Little Big Town hosts “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock”

Nashville has certainly earned its nickname of "Music City" over the years, producing a breathtaking number of (primarily country music) artists and hosting numerous festivals and conventions throughout the year. At the start of June, Nashville residents were treated to a jam-packed few days of music, including the CMT Awards on June 10, the Concert for Love and Acceptance -- organized by gay singer Ty Herndon and GLAAD -- on June 12 and, serving as the backdrop to it all, the CMA Music Festival which ran from June 11 to 14.

The CMA Music Festival had an unprecedented level of success this year, setting attendance records with more than 87,000 fans attending both paid and free shows each day across the festival's 11 stages. Tickets to the event sold out seven months ahead of time, but country music fans who weren't able to score a seat will have a chance to experience the excitement from their own living rooms when the condensed "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" special airs Tuesday, Aug. 4, on ABC.

Launched as Fan Fair in 1972, the first event attracted just 5,000 people, but saw increased success at the second annual Fan Fair when it doubled attendance numbers. A decade later, the fair relocated to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, and, in 2001, it changed from having a single location to several stages throughout downtown Nashville. The festival was rebranded three years later, dropping the familiar Fan Fair in favor of a more brand-friendly title.

With approximately 500 acts performing over the course of four days, capturing the entire festival experience would have been impossible, but producers have gathered and edited the footage down to bring the best of the best acts to the small screen. Among the featured artists are Carrie Underwood, Sam Hunt, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Eric Church, Florida Georgia Line and hosts Little Big Town.

This year marks the third time that Little Big Town has hosted the "CMA Music Festival" TV special. Band members Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet have gotten pretty adept at handling what is definitely a challenging task for people who don't host a special on a regular basis.

"It's so different from what we normally do," Schlapman said in an interview with "People" magazine. "We can sing and put on a show all day long, but when we have to interview someone, that's a different skill set. It really gives you an appreciation for that job!"

The band -- which has a Grammy to its name, is the reigning CMA Award Vocal Group of the Year and holds a lot of other accolades -- puts in a lot of work to get ready for the gig, but as Sweet admitted to "People," sometimes all the prep work in the world can be for naught when you get right down to it.

Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town perform at the 2015 CMA Music Festival

"We prepare as much as we can, but it's different every year," he said. "You never know what's going to happen, but that's what makes it fun. We love the spontaneity of it. We just roll with it and try not to mess up."

As well as hosting and performing, Little Big Town also had a lot of other duties to juggle during the event, taking part in a bit of community outreach. During the band's sound check, young students in the Notes for Notes program dropped in to watch and meet the group -- and even take a selfie!

Notes for Notes establishes and runs recording studios at Boys & Girls Club locations, allowing youth to explore their creativity and learn about careers in the music industry. They're able to produce music using a variety of instruments and digital music equipment, and gain an understanding of the processes behind songwriting, sound engineering, instrumentals and theory. Founded in 2006, Notes for Notes currently operates several studios, including two in Nashville itself, and recently partnered with the CMA Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting country music education, thanks in large part to Fairchild.

"We met the founder [of Notes for Notes], Philip Gilley, a couple of years ago, and he explained to us what they do," Fairchild said in the "People" interview. "The CMA Music Festival raises a lot of money, and they give millions away, and so much of it goes to music education. The foundation board was so impressed that we got them some money and now they're going to be in 14 different cities! That's all because of this festival."

Some of country's biggest names gathered in Nashville last month for the four-day CMA Music Festival. Setting attendance records, the festival reached unprecedented levels of success this year as the likes of Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Florida Georgia Line hit the stages to perform some of their greatest hits. If you missed out on the festival, though, don't fret. Catch the highlights when Little Big Town hosts the "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" airing Tuesday, Aug. 4, on ABC.