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- Fan Fair is getting a name
change only. Next Year's event will be known as
- the CMA Music Festival.
The night of the coliseum
and more with Keith....plus some of the other artist.
- Photo's courtesy
of Teena
This is from the CMT site
about the night at the coliseum
After doing everything right during the final evening of Fan Fair,
maybe it’s time to make Keith Urban the poster boy for country music
in 2003.
It could be that Urban has too much rock ‘n’ roll in his approach to
please some traditionalists, but let’s remember that country music’s
pioneers always pulled from diverse influences to arrive at a unique
style that moves the music forward. Many current acts in mainstream
country seem content to merely make records and tour, but Urban is
clearly exhilarated by the process of creating art. And there is a
difference between making records and creating art.
Urban writes memorable songs, he has an identifiable voice and his
guitar skills are second to none. And while that should be good enough
to ensure success, women also seem to find him attractive … in that
thin, fit, blond, Australian sort of way.
Given his Sunday night (June 8) performance, Urban also proved that he
possesses the energy and charisma to dominate a stadium while still
managing to make it seem like an intimate atmosphere. He achieved the
latter during a solo acoustic performance of his hit, “Your
Everything.” In a well-paced set, Urban provided inspired electric
versions of other hits, including “But for the Grace of God,”
“Somebody Like You” and his latest, “Raining on Sunday.”
But Urban was just one of the nine acts appearing at the Coliseum
during a concert that lasted almost four hours. Also on the bill were
Wynonna (with a surprise appearance from her mother, Naomi Judd),
Trace Adkins, Jo Dee Messina, Chris Cagle, Trick Pony, Billy Ray
Cyrus, Jennifer Hanson and Neal McCoy.
A few years ago, a handful of snide comments were made after McCoy was
named entertainer of the year at the now-defunct TNN/Music City News
awards show. Those detractors had obviously never seen the guy
perform. McCoy is a good singer who thus far has never managed to snag
those songs that were capable of pushing his career to the highest
levels in country music. However, he’s a natural-born performer who
never ever tries to be too hip for the room.
Ironically, one of the biggest crowd responses of his set -- and the
entire night -- came when McCoy introduced one of his guitarists to
sing a song. Alluding to Natalie Maines’ recent comments about
President Bush, McCoy noted that he, too, often makes controversial
comments during his concerts. “When we say it, we don’t get into any
trouble,” McCoy joked. “Only 200 or 300 people hear it at our
concerts.”
With Maines’ comment in mind, McCoy’s band member then used the melody
of “The Yellow Rose of Texas” to sing the lyrics: “They oughta take
the Dixie out of the Dixie Chicks/Don’t let ‘em back in Texas/Their
asses should be kicked.” After the crowd roared with approval, McCoy
said, “That wasn’t me. I was standing right there.” He added, “Clean
living … that don’t get you nowhere. I’m gonna steal a horse. … I’m
gonna break in your cars right now.”
Newcomer Hanson won over some new fans with her set that included the
new single, “This Far Gone” and other tracks from her debut album.
Hanson’s vocal strength was apparent throughout her performance,
including her first hit, “Beautiful Goodbye.”
Cyrus’ set was somewhat frustrating as he concentrated on material
from his upcoming album, Time Flies, set for release Tuesday (June
10). As such, the songs were mostly unfamiliar. Cyrus did announce
that he starts work next week on a contemporary Christian album for
Word Records. He then offered a blues arrangement of “Amazing Grace.”
The good news was that the crowd had at least heard the lyrics before.
The bad news was that they’d probably heard the blues guitar solos
before, too. Cyrus finally rewarded fans by delving into his early
song catalog to close the show with “Words by Heart” and “Achy Breaky
Heart.”
Trick Pony turned in a typically energetic set that opened with the
title track from their most recent album, On a Mission. The trio
turned in lively performances of their hits, including “Just What I
Do” and “Pour Me,” but one of the highlights was “Big River,” which
they had recorded with Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings on their debut
album. Lead vocalist Heidi Newfield delved into the Eagles collection
with “Take It to the Limit.”
After a thunderous musical introduction that Elvis would have approved
of, Chris Cagle jumped into action with “Laredo” and strutted back and
forth on the huge stage to sing his ever-growing list of hits,
including “I Breathe In, I Breathe Out” and “What a Beautiful Day.”
Continuing the trend of cover tunes, Cagle took the patriotic route
with Charlie Daniels’ “In America.”
Jo Dee Messina also opted to perform a patriotic cover song, except
her choice was even older -- “The Star-Spangled Banner.” She included
that toward the end of her set before leaving the stage with an
appropriate choice, “Bye Bye.” In between her own hits, she also
offered her versions of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and Aretha
Franklin’s “Think,” attempting to put a patriotic spin on the latter.
Adkins proved the value of his new Greatest Hits compilation with a
hit-packed performance opening with “(This Ain’t) No Thinkin’ Thing”
and roaring through other familiar material, including “Big Time,”
“I’m Tryin’,” “Chrome” and his latest single, “Then They Do.” Adkins
gets extra points for performing “I Left Something Turned On at Home,”
the closest thing to real honky-tonk music of the entire night.
