On Friday June 7, Pepsi wowed fans when renown country music singer Blake Shelton made a surprise appearance at the Pepsi fan engagement bus at the Music City Center in Nashville, TN as part of the CMA Music Festival.
The surprise and delight event was hosted by YouTube all-stars, BFvsGF, who led fans in joining in on all the festivities and amazing giveaways taking place with Pepsi and Blake. Festival attendees and fans were split into two competing teams as part of the “Pepsi Speed Sketch.” 10 lucky fans started at the beginning of competition and 5 finalists emerged to then compete for the grand prize, joined by special guest Blake Shelton.
Blake’s appearance was part of Pepsi’s bigger Iconic Summer program – a program through which Pepsi offers fans and consumers fun summer rewards and unparalleled access to great music and great summer events, including: Beyoncé’s The Mrs. Carter World Tour, the MTV Video Music Awards, the MLB All Star Game in NYC, the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, the Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam in Florida, and many more. To show off the spirit of red, white and blue, this summer Pepsi will encourage fans to share their iconic summer photos by uploading to www.pepsi.com/iconicsummermoments. These images will be curated by Pepsi to create unique content featured on its multi-media channels. For every photo that is submitted to www.pepsi.com/iconicsummermoments from May 26 to August 31, Pepsi will donate $1 to several charitable organizations, including a nonprofit dedicated to providing relief and aid to the victims of the recent tornado impacting the Oklahoma City area, as well as a select group of exceptional military affiliated charities. Consumers who submit photos will automatically be entered into a contest for a chance to win amazing summertime experiences – which only Pepsi can provide.
Country music superstar Ronnie Dunn surprised fans in downtown Nashville for CMA Music Festival activities last night when he performed four songs on the rooftop patio of Rippy’s Bar and Grill on lower Broadway. The performance happened as fans were departing the Bridgestone Arena after watching the CMT Awards. Dunn debuted four new songs: “Country This,” “Kiss You There,” “Cowgirls Rock ‘N’ Roll” and “Peace, Love and Country Music.” During “Kiss You There,” a flash mob took over Broadway for an impromptu dance to the delight of the crowd. Both “Country This” and “Kiss You There” can be downloaded exclusively on iTunes. To view the performance and flashmob, click here.
As Dunn told USA Today, "I'm more excited about where music is today than I ever have been. We no longer have to play by rules because there are no rules. The band and crew snuck in and set-up to ambush the unsuspecting crowd coming out of the CMT Awards. We don't have a clue what we’re doing, but we're having fun and working overtime to come up with unorthodox ways to get music to people who simply like music. I hope that those of you who rambled into the line of fire had a good time!”
In addition to the performance, screens covered the buildings between Fourth and Fifth Avenues broadcasting the performance with #countrythis and #kissyouthere covering the buildings and the roof of the historic Ryman Auditorium.
Inside Rippy’s bar, Dunn gave away over 1,000 hangover patches for indulgent CMA Music Festival attendees.
In-between tour dates, Dunn is writing songs and working on a new album expected in stores this fall. For more information, visit www.RonnieDunn.com.
Carrie with Ivey Cake 5th Opry anniversary cupcakes
photo credit: Joel Dennis
The Grand Ole Opry® presented by Humana® honored six-time Grammy® winner Carrie Underwood on her 5th anniversary as an Opry member this evening, and she celebrated by closing the first of two shows with a special segment full of her music.
After a video presentation highlighting five years of Underwood Opry performances ran for the audience, Underwood said, “It’s so hard to believe it’s been five years, but what an amazing five years it has been. Just watching that video, I was getting a little teary-eyed, thinking about how I felt when all of that was happening. And I still feel that blessed and that honored to be on this stage.”
Opry Vice President and General Manager Pete Fisher presented the Opry member with a commemorative print marking the occasion, saying, “You have far surpassed the high expectations we had when we brought you into the family, and we know it is going to continue into the future. You are not only so good for country music, you are so good for the Grand Ole Opry, and you are so good for America. We appreciate all that you do.”
Underwood was inducted as an Opry member by fellow member Garth Brooks before a sold-out audience in May 2008. Her next appearances on the Opry are set for July 5th and 6th.
