Natalie Maines and the Chicks will hit the road to play 16 historic theaters this fall. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Category: Music
The Chicks are officially heading back out on the road. Fans will have the chance to catch the iconic country music trio as they embark on the Taking the Long Way 20th Anniversary Tour, celebrating two decades of their record-breaking studio album of the same name.
Their 26-date trek will launch September 30 at the Fox Theatre in Detroit and continue with shows in major markets across the U.S., including Chicago, New York City, Nashville, San Antonio, Austin, Seattle, and San Francisco, before wrapping with two nights in Hollywood, CA at Dolby Theatre on November 1 and 2.
This anniversary tour gives the thirteen-time Grammy® Award winners,Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, and Emily Strayer, the chance to connect with fans on a deeper level inside the intimate theaters. With their powerhouse vocals and epic stage presence in two, the trio will join fans in properly honoring the album that has made a lasting impact on a generation.
After Taking the Long Way was released in May of 2006, it went on to top the Billboard 200 chart and earns The Chicks five Grammy® Awards, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. The songs on this project made such an impression at the time that to this day it is still regarded as one of the most influential albums of its era.
It proudly displays the fearlessness and vulnerability of the group. The lead single “Not Ready to Make Nice” particularly has stood the test of time as an anthem of artistic freedom.
Throughout the upcoming run, The Chicks will perform the entirety of the critically-acclaimed album for the first time. Each night, they will close the show with a mix of fan-favorite hits that live within their award-winning catalog.
Tickets
Tickets for the Taking the Long Way 20th Anniversary Tour will be available starting with an artist presale beginning on Wednesday, June 3 at 10 am local time. The general on sale begins on Thursday, June 4 at 10 am local time on Thechicks.com/tour.
To participate in The Chicks Artist Presale on Wednesday, June 3 at 10 am local time fans are required to sign up at https://signup.livenation.com/thechicks by Sunday, May 31 at 11:59pm PT. No codes are needed as access is tied to the user’s account. Anyone who signs up can join the sale.
The Chicks latest album dropped in 2020 following a 14-year hiatus. Their fifth studio album Gaslighter arrived via Columbia Records and featured 12-tracks all co-produced by award-winning singer-songwriter and producer Jack Antonoff. While that project marked a bold return for the group, this upcoming tour allows The Chicks to once again spotlight the album that forever changed the trajectory of their career and left a lasting mark on country music.
The post The Chicks To Return To The Road For Taking The Long Way 20th Anniversary Tour appeared first on Country Now.
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“I say in the first part of this book, I really want you to love me, but the truth is you’re probably not going to,” Herndon tells Taste of Country. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
“I say in the first part of this book, I really want you to love me, but the truth is you’re probably not going to,” Herndon tells Taste of Country. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
CMA Fest just gained even more star talent! Today’s announcement from the country Music Association and ABC reveals that multi-award-winning Country star Riley Green and Emmy® Award-winning anchor and host from ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Lara Spencerwill make their debut as co-hosts of “CMA Fest presented by SoFi.”
The 53rd CMA Fest will return to downtown Nashville next week from June 4-7, 2026. The three-hour summer concert event will be filmed and is set to air Thursday, June 25, at 8/7c on ABC and stream next day on Hulu.
Each year, thousands of fans from all over the world flock to Music City to experience the magic of CMA Fest, which offers free daytime shows all week long with star-studded lineups taking over the outdoor stages. Then at night, fans make the trek across Nashville’s pedestrian bridge to Nissan Stadium, where even more memorable performances, collaborations and can’t miss surprises will take place.
The upcoming TV special allows attendees to relive all the excitement of the four-day event from home while giving the chance for any fans who couldn’t make it in person to see all the excitement that unfolded on stage.
CMA Fest’s free daytime stages will spotlight a mix of up-and-comers and rising hitmakers.
Chevy Riverfront Stage
The Chevy Riverfront Stage, which is expected to once again serve as one of the festival’s main daytime hubs, will feature Ashley Cooke, Braxton Keith, Carter Faith, Charles Wesley Godwin, Chase Matthew, Chayce Beckham, Cooper Alan, Dasha, Drew Baldridge, Dylan Marlowe, ERNEST, Ian Munsick, Josh Ross, Kaitlin Butts, Kameron Marlowe, Lauren Alaina, Mackenzie Carpenter, Maddox Batson, Marcus King, Max McNown, Midland, Molly Tuttle, Nate Smith, Priscilla Block, RaeLynn, Redferrin, Russell Dickerson, Shane Smith & The Saints, Stephen Wilson Jr., Tigirlily Gold, Ty Myers, Tyler Braden, Vincent Mason, Brandon Lake and Waylon Wyatt.
