CMA Fest closed out on a high note last night with performances from The Jane Dear Girls, The Band Perry, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, and Taylor Swift. The acoustic stage also held some talent like Jimmy Wayne, The Eli Young Band, and Tracy Lawrence.

Kicking-off the show was the Jane Dear Girls. This was their very first time playing LP Field (I was a tad surprised they were on the big stage) but they seemed to handle it pretty well. They had a several song set list, but the songs everyone knew were “Wildflower” and “Shotgun.”

After an acoustic performance by Jimmy Wayne, The Band Perry entertained. As usual, they were great. They performed “If I Die Young,” “Hip to My Heart,” and “You Lie” along with a few others. I have to say, I think the sound was a tad off at the stadium last night. Normally, The Band Perry is AMAZING…they were good, but something was just off.

Darius Rucker, aka Hootie, took the stage next. He opened with the crowd-pleasing “Alright” and closed his set with the Hank Williams jr. cover “Family Tradition” with a bunch of songs in between. Lemme tell ya, there’s nothin more entertaining than hearing 60,000+ folks ad-lib why they drink and smoke.

Blake Shelton not only entertained with great music….he also was his usual hilarious self. Blake performed “Kiss My Country Ass,” “You’re So Good Lookin,” and a medley of tunes he heard growing up which included “My Prerogative.” It was so funny. Highlight of the set was a rowdy rendition of “Hillbilly Bone” which included Trace Adkins.

Blake then introduced his new wife Miranda Lambert who ROCKED!!! That girl has really learned to entertain. She performed “Kerosene,” “White Liar,” “Only Prettier,” “Heart Like Mine,” and “The House that Built Me” (only after telling everyone to hold onto their “balls” because beach balls flying around are “annoying the crap” outta her).  Miranda also invited along a few special guests, her girlfriends who make-up The Pistol Annies with her.  The girls sang and the crowd went NUTS!   She closed out her set with the crowd favorite “Gun Powder and Lead.”

Closing out the festival was Taylor Swift. I was yet was not surprised to see a bunch of people get up and leave right before Taylor’s set. Some just may not like her music and some just think they don’t (yet probably secretly sing along to “Mean” every time it comes on). I say, give the girl a chance. True, she’s a bit over dramatic, but over dramatic is perfect for her target audience. I always enjoy Taylor Swift….There’s something about her. Taylor performed “Speak Now,” “Story of Us,” and “Mean” just to name a few. She even went out into the field to give the folks in the back a better view.

Either way, it was a great night, and I’m sure everyone is already counting down the days until next years CMA Fest (361). Feel free to visit our Flickr account here to see all of the pictures we’ve taken throughout CMA Fest.

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com