Summer's Hottest Concert Special, "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night To Rock" Features Superstar Performances From A To Z, With Jason Aldean To Zac Brown Band And Everyone In Between

NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Luke Bryan and The Band Perry's Kimberly Perry host the summer's hottest television music event "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" airing Monday, Sept. 17 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.

The three-hour special features the A to Z of Country Music's hottest stars with a stellar lineup including:Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Kix Brooks, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Jake Owen, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Blake Shelton, The Band Perry, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Hank Williams Jr., andZac Brown Band.

Filmed June 7-10, the special features behind-the-ropes access and interviews, late-night jams, and exciting full-throttle performances by today's most exciting Country Music hitmakers. This is the eighth time ABC will broadcast this special – which invites the whole country to America's biggest Country Music bash.

Hosting the special for the first time, Bryan was nominated for CMA New Artist of the Year in 2010 and 2011. His most recent album is the Platinum-certified tailgates & tanlines, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, and features Platinum-certified digital singles "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)" and "I Don't Want This Night to End"; and current smash "Drunk on You," which recently hit 1 million downloads.

Co-host Perry is the lead singer of The Band Perry, a family trio with her brothers Reid and Neil. She won her first solo CMA Award in 2011 for Song of the Year for writing "If I Die Young." The Band Perry won two additional CMA Awards last year including New Artist of the Year and Single of the Year ("If I Die Young"). The group's Platinum-certified, self-titled debut album features the four-times-Platinum-certified digital single "If I Die Young" and two Gold-certified digital singles "All Your Life" and "You Lie." 

Originally started as Fan Fair® in 1972, the legendary event has featured performances by every major star in the format. What started with 5,000 fans has grown to a daily attendance of more than 71,000 representing every state and two dozen foreign countries.  

The primetime television special, "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock," debuted in 2004 on CBS as a two-hour special highlighting the Festival and Music City. In 2005, the special moved to the ABC Television Network, and expanded to three hours in 2009. The special will air on ABC through 2021.

In 2011, "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" drew an average audience of 7 million viewers and finished as the most-watched program in its three-hour time period. The special also ranked No. 1 in its time slot with Women 18-34 (1.6/5). It gained more than one million viewers over 2010, drawing its second largest audience in six years (since 2005). The show was up year over year with Men 18-49 (+8%), Men 25-54 (+13%), Adults 25-54 (+10%), Teens 12-17 (+29%), and Kids 2-11 (+50%). It generated ABC's biggest summertime numbers in the time period with entertainment programming in nearly five years with Total Viewers (7.0 million) and in more than three years with Adults 18-49 (1.6/4) – since 8/27/06 and 7/6/08, respectively.

Featuring concerts, autograph signings, family activities, and more, CMA Music Festival is the Ultimate Country Music Fan Experience – a four-day celebration of America's music. CMA Music Festival is a four-time winner of the International Entertainment Buyers Association's LIVE! Award for Festival of the Year (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010).                

Tickets for 2013 CMA Music Festival, which will be held Thursday through Sunday, June 6-9, are available now. 

Fans can order tickets by calling the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378) or Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. To purchase tickets online, visit www.ticketmaster.com. Prices do not include applicable handling fees. Ticket prices are subject to change without notice. All sales are final and non-refundable. Four-day ticket package categories correspond to different levels of seating at LP Field. Children 3 years and younger are admitted free.

"CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" is executive-produced by Robert Deaton. The 2012 CMA Music Festival is organized and produced by the Country Music Association. "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" was shot in high definition and will be broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.

CMA Music Festival is organized and produced by the Country Music Association. Fan Fair® is a registered trademark of CMA. Chevrolet™ is the Official Ride of Country Music. Connect with CMA online at CMAfest.com, Facebook.com/CMA and Twitter.com/CountryMusic.

SOURCE Country Music Association