CMA Fest 3 || The Day I Decided To Text

Just a warning to all you "non country music fans"  - this is going to be a loooong post full of country music photos, contests, and 100% goodness.  You have been warned. :)

I don't text.  I don't have a texting plan, and I don't plan on getting one any time soon.  Anyone I need to keep in constant contact with has an iPhone with "iMessage" (apples' free texting service).  So anytime I *do* send a text to someone it costs me.... not much, but it can add up.  Needless to say I only text when it's uber important.

Satruday night at CMA Fest was UBER important to me!  I received a text from CMA asking if I wanted a chance to win a Photo Fast Pass to that nights show.  Did I want a chance at being able to cut in front of everyone who had waited over an hour for each artist?  Did I want to get AHHHMAZING photos 5 feet away from these singers???  YES.  YES.  YES.  So I replied back and decided to go ahead and text just this once.  I received the following....

I couldn't believe it!!  I had to re-read the text over and over and then ask my cousin to read it himself.  The night was soooooo amazing!

Now I'm going to sound like one of those infomercials - "But wait!  There's more!".  Wait, because there IS MORE  -  I won the photo passes Sunday night also!!!!  2 Nights in a row.  Cutting in front of the lines.  Running around and around LP Field.  Getting blisters.  Back aches from hauling camera gear.  Sweating like crazy.  Missing most of the concert due to said running back and forth.  But getting photos of a lifetime.  Truly.  Here are some highlights from both Saturday and Sunday...

 

 

 

I feel horrible about this... This guy is the first person I was able to get photos of, but I have NO CLUE who he is.  I listen to Country and Contemporary Christian music.  This dude didn't fit either genre.  Let me know if you know who it is... I got a photo anyway :)





 

Brad Paisley and Keith Urban are the best guitarists I've ever seen/heard.  I was able to be up front during one of Brad's solo sections.  As Mariah Carey says "#POW"



 

 

A thunderstorm shut down CMA Fest early on Sunday night and the artists were only able to sing a couple songs each.  The Band Perry opened their 2-song set with "DONE." and brought a ton of energy to the bummed out crowd!



 

Since the night was ending really fast, security moved everyone through the lines UBER fast.  Their main order was "get 1 photo then move on".  I was too close to the stage to get a full shot before I had to move, so I had to shoot back behind me to grab one of all 3 siblings together.  I'll take it. :)



 

 

I feel really bad for Jake Owen.  He only got 1 song.  Just 1.  He was barefoot and everything for his song "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" and didn't even get to sing it.  Poor guy :/



 

Carrie Underwood closed out the music festival on Sunday night.  Once again I was rushed through the line, but I was still able to hear her "See You Again" up close by the stage.  It was THE way to end CMA Fest for me.  <3

 



 

Kelly Clarkson was on Saturday night right before my all time favorite.  I was so worried about not being ready in the front of the line for my favorite, and I was only able to grab a few photos of Kelly.  But man, she sounded AWESOME that night!  I missed her duet with Jason Aldean, but it was worth it in the end....



 

 

 

...... because Keith Urban was THE ONE person that I REALLY wanted to see.  He came up to my row in 2011 and sang "Somebody like you" (I have his sweat on my left hand to prove it...oh... and photos and video if that counts ;-) ), and this year it was my turn to do all the walking and see him.  I think I took about 150 photos during his set.



 

 

**DIES**..... his guitar playing!!! .... NUFF SAID.

 

Keith was the last artist on Saturday night and ended his set by running through the crowd, straight into the parking garage, jumping into a truck, and driving off while fireworks were going - and the whole time being followed by the camera crew.  Ultimate Exit!



 

3 Hours worth of highlights from CMA Fest will be airing tonight on ABC - will you be watching?  If you look close enough you might even see me and my cousin in the front row.  ;-)

 

Happy Monday!

~~le

LP Field || Pure Awesomeness

**Read Part 1 Here** 

 

Later Thursday evening my dad and sister met up with Brett and me in Nashville for the best part of CMA - the LP Field concerts!  I had butterflies the whole walk over the bridge and up to our seats.  I was soooooo excited!

 

I can't remember how it happened, but I handed a complete stranger my new camera so we could have a group photo with all 4 of us.  Me.  Miss "I'm the only one allowed to touch this camera".  I have no clue why - blame the butterflies - but I'm really glad to have this photo!  One of the first things I learned from a photography instructor was that you need to learn how find balance between getting that "special photo" and the risk of not wanting to damage your camera.  Her example involved a rainy night in Italy, but mine seemed equally as important.  :)   Either way, our stranger did an awesome job taking this photo and my camera is still in one piece.

