Last Weekend’s Greatest Hits

You may have spent your weekend getting ready for this week’s journey to Nashville for the CMT Music Awards and the CMA Music Festival, but the country artists were busy with their own kind of getting ready.

Like Miranda Lambert, who showed off her new fur babies Miranda, Brendan and McLoughlin.

And Lee Ann Womack, who wanted to take all of her fans home with her from San Marcos, Texas. Luke Bryan went to New Jersey to kick off his Sunset Repeat tour. Tim McGraw spent some time rehearsing for a different kind of tour. Cassadee Pope shared some worries about her dehydrated fans. Old Dominion had an emotional night in Virginia Beach. Jon Langston found a way to connect with the littlest fan at a meet and greet. Jason Aldean’s wife Brittany showed off some chunky, sandy baby toes. Dierks Bentley and Brothers Osborne were as bummed as their fans about a power outage that forced a show cancellation. Keith Urban used Facebook for a fan Q&A and song request session, because that’s what he was jonesing for. And Rita Wilson detailed the sad-but-empowering story behind “New Girl,” about the conversation between a wife and her husband’s mistress.

Alison makes her living loving country music. She’s based in Chicago, but she’s always leaving her heart in Nashville.