhibit.

Any artist getting a career exhibit treatment is shaken by what they see. A life timeline starting with baby pictures all the way to today. All in a few feet. It is sobering to see it displayed in that way and she was touched by the memories the exhibit drummed up. Gave a huge tribute to Norro Wilson, one of her original Music City producers and supporters.

Reviewing some of her sales accomplishments that may have been forgotten in the age of Taylor Swift ... 90 million and counting.. physical sales era. Those were the days!

Here on All Access a feature called 10 Questions ... with. I like the Playboy magazine interview style used in these question-and-answer sessions. Go seek out the one with Mike Dungan in the last few days. He gets it ... and has always got it. Like few have ever. Go read it...

So on to the month of July. The lazy, hazy crazy days of Summer.

The fires have started out West. Hotel prices during the weekdays have little mercy. The 100-plus temps can ruin your day. Garth was at NASA Mission Control today. There is no telling what marketing scheme he is coming up with next.

The '90s Country looks pretty amazing these days. Look at those base artists! The women and the men! From Garth to Shania and everyone in between it was like the '60s in Pop.

Shania's belly button and Garth's flying through fire look a lot less shocking these days. Taylor was a next generation product of those two. If some old Country stars could come back today, they would not believe how the Music Row history has been written since 1989.

Shania Twain getting an exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame is deserved. She is a major part of the historical story of Country music. But who would have predicted where this would all evolve into 35 or so years later? Rappers and Country stars, Fifth Dimension like AC Country stars, and those mysterious stand-alones like Eric Church and Chris Stapleton. It is indeed fascinating!