Roots, Toots n' Hoots Blog

Underwood announced for CMA Music Fest, but why now?

Jeffrey Remz  |  November 18, 2011

June may seem like a long time from now - and it is - but that didn't stop the CMA Music Festival this week from announcing its first performer. Carrie Underwood will be one of the nighttime concerts at LP Field along with a host of other country artists.

The entire list doubtlessly will be coming soon enough, but I found it rather humorous as to why the festival felt obligated now to announced Underwood.

In a statement, Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer, said, "Normally we do not announce talent until February, but we wanted to be sure everyone knew that Carrie has already committed to perform at 2012 CMA Music Festival. She continues to be one of our most requested artists, and we knew the fans would want to be aware so they could go ahead and make plans to attend our event."

A few questions...does it really make any difference that the world knows now about Underwood - and this is absolutely no diss of the singer? My hunch is that a good amount of festival attendees go year after year because of the chance to see their favorite performers on stage and in meet and greets. And that means telling fans that Underwood would perform would not lead to a sales spike, unless, of course, sales are down from a comparative standpoint and the CMA felt as if it needed to do something to get the word out to buy tickets. I haven't seen any figures, so I can't argue the point, but the CMA Music Festival appears to be very healthy.

Was there some sort of question about whether Underwood would appear? Not that we know of. She didn't appear last year, but did in 2010. So, it's not like this is her first appearance in years.

Chances are that ultimately it doesn't matter all that much if Underwood is announced as a performer this week or three months from now. Underwood is the type of artist that the CMA wants to perform at LP Field, and her career success underscores that. Based on the types of artists playing the nighttime gigs, Underwood should be there.

It's just that something rings a bit hollow with the reasoning from Moore. Whatever. Buy your tickets now, make the CMA happy and come June, enjoy Underwood.