Purple Rain Country Style

The CMA Music festival is huge and like many things huge can be more than

a bit impersonal and has a personality that is equally impersonal.

I'm home and I'm wiped out! Much like thousands of CMA Music festival attendees on this morning after.

For me it was 7 days not just the 4 actual days of official activities. Beginning with the Lonestar fronted bowling for charity to the thunderstorm that seemed like a mini-hurricane 10pm Sunday night that blew in wiping out Gretchen Wilson's "surprise" performance. The event is an octopus of things going on that no single person could possibly attend mentally or physically. The CMA Music festival is huge and like many things huge can be more than a bit impersonal and has a personality that is equally impersonal.

Take the experience you have at a Rolling Stones stadium show versus any show at say the Ryman or Fox theatres. There is intimacy versus glam rock fun. Both have their place. Country music's best venue for its music is probably not the stadium. Garth did it and others but it doesn't work for everyone. But it is great to see Country music in what feels like the big time. Maybe that is what this is all about.

Country Music has this chip on this shoulder that comes from the big city folks thinking everyone in Country is an idiot, hayseed, poor old hillbilly. You see us in that stadium and its instant respect from the New Yorkers and Los Angelinos who run the business from their home high rise offices. Still intimacy and personality are hard to show from a Madonna like stage.

Yes, I heard a group sing Purple Rain at the opening kickoff party. It was awful! Enough said and I will spare the name of the act. I'm too tired to whack a mole them on the head.

The CMA does an amazing job at putting this event together. I think they should pay the singers who perform something but not there usual fee. This should not be a hardship to give up a weekend playdate.

The superstars of Country should remember this. You don't have to play at the stadium. You can show up at anything from charity bowling and softball to acoustic performances and Opry events. BUT YOU SHOULD SHOW UP! No excuse. You know a year in advance. Make the schedulers figure in a day or whatever. Have you private jet fly over the stadium and dip its wings. SOMETHING to acknowledge the fans. That is what this is ultimately still supposed to be about.

Someone needs to force themselves to look at the success of the Dukesfest in Nashville the weekend before this festival. The cops say 75,000 and that seems high but it was probably 50,000 just to see old Dukes of Hazzard cast members. If you give the people what they want, they will come, per Kevin Costner Field of Dreams. If you want a full stadium then pay and book the top stars.

And furthermore, Not signing autographs is another area that no one has properly explained to me why the new artists seem to have an aversion to. Why not? Why are the newer artist such butt heads when it comes to smiling and doing face to face with their customers? I hear this all the time. These fans are all excited about meeting a star at a meet and greet and the star just mechanically goes through the motions. Dull as a bucket of slop. Why????

Some of the news right now is really good. Some is troubling. The avoidance of driect fan contact is one trouble spot. The trend toward pop might be going a little too far to the left too. Martina got a standing ovation for doing a REAL country song. Half ass Tom Petty's and wanna be Bon Jovi's are in the wrong format. No more Purple Rain EVER please.

The CMA Music festival is an impressive imperfect event. Keep the autographs don't let that die and do some more intimate star venues . Give the stars some options. ALL STARS SHOULD HAVE NO EXCUSE NOT TO ATTEND!

I'm going now to rest.