No Rest For The Country Stars This Weekend...

Summer is here ... Music City got the wake-up call for Summer this week with record breaking 90-plus temperature days..

The exhausting CMA Music Festival week is less than two weeks away and already the August heat.

Country stars will test their fitness with very warm shows in Alabama and Louisiana. Kenny Chesney plays Tuscaloosa tonight but he will hardly sweat. Thomas Rhett gets two nights in far South Alabama at Orange Beach's Wharf (single hottest concert I ever attended ... not sure that place breathes ... the humidity will choke you).

The Baton Rouge area will party with Kenny and Jason at The Bayou Country Superfest back from a two-year stay in New Orleans. The Tailgate is a big part of this event.

Justin Moore and Alison Krauss are part of the live National Memorial Day concert on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol ... 8p ET/7P CT on PBS.

The official start of Summer ... 90 days until it ends on Labor Day.

Garth will be working all Summer. He just added a second show in Boise late July. The Rolling Stones are back in a few weeks. Lionel Richie is all over the U.S., starting the 28th. It's the time of the year to make money for the stars on Music City and beyond. The classic rockers based and or booked from Music Row are all busy, too. From '60s acts like The Turtles and Herman's Hermits to Cheap Trick playing at the NASCAR Charlotte race.

The big show promoters always have a lot at stake especially where they have huge investments like Summerfest and Bonnaroo. The weather is always a factor ... the safety and health of the crews and star is a big concern.

Let's all hope the Summer of 2019 is a great one for everyone ... and hopefully a time to have some fun, too.

The Voice and American Idol both drew about eight million viewers for their final shows. Compared to 38 million a few years ago, things are shaky in that world. But live All in the Family drew 10 million and was far cheaper to make. Stay tuned. Nothing is a sure thing these days...

And a big article in the trades this week told fans that the aisle seat is the new cash cow for concert ticket sellers ... $5 to $30 more....

The CMA Music Fest week is on the horizon ... as I fought my way through downtown Nashville traffic, I was wondering what Fan Fair will be like in this crowded place...