Country Radio and Industry Professionals came together last week in Nashville for the 2018 Country Radio Seminar (CRS). The three day event included multiple informational seminars and several showcases highlighting artists and their new music for the year ahead.
The highly anticipated annual luncheon took place at The Ryman Auditorium, hosted by UMG Nashville for its 9th year. Fourteen talented artists, all part of the UMG Nashville roster, took the stage to perform. Many took the iconic stage that day for the first time ever. In just one song, well Luke Bryan broke the rules and played two, but no one was complaining! But in just one song each and every artist captivated the crowd with an impressive performance.
Kip Moore opened the event with his latest single “Last Shot,” singing the opening verse a capella and setting the tone for an epic afternoon ahead. The feeling when each and every artist stepped on stage was surreal. You could tell how much it meant to them to be on that stage, but as a member of the audience, it meant just as much to us. Jordan Davis, Kassi Ashton, Travis Denning and Brandon Lay made their debut on The Ryman stage and each delivered an unbelievable performance. The excitement continued for Lay as not only was it his first time performing on the iconic stage, but he also found out he was going to be a dad shortly beforehand. The afternoon was also a significant one for Maddie and Tae, as it was their debut performance as part of the UMG Nashville team as recording artists on the MCA Nashville imprint.
Vince Gill shared a personal experience and delivered an emotionally charged song, “Forever Changed.” While he wrote the song years back, Gill felt compelled to share the song in support of the #MeToo Movement.
Throughout nearly two hours, the industry was treated to an incredible afternoon with performances from Kip Moore, Jordan Davis, Luke Bryan, Brothers Osborne, Kashi Ashton, Travis Denning, Brandon Lay, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Vince Gill, Maddie and Tae, Chris Stapleton, Eric Paslay and Jon Pardi. Get ready for an amazing year in country music from each of these fine folks.