CeCe will launch Thursday’s festivities at the Chevy Riverfront Stage with the national anthem.
Dr Pepper Amp Stage
Over at Ascend Park, the Dr Pepper Amp Stage will spotlight a group of performers that span different areas of country music, including Angie K, Billy Dean, Blanco Brown, Canaan Smith, Cody Hibbard, Craig Campbell, Dave Fenley, Drake Milligan, Emily Ann Roberts, Erin Kinsey, Greylan James, The Jack Wharff Band, John Morgan, Kaylee Bell, Kaylee Rose, Kolby Cooper, Late Night Thoughts, Leanna Crawford, Melissa Etheridge, Noeline Hofmann,Pam Tillis, Pecos & the Rooftops, Shaylen, Travis Bolt, Travis Denning, Ty Herndon, Tyler Farr, Uncle Kracker, The War And Treaty, Filmore, Gabriella Rose, Nappy Roots and Willow Avalon.
Chevy Vibes Stage
The Walk of Fame Park will once again host the Chevy Vibes Stage, offering another full schedule of performances from Adrien Nunez, Alana Springsteen, Ashland Craft, Austin Snell, Bellah Mae, Caylee Hammack, Chase McDaniel, Colt Ford, Dax, Drake White, Frankie Ballard, Graham Barham, Hannah McFarland, Jade Eagleson, Karley Scott Collins, Kelsey Hart, Lanie Gardner, Lauren Watkins, Mack Geiger, Madeline Merlo, Mae Estes, Maggie Antone, Mark Wills, Melanie Dyer, Neal McCoy, Owen Riegling, Shane Profitt, Sister Hazel, Tayler Holder, Walker Montgomery, Willie Jones, MŌRIAH, and Love and Theft.
Good Molecules Reverb Stage
A short walk away, Bridgestone Plaza plans to continue its tradition of serving as a hotspot for on-the-rise acts on the Good Molecules Reverb Stage. This lineup features Abbey Cone, Alex Lambert, Alexandra Kay, Atlus, Ava Hall, Belle Frantz, Blake Proehl, Brad Cox, Bryan Andrews, Cassidy Daniels, Cody Lohden, Eli Winders, Elizabeth Nichols, Gareth, Jacob Hackworth, Jamie MacDonald, Jason Scott & The High Heat, Jenna Davis, John Foster, Julia Cole, Just Jayne, Kevin Powers, The Kruse Brothers, MaRynn Taylor, McCoy Moore, Myles Morgan, Preston Cooper, Scoot Teasley, Sophia Scott, Stella Lefty, Timmy McKeever, Trey Lewis, Tyce Delk, Tyler Nance, Wesko and Will Moseley.
Wrangler Remix Stage
Fans can also head over to the newly added Wrangler Remix Stage inside Fan Alley. Performers for this stage include Omer Netzer, MORGXN, Alli Walker, Aniston Pate, Ashley Kutcher, Benny G, BODHI, Bottomland, Brooke Lee, Carson Wallace, CECE, Chancey Williams, Chandler Walters, Clayton Mullen, Cole Goodwin, Dalton Davis, Emily Nenni, Gannon Fremin & CCREV, Hayden Blount, Hayden Coffman, Highway Home, Hogslop String Band, Jake Banfield, Jay Webb, Kat Luna, Lil Man J, Lily Meola, Matt Cooper, Payton Smith, ROME from Sublime with Rome, SKEEZ, Sons of Habit, Sterling Elza, Trey Pendley, Tyla Rodrigues and The Wilder Blue.
Nissan Stadium
Once the sun sets, it will be time to head over to Nissan Stadium, where a slew of stars will keeping the party going. Country favorites Clay Walker, Jo Dee Messina, Rhett Akins, and Sara Evans are set to open the nightly shows, while Caylee Hammack will perform the national anthem on Thursday.
