JASON ALDEAN TAPES LIVE CONCERT DVD FOR SOLD OUT CROWD THIS FRIDAY

Riding high on the momentum of his current hit “She’s Country,” platinum selling country music star Jason Aldean will film a live concert DVD in front of a sold out crowd of 4,600 at the Knoxville Coliseum on Fri., March 6.   The hi-definition DVD, produced by Barry Ehrmann and directed by Ivan Dudynsky, will be released later in 2009.

“Making a live DVD has been a dream of mine for years,” said Aldean.  “Now feels like the perfect time to do it because we’ve just added several new songs from the new album to the set list.  Plus, I’m excited to shoot it in Knoxville because you can’t find a more fun crowd…they are young and always come ready to party.”

Aldean will spend the first half of the week previewing his third studio album WIDE OPEN (out April 7) for radio and press at Country Radio Seminar in Nashville.    The lead single “She’s Country” is myspace’s most streamed country song currently on the Top 40 chart and continues to be one of itunes’ most downloaded country songs.

Congratulations to Courtney and her friends from Grafton, IA!  It was a really close race from top to bottom, so thanks to all the Jason Aldean fans that voted on our five fantastic “Country Girl” finalists!

We look forward to seeing your dance moves out on the road this year!

“I always tell people I was a borderline super fan of Alabama,” jokes multi-platinum country rocker Jason Aldean.  “Randy (Owen) is probably my biggest influence.”  The Georgia native admits to more than just his lifelong love of country music’s most successful and enduring groups during an intimate conversation with the group’s frontman on One to One,  a new one-hour special on Great American Country debuting Wednesday, March 11, 8:00 pm/eastern.
 
Unlike most interview shows, One to One allows Aldean to take on the role of interviewer giving him a once in a lifetime chance to chat with his musical hero.  “I’ve got this photo that I wanted to bring,” Aldean effuses. “Years ago I went to see Alabama play in Myrtle Beach…all these women were getting their pictures made with Randy and here I come through the crowd. Got my picture made and he kind of looked at me like ‘Here’s this one guy among all of these crazy women.”
 
Both men grew up in rural areas and received their earliest exposure to music from their fathers and Owen – who lost his father in 1980 – advises Aldean not to take time with his father for granted.  “Play with him every chance you get.  I would give everything I have if I could sit down and play with my daddy for 45 minutes.”
 
As a mentor Owen reminds Aldean to work at staying healthy while maintaining a grueling touring schedule.  “I got to the point where I would exercise, try and eat right and concentrate on the one thing I had to do each night:  perform,” he says.  “If you don’t watch it, the road will absolutely tear you down.”
 
Prior to sitting down for their chat, Aldean was taken by surprise when Owen showed up on stage, unannounced at a Georgia concert.  GAC crews were on hand to capture his utter and complete shock.  Additionally, crews got some very special behind the scenes footage when the two went into the studio for Aldean’s remake of the Alabama classic, “My Home’s In Alabama,” which he is including as a bonus track on Wide Open, his forthcoming album. “One of the first songs I learned how to play was ‘My Home’s In Alabama,’” he says of the 1980 hit.  “So to have Randy be a part of this record is just about the coolest thing that’s happened to me in my career.”
 
Sarah Trahern, GAC senior VP of programming, says that the pairing of Aldean and Owen for the first One to One is a perfect fit.  “What a great opportunity to bring together two generations of great country music in the form of a superstar and a superstar in the making,” she says.
 
So did Aldean take this opportunity to ask Owen for career advice? Yes.  “I think first of all you’ve got to be focused,” the country music legend tells him.  “I think that’s number one.

For pre-sale tickets to the show in Baton Rouge on April 22nd, use the following password in the box area under the “Promotions and Special Offers” section on Jason’s Ticketmaster page:

PASSWORD: “shescountry”

You can also use “hicktown” if “shescountry” doesn’t work for you.

**Please Note: Your unique TM password will not work for this show, as it was set up differently than most Ticketmaster shows.  However, do not give the password to members not in the Aldean Army.  This is for your eyes only!

Jason needs your help! Go to GACtv.com/vote and vote to get “She’s Country” into the Top 20 video countdown! There’s a lot of competition out there, so we need all hands on deck! You can vote once per day… let’s make it count!