Since winning American Idol and releasing her debut album in 2005, Underwood has sold over 15 million albums and placed 17 No. 1 singles on the charts. Her recent album, Blown Away, made history by debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart, making Underwood only the second country artist in the 47-year history of the chart to have each of their first four albums debut at No. 1. The now platinum-selling Blown Away album also debuted at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, making Underwood only the second country artist in history to have three consecutive albums debut at No. 1. She is a six-time Grammy® winner, a two-time Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year, and a three-time Country Music Association and ACM Female Vocalist winner. She recently wrapped her “Blown Away Tour” having performed 112 shows in 110 cities before one million fans across three continents sand six countries since its launch last spring. The Country Music Hall of Fame is now featuring the “Blown Away Tour” in an exhibit that is open until the fall.
The Grand Ole Opry® is presented by Humana®. Opry performances are held every weekend of the year, and the Tuesday Night Opry continues through Dec. 11. To plan an Opry visit, call (800) SEE-OPRY or log on to www.opry.com.
The 2013 CMT Music Awardswere less about the hosts & even the awards & more about the performances this year. Try as Kristen Bell might, the chemistry lacked between her & Jason Aldean who co-hosted the awards show alongside the comedian.
The real fun began when Jason Aldean came out with Lenny Kravitz to sing "American Woman." From there the performances were white hot with Taylor Swift singing her album titled song "Red," then Little Big Town rocked the stage with Keith Urban on a Fleetwood Mac tune. The stage lighting was breathtaking & probably the most extravagant yet. Carrie Underwood also was another performance highlight who brought out a choir to sing her tune, "See You Again," dedicating it to the victims of the Oklahoma tornado. (*Full list of Winners are Below)
See the Country Artists fashion from the Purple Carpet of the CMT Awards (Courtesy of CMT):
The full list of winners are below:
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Brad Paisley – “Southern Comfort Zone”
- Carrie Underwood – “Blown Away” - WINNER
- Eric Church – “Springsteen”
- Florida Georgia Line – “Cruise”
- Hunter Hayes – “Wanted”
- Jason Aldean – “1994″
- Kenny Chesney – “Come Over”
- Little Big Town – “Tornado”
- Luke Bryan – “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye”
- Miranda Lambert – “Mama’s Broken Heart”
- Taylor Swift – “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”
- Tim McGraw – “One of Those Nights”
MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Blake Shelton – “Sure Be Cool If You Did” – WINNER
- Eric Church – “Creepin’”
- Hunter Hayes – “Wanted”
- Jason Aldean – “Take a Little Ride”
- Kenny Chesney – “Come Over”
- Luke Bryan – “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye”
FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Carrie Underwood – “Two Black Cadillacs”
- Faith Hill – “American Heart”
- Jana Kramer – “Why Ya Wanna”
- Kacey Musgraves – “Merry Go ‘Round”
- Miranda Lambert – “Mama’s Broken Heart” – WINNER
- Taylor Swift – “Begin Again”
GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Lady Antebellum – “Downtown” – WINNER
- Little Big Town – “Pontoon”
- Pistol Annies – “Takin’ Pills”
- Rascal Flatts – “Come Wake Me Up”
- The Band Perry – “Better Dig Two”
- Zac Brown Band – “Goodbye in Her Eyes”
DUO OF THE YEAR
- Big & Rich – “That’s Why I Pray”
- Florida Georgia Line – “Cruise” – WINNER
- Love and Theft – “Runnin’ Out Of Air”
- Thompson Square – “If I Didn’t Have You”
BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Dustin Lynch – “Cowboys and Angels”
- Florida Georgia Line – “Cruise” – WINNER
- Jana Kramer – “Why Ya Wanna”
- Kacey Musgraves – “Merry Go ‘Round”
- Kip Moore – “Beer Money”
- Randy Houser – “How Country Feels”
COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Brad Paisley and Joe Walsh – “Rocky Mountain Way,” from CMT Crossroads: Joe Walsh and Friends
- Jason Aldean with Luke Bryan and Eric Church – “The Only Way I Know,” from 2012 CMA Awards – WINNER
- Kelly Clarkson featuring Vince Gill – “Don’t Rush,” from 2012 CMA Awards
- Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw – “Feel Like A Rockstar”
- Rascal Flatts and Journey – “Changed,” from CMT Crossroads: Journey and Rascal Flatts
