On the banks of the Cumberland River, the Riverfront Stages are a cool way to view shows in a more intimate setting than the Coliseum shows in the evenings. Not to say cool in a weather aspect. Let's face it, if you're not indoors, you're going to be in the hot, muggy weather of June in Nashville. But you do get an occasional breeze off the river, and when the clouds pass in front of the sun, you'll sigh with relief. The most important thing to remember here is to apply and reapply your sunscreen often, because you will definitely sweat it off in no time.
Well, enough about the weather. From 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, each day of Fan Fair there is a variety of country artists appearing on the Riverfront Stages, and it's a great place to get up-close to your favorite stars.
Like the Coliseum, there is a photo line, so there is an excellent chance of getting some great shots. Unlike the Coliseum photo line which meanders from the entrance level to the field and back up to the entrance level, you are mere steps away from taking a picture. I was on the 2nd tier of seating, and didn't go into the photo line. There are probably 4 or 5 tiers, the higher ones more of a grassy hillside. I prefer having my feet below me, so I set on the stepped area.
My main reason for attending the shows this day was to see Brad Cotter. He was the final act of the second show of the day, so I arrived shortly after the gates opened at 9:30, and made my way to find a place to sit. There are two stages, and the acts alternate, much as they do at the Coliseum. I sat in the center of the stage on the left.
At 10:00 am, the first act came to the stage. It was two groups performing what they termed the "gospel side of Elvis." These two groups were the Imperials and the Stamps.
While I'm not familiar with a lot of gospel tunes, I'll have to guess at some of the titles. The first song was "Great Morning." Both groups sang together on this one as well as the second, "God is Gonna Save Them."
After this the Stamps moved off to the side and the Imperials took center stage with "He Touched Me," and "Rock My Soul."
Changing again, the Stamps moved to the center and sang "Lead Me," "Gonna Walk" "So High," and then the two groups joined for Elvis' favorite gospel song, "How Great Thou Art."
Next Tracy Gershon, Sony A&R Rep, and Nashville Star judge came out. She was hosting the Country Jamboree show, which would start with Longneck Jones. The lead singer of Longneck Jones was Billy Yates, who is a songwriter of such popular tunes as "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair" and "Choices" for George Jones, "A Bridge I Didn't Burn" for Ricky Van Shelton, among others.
The first song was "One Woman Man," followed by the fun story song "Daddy Had a Cardiac, and Mama Got a Cadillac." From there they sang "All By My Lonesome," "Too Country," and closed out their set with "Alcohol Abuse."
Next Tracy introduced Melissa Reeves from Days of Our Lives. Melissa said she was there as there is a connection between country music and soap operas. Tracy said, "0h really... is that all?" Melissa said she wanted to introduce this hot new duo, and they had a special place in her heart, especially the one guy, Scott, who is her husband.
The guys came out on stage singing "Nothin' but Cowboy Boots." Aaron sings most of the leads and Scott sings harmony. In a way, Aaron reminds me a bit of Kix Brooks in that he's all over the stage and very active. The following song was "Sunday Driver," then they sang their current single, "That's Cool." Another fun song was "Hollywood, CA."