The excitement continues to build for 2009 CMA Music Festival as Jason Aldean, Rodney Atkins, Jamey Johnson, Jake Owen, and Taylor Swift are added to the performance lineup for the Nightly Concerts on the VAULTTM Concert Stage at LP Field. The four-day festival takes place Thursday through Sunday, June 11-4, in Downtown Nashville.

“We are delighted to add four of Country Music’s brightest stars to our incredible talent lineup,” said Tammy Genovese, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “Youthful and electrifying, this group of artists bring a new level of energy and excitement to the event that cannot be beat.”

Former CMA Horizon Award winner and co-host of the 2008 CMA Music Festival television special, Swift is a triple threat. The talented singer/songwriter can now add acting to her resume after appearing on an episode of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” In addition, Swift was the biggest selling artist of 2008 in any genre of music, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Swift’s career record sales now top seven million.         

Two-time CMA Award nominee Aldean has sold more than two million albums and is a Music Festival favorite with his high-octane performances. His third album, Wide Open will be available April 7, while the lead single, “She’s Country” is currently in the Top 10.

Another two-time CMA Award nominee, Atkins had an astonishing four No. 1 hits from his Platinum selling 2006 album, If You Are Going Through Hell. His current single, “It’s America,” is a Top 10 hit and his album of the same name will be available Tuesday.

A CMA Award winning songwriter in 2007, Johnson exploded on the scene as an artist in 2008 with his hit “In Color” from his critically acclaimed album That Lonesome Sound.  Johnson has also had songs recorded by Trace Adkins, George Jones, and George Strait.

After debuting with a Top 10 single, Owen’s sophomore album, Easy Does It, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Country Sales Chart. This will be his first “full band” performance on the VAULTTM Concert stage at LP Field as he performed an acoustic set in 2008.

These artists will perform during the Nightly Concerts on the VAULTTM Concert Stage at LP Field, along with previously announced performers Trace Adkins, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Julianne Hough, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Montgomery Gentry, Brad Paisley, and John Rich. Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks. Surprise guests have also become a hallmark of the Festival, enriching an already star-packed lineup.

The April 7 release date of Jason’s latest album Wide Open is quickly approaching, and there are several opportunities to order it now!  Here’s a rundown of all of the special offers surrounding the release:

JasonAldean.com
Wide Open Deluxe Fan Club Package – Pre-order the Wide Open Deluxe Fan Club Package and receive your copy of Wide Open AUTOGRAPHED! You’ll also receive an EXCLUSIVE Fan Club T-Shirt and a full year membership in the ALDEAN ARMY Fan Club for only $49.99. CLICK HERE to order the Wide Open Deluxe Fan Club Package.

Wide Open Fan Club Package – Pre-order Wide Open featuring the hit, “She’s Country”, with an ALDEAN ARMY Fan Club for $34.99. CLICK HERE to order the Wide Open Fan Club Package.

WalMart.com
Pre-order a digital download copy of Wide Open for $9 and receive an exclusive track of Jason and Randy Owen singing “My Home’s in Alabama”, available ONLY at WalMart! CLICK HERE to pre-order the digital album!

All Wide Open physical CDs purchased at WalMart will also include a card with a free ringtone offer AND instructions on how to download the exclusive track with Randy Owen – CLICK HERE to pre-order the physical album.

iTunes.com
Pre-order the album on iTunes and receive an acoustic version of “Amarillo Sky” AND a bonus track, “The Best of Me”! CLICK HERE to pre-order the album on iTunes.

Aldean Army members, the first exclusive clip of seven leading up to the April 7th release of Wide Open is now available on the VIDEO page!  Check out what Jason has to say about “Big Green Tractor”!  Be sure to come back tomorrow to see another exclusive!

Not a member of the Aldean Army?  JOIN NOW for exclusive video content, as well as access to the best seats in the house during Jason’s upcoming tour dates and more!

Aldean Army members, the second exclusive clip of seven leading up to the April 7th release of Wide Open is now available on the VIDEO page!  Check out what Jason has to say about “Wide Open” and be sure to come back tomorrow to see another exclusive!

Not a member of the Aldean Army?  JOIN NOW for exclusive video content, as well as access to the best seats in the house during Jason’s upcoming tour dates and more!

CLICK HERE to sign up to win a pair of tickets to the April 11 Atlanta Braves game versus the Washington Senators!

Two lucky winners will be drawn next Wednesday, April 8. Good luck!