Music City Minute

Garth Brooks is heading back to where it all started. Fresh off a history-making sold out show at London's Hyde Park that drew over 70,000 fans, Brooks announced the Blame It All On My Roots Tour, a full-scale return to arenas featuring the comeback of his iconic Drum Pod. If that name doesn't ring a bell, it will for anyone who saw Garth in the '90s. The Drum Pod was a massive enclosure that surr...

Rhett Akins had no idea Jon Pardi was waiting backstage. Then came the words every country artist dreams of hearing. Sunday night at the Grand Ole Opry House, during a special Opry Celebrates '90s Country show, Rhett Akins finished his set and thought the night was done. It wasn't. Jon Pardi walked out from backstage, and the room changed. Pardi praised Akins as a mentor and friend before saying q...

Jordan Davis just played a show in Canada. Getting back into the U.S. was the hard part. Jordan Davis has a new touring story, and it's a good one. After headlining a show at Caesars Windsor in Ontario last Friday, the "Buy Dirt" singer's tour bus was stopped at the Canadian border by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. Officers pulled Davis off the bus, brought him inside and got serious fast. "I nee...

The U.S. Men's National Team doesn't just play country music after games. They play it before them too. We've talked about how John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" has become the unofficial anthem of the 2026 World Cup. But it turns out country music's role with Team USA goes way deeper than a postgame singalong. The U.S. head coach revealed this week that the night before every match, his...

Alan Jackson took the stage one last time Saturday night, and Nashville gave him a send off worthy of a legend. Saturday night at Nissan Stadium, 55,000 fans gathered to watch Alan Jackson close the book on a 35-year touring career. The show was called Last Call: One More for the Road, The Finale, and it lived up to every word. The evening started with a little drama nobody planned for – lig...

Country music's most sacred stage might have a new owner. This is a big one. According to a report from Bloomberg, Ryman Hospitality Properties is exploring the sale of its 70 percent stake in Opry Entertainment Group, the company that owns the Grand Ole Opry House and the Ryman Auditorium. They've hired Morgan Stanley to find a buyer, and this comes during the Opry's 100th anniversary year. The s...

Kane Brown had a rough Tuesday. The 32-year-old country star was out golfing in Nashville when his own buddy hit a shot that caught him right in the head. The result? 23 stitches and a concussion. Brown shared photos of the gnarly injury on Instagram, showing blood on his ear and a row of stitches, with the caption, "Just a scratch." He followed that with another post saying, "They said it will pr...

Taylor Swift just showed up in Nashville and sang "Love Story" with Lainey Wilson, and the internet is losing its mind. Last night in Nashville, Lainey Wilson was closing out her set at Travis Kelce's annual Tight Ends & Friends charity concert when she told the crowd, "I don't think y'all are ready for what's about to happen." Out walked Taylor Swift. The two proceeded to duet on Swift's 2008...

2026 has been the year country and Southern rock became the soundtrack of American sports on the global stage, and we need to talk about it. First, let's rewind to February, when Team USA used Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" as their goal song at the Winter Olympics in Milan. Every time the U.S. scored, that iconic guitar riff echoed through the arena, and it became one of the defining sounds of the...

Last week we told you about Freddy, the German soccer fan whose World Cup road trip through the American South accidentally turned him into a country music fan. Since we last checked in, his following has exploded from 11,000 to nearly 700,000 with everyone from J.J. Watt to the mayor of Houston rolling out the red carpet. But the moment everyone was waiting for finally happened Thursday night in...

In country music, there's an unspoken tradition: when a tour wraps, the headliner gives the opening act a gift to say thanks for sharing the road. Sometimes it's a watch, sometimes it's a bottle of something nice. But back in 2022, Tim McGraw took it to a whole different level and we're just now hearing about it. In a recent interview, Russell Dickerson revealed that at the end of their tour toget...

If you haven't met Freddy yet, you're about to love him. Freddy is a German soccer fan who flew to the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and decided to roadtrip his way through the American South before the games kicked off. He's been documenting the whole thing on X, and the internet cannot get enough. We're talking Waffle House, Buc-ee's, Taco Bell, which he called "the holy land,”...