- The Avett Brothers and Randy Travis – “Three Wooden Crosses” from CMT Crossroads: The Avett Brothers and Randy Travis
CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
- Dierks Bentley – “5-1-5-0″ from CMT Unpluged
- Eric Church – “Homeboy” from 2012 CMT Artists of the Year
- Luke Bryan and Ryan Tedder – “Drunk On You/Feel Again” from 2012 CMT Artists of the Year
- Miranda Lambert – “Over You” from 2012 CMT Artists of the Year – WINNER
- Rascal Flatts and Journey – “Don’t Stop Believin’” from CMT Crossroads: Journey and Rascal Flatts
- Toby Keith – “Beers Ago” from 2012 CMT Atists of the Year
GRAMMY winning superstar Tim McGraw is at the top of the both the Billboard and Mediabase charts again this week for the smash hit, "Highway Don't Care" with Taylor Swift, featuring Keith Urban on guitar. In addition, the track has sold over one million downloads and set a record for single week audience impressions with 41.3 million during the May 27-June 2 Nielsen BDS tracking week, logging the biggest weekly audience sum since the Country Airplay chart switched to audience-based rankings in January 2005. The three superstars joined together for this monumental musical event which marks McGraw's 34th career No. one song and second consecutive No. one from his Big Machine Records debut TWO LANES OF FREEDOM.
"I thought this song had the potential to be really special the very first time I heard the demo," said McGraw. "And then standing on the stage with Taylor and Keith performing it live for the first time on the ACMs, I knew that it was really the kind of magical collaboration that only comes along every few years. The energy that night was undeniable…I know the three of us could feel it. Radio continues to be supportive and excited about the music we're giving them, and I'm so thankful for my friends there and for all the fans who have really taken this thing to the next level. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger in our show every night."
McGraw's latest No. one achievement comes on the heels of another sold-out weekend of his TWO LANES OF FREEDOM 2013 Tour, powered by Pennzoil, with capacity shows in Indianapolis, IN; Cleveland, OH and Washington, D.C. Previous stops on the 30 city trek have critics chiming in to praise McGraw's two hour action-packed set.
"The man sweats star power and has an effortless, sexy swagger that make it hard to believe he's a mere mortal, yet he performs with humility, smiling at the response from the crowd as if he's genuinely surprised they like him." Tampa Tribune
"McGraw successfully set the party tone for the summer…" Buffalo News
On Friday June 7, Pepsi wowed fans when renown country music singer Blake Shelton made a surprise appearance at the Pepsi fan engagement bus at the Music City Center in Nashville, TN as part of the CMA Music Festival.
Country music superstar Ronnie Dunn surprised fans in downtown Nashville for CMA Music Festival activities last night when he performed four songs on the rooftop patio of Rippy’s Bar and Grill on lower Broadway. The performance happened as fans were departing the Bridgestone Arena after watching the CMT Awards. Dunn debuted four new songs: “Country This,” “Kiss You There,” “Cowgirls Rock ‘N’ Roll” and “Peace, Love and Country Music.” During “Kiss You There,” a flash mob took over Broadway for an impromptu dance to the delight of the crowd. Both “Country This” and “Kiss You There” can be downloaded exclusively on iTunes. To view the performance and flashmob, click here.
Carrie with Ivey Cake 5th Opry anniversary cupcakes
The 2013 CMT Music Awards were less about the hosts & even the awards & more about the performances this year. Try as Kristen Bell might, the chemistry lacked between her & Jason Aldean who co-hosted the awards show alongside the comedian.
GRAMMY winning superstar Tim McGraw is at the top of the both the Billboard and Mediabase charts again this week for the smash hit, "Highway Don't Care" with Taylor Swift, featuring Keith Urban on guitar. In addition, the track has sold over one million downloads and set a record for single week audience impressions with 41.3 million during the May 27-June 2 Nielsen BDS tracking week, logging the biggest weekly audience sum since the Country Airplay chart switched to audience-based rankings in January 2005. The three superstars joined together for this monumental musical event which marks McGraw's 34th career No. one song and second consecutive No. one from his Big Machine Records debut TWO LANES OF FREEDOM.
