Give us a minute, and we’ll give you five things you need to know in country music. It’s your new fix for all the latest headlines in one place. Here’s what you need to know for Tuesday (May 21):
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The illuminated arch at Bonnaroo’s main entrance was burned and dismantled due to longstanding structural issues. Fans heading to the Farm in Manchester, Tenn. June 13-16 can look forward to the landmarks’ new incarnation at the main entrance for the 17th annual event. Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, Ruston Kelly, Brandi Carlile, John Prine and Trampled By Turtles will represent country and Americana at the all-genre festival. The Grand Ole Opry will return with special guests for a Thursday night (June 13) set following its 2018 debut.
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The new Kacey Musgraves: All of the Colors exhibit opens July 2 and runs through June 7, 2020 at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Items that will be on display include handwritten lyrics, a detention notice Musgraves received for “continuous classroom disruption” during high school and the western-inspired black Atelier Versace pantsuit she wore to the 2018 CMA Awards. She will participate in a conversation in the museum’s CMA Theater July 6 at 2:00 p.m., sharing personal stories and memories associated with the exhibit’s artifacts. Tickets will be available May 29 through the Hall of Fame’s website.
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Keith Urban Curates Don Williams’ Nashville Symphony Residency
Urban will curate three nights of Don Williams music performed by several special guests and backed by Williams’ touring band with the Nashville Symphony. The concerts begin Oct. 31 at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Pre-sale tickets for these shows go on sale via Ticketmaster with code GENTLEGIANT on May 27 for a limited time of 80 hours in celebration of Don’s 80th birthday. Tickets are also currently available with Nashville Symphony season ticket packages through the Symphony’s website. Any remaining tickets will go on sale July 19 at 10 a.m. CT.
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McKenna will celebrate the 15th anniversary of her fourth album Bittertown by performing the collection in full over a six-show tour starting July 24 in Washington, DC. Tickets go on sale Thursday (May 23) at 10 a.m. New acoustic versions of Bittertown’s “Bible Song” and “Stealing Kisses” arrive digitally and via limited edition 7″ vinyl on July 24. “Bittertown was my fourth record,” McKenna says in a release. “It came out in 2004, three days before my fifth and youngest child was born and it changed my life. Faith Hill recorded 3 of the songs on that record and that was my introduction to Nashville and how I found my second home. Boston to Bittertown to Nashville you could say. It was a blessing and remains a huge part of my life even now.”
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Men of Country Offer Their Summer Wardrobe Tips
No one knows heat like artists who perform summer’s outdoor festivals. CMT Radio interviewed popular headliners Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban and Michael Ray on what threads they prefer when they’re rocking out in the summer heat. “I just play, you know? I want to be able to move around and be comfy,” Urban says. His biggest tip: “Not have pants that rip.”