You know Dan + Shay from "Tequila" and and their latest single "Say So," but Friday night, the three-time Grammy-winning duo added a whole new line to their résumé: World Cup anthem singers. Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney took the field at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the U.S. Men's National Team's opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup again...

Here's one that'll hit you right in the heart. Lainey Wilson has spent her whole career saying Tim McGraw is the reason she wanted to make country music – the two even grew up just down the road from each other in Franklin Parish, Louisiana, a few decades apart. But incredibly, the two had never actually met. That changed this past weekend at CMA Fest when McGraw invited Wilson to join him f...

First, some tough news. Justin Moore announced this week that he's stepping away from touring to focus on his health. The "This Is My Dirt" singer shared the news on Instagram, saying "This is the right decision for me and my family, and I appreciate everyone's understanding and support." Moore, who has 11 No. 1 hits to his name, has already canceled two shows in Dewey Beach, Delaware and his part...

CMA Fest rolled into Music City once again, and between pop-up shows, surprise guests and a reunion four years in the making, country fans got one for the books. Thursday night at Nissan Stadium set the tone early when Jelly Roll made an unannounced appearance breaking his own promise not to perform in the current stadium until the new one opens next door. The Nashville native clearly couldn't res...

Two massive headlines out of Nashville today. First, Garth Brooks is reportedly considering selling his entire music catalog, and the price tag is staggering. The "Friends in Low Places" singer is seeking roughly two billion dollars for the rights to both his songwriting and recorded music. That would make it one of the largest catalog sales for a single artist in history. Brooks has sold a record...

Jordan Davis is celebrating his 10th #1 songs, but admits he whiffed on two huge hits. Jordan Davis just parked "Turn This Truck Around" at No. 1 on country radio, his tenth chart topper and further proof the Louisiana native is one of the best hitmakers in Nashville. But this week, Davis was refreshingly honest about the ones that got away. On a recent podcast, Davis admitted he's not always the...

It’s CMA Fest week in Nashville, and there's already a major buzz building on Broadway. Yesterday, a billboard appeared on the iconic Nashville sign featuring an orange emoji, a peach emoji, the Spotify logo and a house emoji. Fans were quick to crack the code Florida, Georgia, Spotify House pointing to a surprise appearance at Spotify House at Blake Shelton's Ole Red by none other than Flor...

Morgan Wallen brought his Still the Problem Tour to Empower Field at Mile High this weekend for a sold out two-night stand — and the "Chasin' You" singer delivered far more than just music. Friday night's show kicked off with Wallen's signature walkout, and flanking him was none other than Broncos legend, two-time Super Bowl-winning, Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway. The stadium erupted a...

You would think the biggest news in country music would be that of the 61st annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas. However, Lainey Wilson and Devlin "Duck” Hodges appeared from left field and became the front page headline. As it turns out, on March 10, the cowboy and the hippie became man and wife. Surrounded by family and friends, including Ella Langley, Ian and Caroline Munsick, Jelly Roll, Luke...

The latest season of "American Idol" has ended, and there were plenty of memorable moments from the season finale. However, one segment from the show left many viewers confused and somewhat divided. In a full metal moment, Carrie Underwood joined legendary rock band Mötley Crüe for a medley of "Home Sweet Home" and "Kickstart My Heart." While a number of viewers love the pulse-pounding c...

Goodness gracious, this year is flying by! It is wild to think that the ACM Awards are right around the corner, and while we are still about a week away, several early wins were recently revealed. First up is Avery Anna, who was surprised on stage by family and bestie Sam Barber with the ACM New Female Artist of the Year award. Next, Tucker Wetmore was mid-concert in London when Thomas Rhett crash...

In the entertainment business, it can be difficult to make true friends. Yet, from time to time, twin flames are drawn to each other, igniting a lifelong bond. With that in mind, two of the most notorious besties in country music are Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan. During a recent interview where they discussed their latest duet, "Songs About Us," as well as their upcoming coheadline tour, each revea...

Typically, Wednesday nights are not very exciting. However, in Nashville, the middle of the week looks and sounds a lot different from most cities. For example, last hump day, five of the biggest names and country music casually treated fans to intimate shows across Music City. First up was Kacey Musgraves, who hosted an album release party for "Middle of Nowhere" at the Nashville Palace. The Gram...