Wynonna got into Elvis mode by opening with “Burnin’ Love.” She
introduced songs from her new album, but the highlight for fans came
when her mother showed up onstage. Referring to the audience as her
“extended” family, Judd and her daughter sang two of their biggest
hits as the Judds -- “Grandpa, Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days” and
“Mama He’s Crazy.”
With the Country Music Association revamping Fan Fair and turning next
summer’s big event into the CMA Music Festival, Sunday’s show could
take on a certain degree of historic significance. The crowd response
was overwhelming when Cyrus asked, “How many of you think they took
the fans out of Fan Fair?” Noting that this marked his 11th year at
the event, Cyrus said, “You put the fans back in Fan Fair and you’ll
have a freakin’ party.”
Night at the Coliseum
Keith Urban
Tommy Shane Steiner
Alan Jackson
Trick Pony
CMT top 100
songs of all time...
that was filmed in
Nashville while Teena was there... it was 75-00 a ticket
It
was advertised that keith urban would be hosting the show... which he
apparently did do...but from the studio and not at the gaylord center...
they had the top stars
performing the songs...
Vince Gill
Glen Campbell
Brad Paisley
Ray Charles
Marty Stewart
Dianna Carter
Brad Paisley
Keith Urban Dazzles IFCO Crowd
Edward Morris from cmt.com
photos by Teena Fish-Jodi Holden
06/04/2003
No matter how the record industry fares, Keith Urban won’t have to
worry about finding work for the next decade or so. The way the crowd
embraced him Tuesday night (June 3) at the International Fan Club
Organization show, he can make a fortune just by sitting on a bare
stage, singing and picking his acoustic guitar. Despite this decidedly
low-tech approach, the young Australian had the audience in his pocket
from the moment he ambled into the spotlight at Nashville’s Ryman
Auditorium.
Preceding Urban on the tightly packed bill were Andy Griggs, John
Berry, Steve Azar, the Wilkinsons, Jennifer Hanson, Eric Heatherly,
Jimmy Wayne, Lila McCann, Dean Miller, Kim Patton-Johnston, Nashville
Star contestants Buddy Jewell, Miranda Lambert and John Arthur
Martinez and surprise guests Earl Scruggs and his A-team band.
Although the Ryman was less than half full, the audience compensated
for the empty seats with raw enthusiasm. These were the hardcore early
arrivals who had streamed into town two days or more before the
official start of Fan Fair on Thursday (June 5). Under their benign
gaze, no effort on stage went unapplauded, and Urban’s and Griggs’
efforts made them positively giddy. The show’s beneficiary was the St.
Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis. As is customary, Joe Bob Barnhill
led the infinitely versatile backup band.
Emceed with carnival gusto by music historian and TV personality
Robert K. Oermann, the evening was one delightful performance after
another. Miller -- Roger’s son who now records for Universal South
Records -- contributed some wry humor his dad would have been proud of
with the loopy, self-pitying honky-tonker, “The Gun Ain’t Loaded.” He
said the song -- whose refrain goes “The gun ain’t loaded, but I am”
-- will be released as a single within “a couple of weeks.”
McCann, who made her chart debut in 1997 with “Down Came a Blackbird,”
has evolved from a gawky, braces-wearing teenager into a sexy
chanteuse. She reprised her Top 5 hit, “I Wanna Fall in Love,” before
bowing a soulful new song, “Back to Me.” Martinez scored big with his
romantic ballad, “River of Love.” The crowd treated Jewell like a
superstar, roaring its approval at the first mention of his name.
Jewell, who won the Nashville Star talent contest, has completed
recording his first album for Sony. He brought two of his children --
“little Buddy” and Lacey -- onstage to help him introduce his current
single, “Help Pour Out the Rain (Lacey’s Song).”
Berry demonstrated that
he’s lost none of his crowd appeal, whatever his fortune may be at
radio these days. Both at intermission and after the show, the lines
to his merchandise table stretched across the lobby. After inciting
the audience into a sing-along with his 1996 hit, “She’s Taken a
Shine,” Berry told an affecting story about his boyhood closeness with
his dad. He then memorialized those golden days with his song “40
Again.”
Jenifer Hanson
Hanson
opened the second half of the show, accompanied by a band that
included her husband, singer-songwriter Mark Nesler. While her
rendering of “Beautiful Goodbye” gave the crowd a familiar point of
reference, it was her new single, “This Far Gone,” that supplied the
real emotional voltage. It was the kind of bluesy rumination you could
imagine Judy Garland moaning out -- not that there was anything
lacking in Hanson’s own reading, which was perfect. Don’t be surprised
if this song eventually finds favor with a jazz audience. Hanson
confided to the crowd that this was a particularly special evening:
her [third] wedding anniversary.
The Wilkinsons
The Wilkinsons -- the
father, son and daughter act -- used the occasion to reacquaint
themselves with fans and to deny the rumor that they’ve split up, even
though daughter Amanda does have a solo deal with Universal South
Records. The trio reprised its 1998 hit, “26 Cents,” and introduced a
new tune, “L.A.,” from an album it hopes to have out this fall.
