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The CMA Fest Is a Great Way to Spend a Day in Downtown Nashville
On Thursday, June 5, 2025 your trusty friends at Team MCN jumped on a WeGo bus early in the morning and took the 55 to downtown Nashville to investigate the goings on at opening day of this year's CMA Fest. Our assignment at hand was to prove how once again we could visit the sprawling countrypalooza and enjoy a day's worth of top quality entertainment and world renowned musical talent without spending a dime. Here's how it went...
CMA Fest had a noticeable new layout in 2025 that included a "fan alley" experience. With years of experience under our belt we decided to avoid the overcrowded Riverfront Stage and instead headed to Walk of Fame Park where we caught the satisfying early morning set by 90's country legends Shenandoah before taking in a few sultry minutes with Nashville's own Lauren Watkins who was performing and showcasing her much deserved nascent career at the same location billed as the Chevy Vibes Stage on this day.
CMA Fest favorites Mark Wills, Pam Tillis, Ty Herndon and Shenandoah on opening day in 2025. In the afternoon we would return to the same spot to watch one of favorites Mark Wills do his thing in the late day sun. Just prior we finally had the opportunity to catch Pam Tillis sing the crowd pleasing "Maybe It Was Memphis" - her most popular tune that was written by a good friend of the MCN site - Professor Michael Anderson. Over at the Dr. Pepper stage near the river we also very much enjoyed the musical stylings of the terrific Ty Herdon while sipping on the latest flavors the good Doctor created for the occasion that had lines of serious samplers wrapped around their new and colorful multi-tent outpost.
Lauren Watkins, Matt Lang, O.N.E. The Duo and Sapphyre Blu seen in Nashville on Thursday. Even more excitement awaited us as the long, hot day continued. We watched as curious fans took turns posing with props from the new television program set to air in the Fall on ABC - 9-1-1 Nashville. That should help paint this town in a good light... LOL! More music awaited, too, on a variety of stages including the compelling male country singers Matt Lang, Mark Taylor and Owen Riegling. We made a quick pit stop along the way to meet up with Hollywood's Sapphyre Blu - a rising country soul powerhouse whose latest single "Burn Me" would have made for a great unofficial anthem at this year's steamy gathering along the Cumberland. Our favorite act of the day? Well, that honor is reserved for the always energetic and simply awesome O.N.E. The Duo whose set at the Hard Rock Stage flew by as everyone stood their ground in rapt attention as the band delivered their convincing R&B, Funk and Soul meets Country at the Crossroads style of music to close out Day 1 in Nashville in style.
Mark Taylor; 9-1-1 Nashville comes to town; Owen Riegling; and, the new fan alley in 2025. We made other discoveries and noticed some changes from prior CMA Fests. Most noticeable was the creation of a new CMA village called "Fan Alley" on 1st Avenue that was a welcome addition that seemed to ease some of the typical accompanying traffic burden on Broadway - much to the delight of normal Nashvillians who were trying to go about their daily lives. This new locale provided an even more festive atmosphere that housed many of the best returning vendors to the annual affair including SugarBee apples and Idahoan potatoes. We also enjoyed Chevy's expanded display in front of the Schermerhorn that featured fast cars and a true CMA karaoke experience in the heart of the city. What didn't we like? The elimination of ice cold $1 bottles of water in favorite of free but tepid tap stations throughout the layout. Something as simple as refreshing hydration - once paramount and principle to the proceedings - was replaced by a cash grab ranging from $3.50 to $6.00 per serving of H2O. And that was enough to pour some water on our outlook and dampen the experience just a bit. Still, overall we had a great day that only cost us the price of a bus ticket downtown.
Chevy brought the vibes; the Hard Rock rocked; and, everyone felt safe due to a noticeable military presence. Related Links: For more information on CMA FEST and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links - CMA Fest | The Ladies of Country Music Help Launch the 50th Edition of CMA Fest in Nashville | Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder at CMA FEST 2022
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