Article from the official CMA festival website.......



Charlie Daniels Gives 2006 CMA Music Fest a Rowdy and Wild “Official” Kick Off
Country Music fans gathered along the bank of Nashville’s Cumberland River on this picture-perfect Tennessee summer day were treated to some amazing Country Music as The Charlie Daniels Band gave the 2006 CMA Music Festival a high-energy and inspired set of music to get things off to a roaring start.

“This is all about the fans,” Daniels said just prior to hitting the stage. “It’s like everybody that comes to town gets a backstage pass. It’s really up close and personal for the fans. This is the music of the people, the music of the common man, which is what I am. It’s about the salt of the earth Country people who get up every morning and make this country work. It’s their music.”

Opening remarks by CMA COO Tammy Genovese were followed by a stirring version of the national anthem from Whitney Duncan.

After a blistering, fiddle-driven set of Southern rock favorites from Daniels, host Lon Helton brought newcomer Eric Church the stage. With his debut album still a month away (the official release date is July 18), the North Carolina native had the Riverfront fans in the palm of his hand, delivering a rousing version of his debut single, “How About You.”