CMT Blog: Little Big Town

Oh, the horror! Scalpers have bought benefit concert tickets and are putting high price tags on them! How dare they! Oh wait. This is America, where everyone tries to make money with or without a moral compass. So, some sneaky scalpers have gotten their hands on Keith Urban's "All for the Hall" fundraising concert featuring folks like Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley and Little Big Town on Oct. 13. The tickets were $25 but now can be found on eBay for up to $500 (for 15th row, center). I don't think what these scalpers are doing is right. But they still paid their $25 per ticket so the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum still gets that money. And like I blogged yesterday, no matter how steep the price is, some shows are just worth every penny. This will be one of those shows.

Photo: Jason Squires/WireImage

I hate surprises. So I'm not sure what to think of this partial list of performers for the "All for the Hall" show. I mean, sure, seeing Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Jason Aldean, Little Big Town and Lady Antebellum in one concert would be fantastic as is. But then there are hints about more artists, with statements like "additional surprise guests" and how it's going to be "a one-of-a-kind evening of music and camaraderie." It's probably worth it to go, even if you don't know who those surprises will be at downtown Nashville's Sommet Center on Oct. 13. Proceeds will benefit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and Keith Urban told CMT Insider why that was so important: "I think everybody needs to know the importance of where we've come from in order to know where we're going. That's my take on it. We can't move forward until we know where we've come from and it's imperative that it maintains that lineage." And he added that the artists and vendors have forgone their profits so that the Hall gets all the money.

My teenage daughter sent me this Wall Street Journal article about texting. (No, she doesn't read the WSJ. Someone probably sent her the link via text or IM or one of those chain e-mails.) It's all about the shorthand people use when talking in hyper-quick bits of so-called communication.

So it helps define the terms everyone except maybe a handful of grandmothers knows -- like OMG and LMAO. And then the lesser known terms like UG2BK (you've got to be kidding), FYEO (for your eyes only) and WOMBAT (waste of money, brains and time). It makes sense to define all these little terms because I'm sure a lot of parents feel like their own kids contributed a great deal to the 1 trillion text messages sent and received in the U.S. last year.

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Two things happened last week that altered the course of my listening habits this week: I interviewed Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts and I saw a Lady Antebellum show. Both events made me think all about bands and how much I love the range of music that comes with hearing a group. Whether they're singing harmony or not, I just like to take a break from frontmen and revel in the band dynamic.

"Here Comes Goodbye," Rascal Flatts
"Long Gone," Lady Antebellum
"Song of the South," Alabama Read more...

During the CMA Music Festival, I crashed five fan club parties and I was pleased to discover a chilled-out country star at each and every one. None of the singers seemed in any hurry to get off the stage, and in a few cases, they played a couple of new songs that nobody else has heard yet. To a fan, that's a golden opportunity and worth the price of a fan club membership. That, and a rare chance to get a photo with your favorite artist.

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Celebrating No. 1 hits in Nashville ain't no big thang, according to The Tennessean newspaper. So why, then, did so many celebrities from other record labels come out Tuesday (May 19) to root for Jamey Johnson at a party to celebrate his album's recent ascension into the gold category? I guess 300 people were there, which is about double the normal attendance. And among those guests were the Oak Ridge Boys, Keith Anderson, Holly Williams, Bill Anderson, Kimberly Schlapman and Phillip Sweet (Little Big Town) and Teddy Gentry (Alabama). What did Johnson think of all the fuss? Sounds like he was pretty humble. "I'm flattered to have other artists at this party," he said. "When it's all said and done, no one is going to remember who sold more records. What's going to matter is relationships." So he may sing about some rough stuff, but deep down, he seems like he has a heart of gold. And that must be what fans -- and fellow artists -- have known and loved all along.

Fans may have missed out on Sugarland at Keith Urban's shows last week in Uncasville, Conn., but they were treated to something else on Friday night (May 8) instead. In addition to Little Big Town -- who substituted for Sugarland after Jennifer Nettles was placed on voice rest -- Jamey Johnson made a surprise appearance and joined Urban onstage for a duet version of "In Color." Rightfully so, it sounds like the crowd loved every minute of the hit song as Johnson lead and Urban harmonized. You can watch the video on Johnson's Web site. If you were going to a Keith Urban concert, what unexpected artist would you like to see him duet with?

Damn those voice doctors. They just put Jennifer Nettles on vocal rest. Which means, sadly, that Sugarland cannot give Keith Urban's Escape Together World Tour the kickoff it deserves tonight in Connecticut. Bummer for Nettles, bummer for Urban, and bummer for all the fans who were going to the show to get a double dose of good country music. The silver lining in this little musical cloud is that Jason Aldean and Little Big Town were able to make room in their schedules at the last minute -- Thursday (May 7) and Friday night (May 8), respectively. No word yet on who will take that opening slot for Urban's show in Pennsylvania on May 9, though. Let's just all wish Nettles a speedy recovery so Sugarland can get back out on the road. Voice troubles also forced Sugarland to cancel appearances during a visit to Europe in March.

Something must be wrong. There are absolutely no country stars lined up to play the county fairs I love so much.

This is the time of year when I start marking up my summer calendar with fair and festival dates. Not because I'm into tractor pulls, duck races, petting zoos and carnival games nobody will ever win even with a pocket full of $20 bills. And not because I'm addicted to funnel cakes, fresh-squeezed lemonade and pulled pork sandwiches. But because there is nothing better than hearing country music from the bleachers nestled into my local county fairgrounds.

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The Zac Brown Band opened up their act playing "Different Kind," and the crowd went wild. They left us begging for more after each song, especially to hear "Chicken Fried," and they held us on our feet until the end. They did not disappoint when they finally did play "Chicken Fried." There was a young boy standing behind me, and I heard his mother saying that he is a ZBB fanatic. He received the CD for Christmas and knew all the songs. So naturally, as soon as "Chicken Fried" started playing, I pulled him up to the front row so he could watch the band from where I was standing without any obstacles in his way. He got the biggest grin on his face, and I was glad to pass on the favor having received the freebie myself! The musicians were just awesome -- fiddling and pickin' and playing all the instruments. I got the honor of standing in front of the fiddle player, Jimmy, and he kept my attention for the entire show. We left the front row and stood at the back to watch of few songs from Little Big Town and then went and bought some ZBB souvenirs. Thanks for the opportunity to write a review for CMT.com. It was my pleasure. Check out the Zac Brown Band's upcoming tour dates.