The initial lineup for CMA Fest 2018 is out, and you might have guessed that there isn’t a massive shakeup in the billing. Not entirely unexpectedly, some stellar performers who you could identify as country (though they appeal to a broader audience) are not on the list, including Margo Price, Sturgill Simpson and Jason Isbell. (Though Isbell was proud to be nominated for a CMA, the fest isn't his bag.) A little more surprising may be the lack of Ashley Monroe and Kacey Musgraves, who both have new albums out soon, though a festival is not always the best place to debut material. Some notable mainstream artists aren't on the initial bill, either, like Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Little Big Town and Maren Morris.
But looking at who is playing, it seems the slow acknowledgement of voices from outside Music Row continues, as contributor Chris Parton pointed out in his analysis of the 2017 lineup. This year, the CMA Fest is set to take place June 7-10 on 11 stages, and so far, lineups and schedules have been announced for four of them.
Nissan Stadium, where the concerts will be filmed for the three-hour special usually broadcast on ABC in August, will feature performances by top-tier stars like Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton (now a multiple CMA and Grammy-winner, who recently achieved the Garth-ian feat of occupying the top three slots on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart) and Keith Urban.
There are also pop-friendly artists with rising profiles like Kelsea Ballerini, whose name appears at the very top of the bill this time. There will be bros, at least a couple of them (FGL, Luke Bryan), as well as more tradition-hewing young artists like Luke Combs and Brothers Osborne. Charley Pride and Ricky Skaggs will help represent the old school. Maybe the most interesting addition to the main stage is Lee Ann Womack, whose excellent The Lonely, the Lonesome and the Gone resonated strongly with voters in our 18th Annual Country Music Critics’ Poll.
The Riverfront Stage includes a range of talents like Cam, whose latest single “Diane” is a choice answer song to Dolly Parton’s landmark “Jolene,” though it still hasn't achieved the airplay it deserves, and Aaron Watson, who is 18 years and 11 studio albums into a noteworthy career without the assistance of a major label. Walk of Fame Park will house the Breakout Stage, where you’ll find more up-and-comers like Jillian Jacqueline, Charlie Worsham, Ashley Campbell and Steve Moakler, plus Sister Hazel (you are not alone if you didn’t realize that the alt-adult-contemporary rockers have followed Darius Rucker's path to country, but they have been on that path for a couple of years now).
The Forever Country Stage, the exact location of which hasn’t been announced yet, will highlight artists who established themselves in decades past, including Lorrie Morgan, Ty Herndon, The Bellamy Brothers, Terri Clark and Joe Diffie. There will also be a tribute to artists who’ve died and an event tied to Tracy Lawrence’s radio show Honky Tonkin’ With Tracy Lawrence.
You can check out the full lineup and schedule at cmaworld.com. Four-day passes for the Nissan Stadium shows start at $221.90 and are available right here. Items like passes to Fan Fair X inside the Music City Center haven’t gone on sale yet, but watch the CMA page for more details.
