The line-up for the four days at the Chevy Riverfront Stage were phenomenal; so many well-known acts covering the different sounds within country music, ranging from the long-time favorites to up and comers. And on the third day right at around roughly 11am, CMA Fest blessed us with Frankie Ballard.
With the success of his #1 debut single “Helluva Life”, when he hit the stage; if people didn’t know him by name, they knew the song. Opening with his new single “Sunshine & Whiskey”, Ballard commanded such stage presence from the first note that concert-goers forgot about the stifling Nashville morning heat and were fixated on him. This man has a huge and loveable personality, so for those whom he was unknown to, they knew who he was when he left that stage later on.
Halfway through his set, Ballard discussed having toured previously with Bob Seger before breaking into Seger’s hit “Old Time Rock and Roll”; it was then that chaos ensued. Flawlessly jumping off the stage and into the Riverfront crowd, security personnel carried a look of shock on their faces as they tried to rush to the Michigan native’s side. Making his way halfway through the audience, Ballard sang while checking his mic and attendees took pictures and selfies galore. After several minutes passed security cut him through the center of the crowd, where Ballard seamlessly jumped over a railing and back onto the stage.
Closing out his 45 minute set with band introductions and “Drinky Drink”, the ultimate party song from his album “Sunshine & Whiskey”, it was clear to see Ballard knew how to give the audience a good time. If you’ve never seen him before, you should change that; with his amazing guitar skills, phenomenal sound and stunning looks it will not be long before Ballard finds himself playing LP Field during CMA Fest.
To get the full experience yourself, check out tour dates at www.frankieballard.com, and make sure to get a copy of debut album HERE on iTunes, Amazon, or your local retailer. Once you experience his amazing stage presence, you will see that Ballard has a huge career ahead of him.
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I first heard Frankie @ CMA fest 2011 for the first time and was blown away by his guitar playing and stage presence. He has only gotten better, which is saying something considering how good he was then. Its been cool watching this kid turn into a sexy guy who can completely freak out an audience. So glad I was there at CMA fest to see Frankie go throught the crowd. It was impresive seeing him hop back up on the stage too!