 

Oh Nashville... you are BEAUTIFUL!

 



 

 

It was a *very* last minute decision to go to CMA Fest.... and our seats say it all... we were WAYYY up high!   It was really hard to get good photos, so I'm glad the mega screen was there!

 



Taylor ended her set singing the first verse of her song "Tim McGraw".... then she called Tim McGraw out on stage with her to sing Highway Don't Care - The. Crowd. Went. Wild.!!!!  (Including me ;-) )  If you look reallllllly close you can see Tim on the stage...

 



And then she called out Keith Urban... annnnnd the crowd got even louder!  It was pretty EPIC!

 

Eric Church

 

 

Randy Travis

 

Ok, I have a confession - I didn't like Hunter Hayes before CMA.  To me he was just a country version of Justin Bieber.  Boy, was I wrong!  This guy is SUCH a true artist!  He put on a better show than Taylor and was one of my favorites from all 4 nights!  I'm definitely a fan now!

 



 

 

When Hunter sang "I Want Crazy" everyone stood up and started dancing.  The whole upper section started shaking and moving... fun? yes. scary? ohhh yes. ;-)



 

Lady Antebellum put on a very fun show!  It was really neat to be able to hear the "full versions" of the acoustic songs that we heard earlier at Fan Fair!



 

Don't forget to check back later this month for part 3!  Seriously... you won't want to miss it.

~~le

We're All For The Hall 2013!

I remember the conversation going something like this...  "Oh wow!  This looks like a great concert - anyone want to go with me?", but the rest of the family heard "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE????  I HAVVVE TO GO!".  I'm not sure if either of those are completely accurate, but you get the picture.  Only two of us ended up at the concert, but it was such a fun night!!

All For The Hall 2013 had an amazing line-up, the proceeds went to the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum, and to top it off, we were able to get some awesome floor seats :)

 My absolute favorites from the night were Keith Urban....

and Jason Aldean....

And the most amusing part of the night was seeing Trace Adkins and Keith Urban on the same stage... just a little height difference ;-)

Happy Monday!

~~laura elizabeth

The One Thing To Do In Nashville

I had lived in San Antonio, TX my whole life - 18 years to be exact.  I didn't own a pair of cowgirl boots, didn't like country music (AT ALL - it was just a bunch of old, low-voiced guys yodeling... right?), and only had 1 dog - and as I later found out, he is a VERY city "sissy" dog.  My life was full of years of competitive tennis, lots of afternoons rollerblading (even after hours on the tennis court), Piano, Violin and Harp lessons, and I took several years of ballet when I was younger.  I wouldn't change any of it or have it any other way.

I'm still a complete computer geek, Pride and Prejudice reader (but you could tell that by the way I named my dog), old 1940's movie watcher, tea party attender.... and *finally* as of 3 years ago a COMPLETE COUNTRY FREAK.

It took me listening to a country song that had accidentally synced to my *pink* ipod for me to realize how much I loved it - it was on of Keith Urban's.  I don't know if it was because he is an Aussie, or just because it was a 14 hour car ride and I was bored, but I listened to that song allll the way through - and repeated it at least 5 times.

I can't say it was only because of that one song, or the move to TN, but since then, I've turned into a creek wading, stream splashing, chicken, duck, horse, cat and more dogs owning, and "can't get enough of country music" listening country gal.  So it's pretty obvious that other than the CMA Music Fest and the Grand Ol' Opry, the best thing to do in Nashville, TN is go to the Country Music Hall Of Fame Museum.  So I did.  ;-)

 

 

It starts wayyyyyyy back when with some really neat video footage.

 

They had a special Taylor Swift Speak Now exhibit when I went, and the costumes were so beautiful!

 

....they have loads of instruments including Elvis's golden piano...

 

Of course, my favorite Country artist...... Thanks Brett for pointing this out to me - I missed it the first time! :o

 



 

 

Right across the street from the Museum is the Walk Of Fame - I found two of my favorite artists' stars  :)  For those of you who don't know, Steven Curtis Chapman is the founder of Show Hope and an AHHHMAZING singer/songwriter!  He is definitely my favorite Christian singer - EVER.