Newly announced additions include Emily Ann Roberts, The Jack Wharff Band, Kaitlin Butts, Kat Luna, Laci Kaye Booth, Maggie Antone, Scoot Teasley, Vincent Mason, Willow Avalon, and Zach John King, all of whom will sing from the Platform Stage inside the stadium.
Previously announced performers for inside the home of the Tennessee Titans include Bailey Zimmerman, Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Deana Carter, Ella Langley, Gretchen Wilson, HARDY, Jason Aldean, Jordan Davis, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, The Red Clay Strays, Riley Green, Russell Dickerson, Shaboozey, Tim McGraw, Tucker Wetmore, Zach Top and Lainey Wilson. The Band Perry and Stephen Wilson Jr. will also deliver mid-field performances.
Fans can view the full lineups for the remaining stages HERE.
Ticketing Options
While the outdoor stages around downtown Nashville are free, fans do have a variety of paid options to elevate their festival experience. The fest offers four-night stadium passes, single-night stadium tickets, VIP access to the Chevy Riverfront Stage, Dr Pepper Amp Stage and Chevy Vibes Stage via Riverside Retreat, access to Fan Fair X, and VIP Packages. More info can be found HERE.
“CMA Fest presented by SoFi” will air Thursday, June 25, at 8/7c on ABC and stream next day on Hulu. Robert Deaton will serve as executive producer and writer, with Alan Carter directing the broadcast. With the 2026 airing, CMA celebrates 23 consecutive years of producing a summer concert TV special.
The post Riley Green and ‘Good Morning America’s’ Lara Spencer To Co-Host ‘CMA Fest’ TV Special appeared first on Country Now.
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Kane Brown shares who he believes is shaping country music right now, pointing to a couple major names dominating the genre. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
![<a href="https://countrynow.com/clint-black-shares-why-he-was-finally-ready-to-tell-his-life-story-in-killin-time-my-life-and-music-memoir-exclusive/" target="_blank">Clint Black Shares Why He Was Finally Ready to Tell His Life Story in ‘Killin’ Time: My Life and Music’ Memoir [Exclusive]</a>](https://countrynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2-35-1024x683.jpg)
Clint Black’s long awaited memoir, Killin’ Time: My Life and Music, is finally out in the world, allowing fans to get a look behind the curtain through the stories of his journey from growing up outside of Houston to becoming one of the most iconic stars in country music.
While reflecting on the process of seeing this project come to life, the Texas native admitted to Country Now that it took a bit of convincing before he was ready to unleash his memories and life experiences in this brand-new way. He “never thought” he would or could write a book, but his wife, Lisa Hartman Black spent years telling him that he needed to do it.
The final point of motivation came with the realization that his only daughter, Lily Pearl Black, was turning 25 in 2026. Black explains he wanted to have a collection of stories, not only for the world to read, but also his daughter so that she could learn even more about her dad.
“It was fun to know she was reading it,” he shared.
When the moment finally came for him to take a chance on himself and write the memoir, with some guidance from his co-writer, Craig Shelburne, and editor, by Maddie Pillari with HarperCollins Publishing, Black found that it wasn’t so difficult to put pen to paper. In fact, by the end of the process, he had overwritten about his early struggles, his rise in the spotlight, and building a family amid it all.
Plus, he gets candid about the challenges that came with it, including legal battles, industry pressures, and health scares, like the recent cervical spine injury that threatened his ability to sing. All of these stories come together under the title fittingly named after his groundbreaking debut album, which was released in 1989. t a
“I wrote more than the book needed and I had some feedback from Craig Shelburne and from my editor, Maddie. And I knew I was going to have a great editor at Harper Collins and that I would benefit from their experience. And so I just put more in there than needed,” Black noted. “I just had more than I needed and then relied on Maddie and Craig to help point out areas that needed work. And that was really it.”
Luckily, his collaborators gave him the freedom to decide which stories were worth keeping and which weren’t as important to share.
“There were some things that I would say, ‘I feel strongly about this.’ And my editor would encourage me that, ‘if you really feel strongly about something, don’t listen to me.’ But I listened to her a lot.”
Of course, new memories are made every day so knowing when to put the pen down and decide that the memory was finally complete took some time. However Blacks’ experience with making 14 studio albums throughout his career has given him the tools to know when to call a project finished and move on.
