Big Country Notes for Mar 5

KENNY CHESNEY TICKETS SELL OUT IN MINUTES FOR PHILLY STADIUM DATE

Fans grabbed 50-thousand tickets Saturday in just a few minutes for Kenny Chesney’s "Flip Flop Summer 2007" tour at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on June 23rd. The stadium show will feature Brooks & Dunn, Sugarland, Sara Evans and Pat Green. Chesney is doing six stadium shows during his 2007 tour. Last year’s stadium shows were all sellouts.

TIM McGRAW MAKES THE TOP FIVE OF “BILLBOARD” MAGAZINE’S TOP 20 LIST

Tim McGraw slips into the fourth spot on “Billboard” magazine’s “Money Maker Top 20” list. The list is compiled based on album sales, digital track sales, Boxscore numbers and the “Billboard” data system. Topping the list was the Rolling Stones, followed by Madonna, Bon Jovi, McGraw and U2. Rascal Flatts, Faith Hill and Kenny Chesney came in at six, seven and eight, respectively. Johnny Cash was in 17th place.

KEITH URBAN PUTS ON SURPRISE PERFORMANCE IN NASHVILLE

Keith Urban made a surprise appearance in Nashville last Thursday. The singer showed up at the City Hall club there to perform for several hundred invited guests during Country Radio Seminar, an annual radio industry event. Urban fans received an email that morning telling them of the performance. They started showing up at the club around 2 p.m. to get in line for the show. Urban played for about two hours, taking the time to thank his fans and radio for their support during the time he was at the Betty Ford Clinic in California straightening out his life. Ronnie Dunn of Brooks and Dunn made a surprise appearance and praised Urban for making time to fight his alcohol addiction. Keith performed his hits, songs from his new album and cover tunes. He and Dunn sang “Brand New Man.” After his performance, Keith took time to chat with fans, sign autographs and pose for pictures. Then he stayed a little longer to visit with the radio folks who had turned out for his show. Dunn says that Urban stopped by his house and the two had a long talk before Keith checked himself into rehab. Urban’s “Love, Pain and the whole crazy world” tour kicks off June 8th in Phoenix, AZ.

JOSH TURNER’S “YOUR MAN” GOES DOUBLE PLATINUM

Josh Turner got good news this past week. His album “Your Man” has been certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. That signifies two million in sales for his sophomore release. The album joins Rascal Flatts’ “Me and My Gang” and the Dixie Chicks “Long Way Home” – the only other albums released in 2006 to achieve that status.

MARTINA McBRIDE, LITTLE BIG TOWN PERFORM FOR STUDENTS

Martina McBride and Little Big Town will perform an acoustic show tomorrow at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The show, which is on behalf of Nashville public schools, will raise money for the PENCIL Foundation, which partners community resources with the city’s public schools. There will also be a silent auction, a live auction and a dessert reception. Past performers at the event include Keith Urban, Michael W. Smith and Carolyn Dawn Johnson.

CLINT BLACK TO BE FEATURED ON UPCOMING EDGAR WINTER ALBUM

Clint Black is a great harp player and a fan of the blues, and he gets to combine both those interests on the upcoming Edgar Winter album. Clint says, quote, “I cut my teeth on harmonica listening to (bluesman) James Cotton. Edgar Winter and I got to be friends after we met at a Toto concert, and he played on my ‘D'lectrified’ album.” Black adds, quote, “We told each other we needed to do something else together so then he called me to play harp on his upcoming album. I think it’s gonna be out in a few months.” Black was thrilled to be asked to be on the project. He says he’s a huge fan of other musicians and singers. Clint says, quote, “(For) country music, there’s a huge list. Of course, I love the artists on my record label – Little Big Town, Carolina Rain, Carolyn Dawn Johnson – and I love them differently, more in a paternal manner.” He adds, quote, “Outside of country music I love James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bruce Hornsby, Steely Dan, Kenny Loggins, Loggins & Messina, Edgar and Johnny Winter. I love rock ‘n roll, a little bit of jazz and the blues.” The singer goes on to say, “Your fans are people who aren’t your family who love you anyway. It’s a really neat thing.”

MIRANDA LAMBERT PRESENTED WITH PLAQUE FOR ONE MILLION IN SALES

After performing before more than one-thousand radio personalities at the annual Country Radio Seminar, Miranda Lambert was surprised with the presentation of a plaque signifying one-million in sales for her debut album “Kerosene.” The disc debuted at number one on SoundScan’s country chart when it was released two years ago this month. Miranda hopes that her new album, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” which will release in May, will do the same. She wrote or co-wrote eight of the 11 songs on the new project. Lambert took time out from her tour with Toby Keith to perform at Country Radio Seminar in Nashville.

QUICK BITES

Brooks and Dunn have been tapped to headline the "2007 Stadium of Fire" concert at Brigham Young University’s LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, UT on July 4th. The show is presented by America’s Freedom Foundation. The celebration honors troops who are serving our country, and will air via the "American Forces Network" to military troops and their families around the world.

Alabama will once again debut a gospel album on QVC. The group will make an appearance on the shopping network on March 15th in a live in concert to debut songs from their newest album, "Songs of Inspiration Vol. 2." The CD will be released to retail stores later this month.

According to the “Belfast Telegraph,” Garth Brooks may perform in that Northern Ireland city as a tribute to his friend and music promoter Jim Aiken, who recently passed away. Brooks traveled to Belfast for the funeral and let it be known that he would like to do a tribute to his friend with his music. No word yet on a date or venue.

It was a fitting setting for the Mariah Carey and Willie Nelson penned songs. Carey was in Nashville last week to shoot scenes for her latest movie, “Tennessee.” The set was a local honky tonk on Broadway, and the song she sang was one she penned with Nelson, who played his share of Broadway clubs, including the famous Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, when he lived in Music City many years ago.

Angela Hacker is the newest “Nashville Star” winner. She won out over her brother, Zac, and 20 other contestants for the title. Angela gets a recording contract with Warner Bros. Nashville, an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, and a 2007 Chevy Silverado truck. She will tour this summer with the other three top contenders -- Zac, David St. Romaine and Joshua Stevens.

Mark Chesnutt, Joe Diffie and Aaron Tippin will join together for the 2007 installment of the "Rockin' Roadhouse Tour."

Sugarland will be heard in the opening segments of both the 2007 ACC and SEC basketball tournaments beginning Thursday. The videos will feature highlights from the games along with clips from Sugarland’s “Settlin’” video.


"HOGS" ARE WILD AT WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

A new comedy is topping the weekend box office charts. "Wild Hogs" starring John Travolta, William H. Macy, Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence came in first place with about 38-million dollars in ticket sales. Coming in a distant second was "Zodiac" with a little more than 13-million-dollars. Falling to third place is "Ghost Rider," which brought in eleven-and-a-half-million in sales in its third weekend in theaters. Rounding out the top five this week is "Bridge to Terabithia" in fourth place with more than eight-million-dollars, and the Jim Carrey thriller "The Number 23" which finished in fifth place with a little over seven-million-dollars in ticket sales. (Metro Source)

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. (final figures will be released today):

1. "Wild Hogs," $38 million.
2. "Zodiac," $13.1 million.
3. "Ghost Rider," $11.5 million.
4. "Bridge to Terabithia," $8.6 million.
5. "The Number 23," $7.1 million.
6. "Norbit," $6.4 million.
7. "Music & Lyrics," $4.9 million.
8. "Black Snake Moan," $4 million.
9. "Reno 911!: Miami" $3.8 million.
10. "Breach," $3.5 million