In picture: Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley wave to fans before performing
The hottest country music stars, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, wowed locals with their vocals at a free mini-concert in downtown Nashville for ABC's Good Morning America - a day ahead of the CMA Awards.
The hosts for the 43rd CMA awards performed to give a taste of what's to come at the big night. Their short set began at 7 a.m. Fans had begun to spill in even before dawn and caught the sound checks. "This is motivation enough," said Mindy Mercier of Minot, Maine, pointing to the stage lights. "We love Nashville, especially for things like this."
Paisley kicked off the show with Welcome to the Future and American Saturday Night from his album by the same name. A fan, Roger Kemna, had this to say of Paisley's energetic performance: "He's dressed like he was going to go haul hay."
Carrie Underwood followed up with All-American Girl from her album Carnival Ride and Temporary Home from Play On, her most recent album. Tobie Dunn, a 9-year-old fan accompanied by mum Alison and Jayce the Chihuahua gave Underwood the stamp of approval: "It's cool."
The free concert was a runaway success drawing in fans, onlookers and those on their way to work. No one sums it better than Ken Valko of Welch, an audience member: "If you're not a country music fan when you come here, you sure are when you leave."
Text: Sify.com
Images: AP