Jimmy
Wayne, a newcomer who has already scored a Top 10 hit with “Stay
Gone,” earned a huge ovation for the song that was inspired by his
beloved sister. He said the two had lived together as kids in a
trailer and that one morning he awakened to the smell of smoke.
Fearing the worst, he rushed to an exit, only to find that his sister
had burned the birthday cake she was baking for him. Later, he said,
he had to help rescue her from a bad relationship, an errand of mercy
that eventually gave birth to the song.
Griggs turned in an
impassioned five-song set, the first two elements of which were his
own hits, “You Won’t Ever Be Lonely” and “This Ain’t No Practice
Life.” He then told the crowd that his favorite kind of country music
was the traditional variety and that he had persuaded one of its
masters -- Scruggs -- to perform with him on the show. The fabled and
still formidable banjoist joined Griggs on stage, accompanied on lead
guitar by his son Randy Scruggs (who is also Griggs’ producer),
fiddler Stuart Duncan and bassist Byron House. The assembled talents
then proceeded to romp through the bluegrass with “Salty Dog Blues,”
“Little Maggie” and the incomparable “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.”
By the time Urban appeared,
the fans were in full ovation mode. Shunning backup musicians and
electrified instruments, Urban simply sat at the front of the stage on
a folding chair, sang and chatted with the crowd. It was a masterpiece
of performance intimacy. Before Urban began his first song (“But for
the Grace of God”), women throughout the auditorium were screaming,
“Marry me, Keith” -- to which the would-be groom responded amiably,
“I’ll have six marriages before the night’s out. We’ll have to move to
another state.”
When Urban got to the
fourth song of his set, “Your Everything,” he told about arriving for
a show in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., just in time to hear his recording of
“Your Everything” wafting from a church next door where a wedding was
in progress. Thinking it would be a nice gesture to sing the song
personally for the couple and their guests, he eased into the church
-- and was stopped at the door by the suspicious father of the bride.
Finally, he said, he was able to convince the man of his identity and
what he wanted to do. “I went in and sang it, and they loved it,” he
reported. “I charged them $2,000. I’m just kidding. It was $1,500.”
Later on in his IFCO set, Urban invited a young girl from the audience
to come up and pose with him for a picture. Introducing herself as
“Brittany from Ann Arbor,” she promptly upstaged him by saying, “You
told my mom you’d give her a pair of your pants.” Pausing for a moment
to reflect on this revelation, he snapped, “Well, I’m certainly not
going to give her the ones I have on.”
Just as he was preparing to end the show with “Somebody Like You,” a
woman shouted “I love you, Keith.” “I love you, too,” he replied, “but
I think we should see other people.”
Kim Patton-Johnson
Dean Miller
“One Less Monkey”
“The Gun Ain’t Loaded” “My Heart Is in Your Hands”
Lila McCann
“I Wanna Fall in Love”
“Back to Me”
Eric Heatherly
“Urge to Run”
“Last Man Committed”
Miranda Lambert
“O, California”
John Arthur Martinez
“River of Love”
Buddy Jewell
“Abilene on Her Mind”
“Help Pour Out the Rain (Lacey’s Song)”
John Berry
“She’s Taken a Shine”
“40 Again”
Jennifer Hanson
“Beautiful Goodbye”
“This Far Gone”
The Wilkinsons
“26¢”
“L.A.”
Steve Azar
“End of Indianola”
“Waitin’ on Joe”
Jimmy Wayne
“Sara Smile”
“Stay Gone”
Andy Griggs
“You Won’t Ever Be Lonely”
“This Ain’t No Practice Life”
Andy Griggs, Earl Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Stuart Duncan, Byron House
“Salty Dog Blues”
“Little Maggie”
“Foggy Mountain Breakdown”
Keith Urban
“But for the Grace of God”
“It’s a Love Thing”
“Raining on Sunday”
“Your Everything”
“You Look Good in My Shirt”
“Where the Blacktop Ends”
“Somebody Like You”
Keith Urban fans won the
challenge raising more the 30 thousand dollars for St Judes
shirts to commemorate the !st
challenge are still available...
So many of you have been
asking about availability of the IFCO/Fan Club
Challenge Tee Shirts, which went on sale at the Ryman on Tuesday,
June 3rd.
We DO still have T-shirts. All sizes $10 + $4.00 p&h USA (Total $14)
each. (Outside USA, inquire p&h cost). Call (615.371.9596) to order
via MasterCard or Visa. Order by mail: IFCO, P.O. Box 40328,
Nashville,
TN 37204-0328.
In case you weren't aware, the colorful artwork on the front of
the shirt was done by one of St. Jude Kids, a patient at the hospital.
Pass the word. Would love to sell out the stock -- and the shirts
are great!
Loudilla, Loretta & Kay Johnson
International Fan Club Organization (IFCO)
Loudilla, Loretta & Kay Johnson, Presidents
Mail: P.O. Box 40328, Nashville, TN 37204-0328
Ph: 615-371-9596 * Fax: 615-371-9597
E-Mail: ifco@ifco.org * Website:
http://www.ifco.org
Print out and have the memories
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Tamworth
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