“There are things that I think of now that I feel like, that would’ve been good to put in the book. We’re always telling stories. We’re on the road, on the bus talking. Somebody new joins the tour and will you tell a story or two, and then I think of something that would’ve been good to put in there. But I’m pretty good at moving on. I have had to do it with albums for so many years…so with the book, it wasn’t that hard.”
One of the most important things that readers will learn about Clint Black through Killin’ Time: My Life and Music, is why he is the person he is and all the efforts he made to get to this point in his life.
“I realized that growing up with three older brothers, trying to keep up with them, doing the door-to-door salesman thing for four years, selling newspaper subscriptions, being rejected 99.9% of the time, that really set me up and gave me that fight to keep from drowning that you read about in the beginning, it set me up for all those years in the bars where I was not succeeding, but I was on route. I was on my way there. I just didn’t know how close or how far away it was.”
Black continued, “When you’re in that place, it’s easy to lose hope and become discouraged and give up. I was never even close to that, but I was questioning my tactics. I was questioning how I was going about it, what kind of job I have.T his job singing doesn’t allow for time and energy or money to go and make demos. And so I went through a lot of that.”
Just like anyone else, he went through hardship and faced doubt, not knowing if he was on the right path, but 22 No. 1 singles, nearly two dozen gold and platinum awards (U.S. and Canada), and countless awards later, it’s safe to say that all of Black’s hard work has paid off.
Fans can also see many of those milestone moments and artifacts from Black’s career journey on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame’s new exhibition, Clint Black: The Hard Way on Purpose. The exhibit opened on April 22 and is set to run through August 2027.
Plus, the second led of his 2026 continues with dates throughout November.
The book is available to be purchased now on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and Spotify.
The post Clint Black Shares Why He Was Finally Ready to Tell His Life Story in ‘Killin’ Time: My Life and Music’ Memoir [Exclusive] appeared first on Country Now.
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Meghan Patrick is feeling bittersweet emotions as she reflects on performing her final show of the year.
On May 11, the songstress shared an honest statement with fans letting them know that she would not be finishing out her Golden Child Tour as previously planned in order to focus on her family and herself throughout her pregnancy. She wrapped up her May shows and is now taking a moment to finally feel settled at home as she awaits the arrival of her first child with her husband, Mitchell Tenpenny.
When she first announced the news that she would be stepping away from the stage for the remainder of the year, Patrick admitted the decision came with a “heavy heart.”
“I’ll be stepping away fromtouring for the rest of the year to focus on my family, my health, and this baby girl we prayed so hard for. I’ll still be making music, and honestly, I feel like I’m writing some of the best songs of my life right now. So I will not be disappearing or “quitting”, just doing things a little differently in the best way for not only the quality of my music, but also for my family,” she explained at the time.
The country singer later noted that she felt “very at peace” with the choice she made to prioritize herself and her baby girl. She also expressed gratitude for the tremendous amount of support she received in regards to her decision.
“I am glad to know that one day when my baby girl is old enough, she will know that not only did her mama put her first, but that I had an entire village behind me who encouraged me to do so and wanted the best for her before she was even born. So many of you have brought Mitchell and I such beautiful and thoughtful baby gifts over the last few months and we are so grateful for your kindness. Baby girl is gonna be the best dressed and have several outfit changes a day for a while thanks to y’all. Thank you, I love you…”
The Golden Child Tour officially came to a close over the weekend. Patrick made sure to thank everyone who has purchased tickets to one of her shows this year and supported her throughout this stage of her life and musical journey, even the fans who had planned to see her at once of her now canceled performances.
“Played my last show last night.. It was bittersweet and I cried,” she wrote on Instagram. “Baby girl is kicking in my belly which is my new favorite feeling in the world”
Patrick continued in the caption, “Thank you to everyone who came to a show this year and also to everyone who showed me nothing but love and support for the ones I had to cancel… for the first time in as long as I can remember, I know home is where I need to be right now 💛”
Meghan Patrick and Mitchell Tenpenny announced the news of their pregnancy on March 31 through a joint Instagram post.
“We’ve been blessed with the greatest gift of all this year! God is so good and always right on time… we can’t wait to be Mom and Dad,” they wrote at the time.
The couple is expecting to welcome their baby girl into the world later this year.
The post Meghan Patrick Calls Final Show Of The Year ‘Bittersweet’ As She Steps Away From Touring To Prepare For Arrival Of First Child appeared first on Country Now.
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It was a particularly special night. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country