Garth Broke the Internet, Faith Hill Worked at McDonald’s

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Watch Carrie Underwood Sing ‘Smoke Break’ at ‘Instant Jam’ Taping

Carrie Underwood fans who were lucky enough to score a wristband to get into her surprise Atlanta, Ga., concert on Friday night (Sept. 18) were among the first to hear the country star perform her new single, “Smoke Break,” live.

Press play on the video above to watch Underwood sing the brand-new tune. Her performance, at the city’s Variety Playhouse, was taped for an episode of CMT’s Instant Jam series.

AJC.com reports that Underwood’s set included 10 songs and was about 50 minutes long. “Smoke Break” was the only new tune that Underwood performed, but hits such as “Wasted,” “Before He Cheats” and “Something in the Water” were all featured.

“I think I must be the luckiest person on the planet sometimes because I get to do this,” Underwood said from stage. “And I never thought I’d be on a stage like this in front of amazing people like you guys. Please know how grateful and thankful I am.”

The singer’s Instant Jam show was announced in the early hours of Friday morning. Wristbands were given away beginning at 10AM, and, according to AJC.com, by “1:30 or so,” they were all gone.

Underwood will headline the 2015 Apple Music Festival in London, England, on Monday (Sept. 21). A full-blown tour in support of her upcoming new album, Storyteller, is expected, but details are still forthcoming.

Underwood’s Instant Jam installment will premiere on Oct. 17 at 10PM ET on CMT. Storyteller is set for release on Oct. 23.
Read More: Watch Carrie Underwood Sing ‘Smoke Break’ at ‘Instant Jam’ | http://theboot.com/carrie-underwood-smoke-break-cmt-instant-jam/?trackback=tsmclip

CMT.com is streaming THOMAS RHETT’s new album “Tangled Up”, which is out Friday.  It includes a duet with JORDIN SPARKS on “Playing with Fire”.  And Thomas recently talked about why “Die A Happy Man” is the most personal song on the album.

Demand for Garth Brooks San Diego Shows Shuts Down AXS Ticket System

Garth Brooks fans trying to purchase tickets to his upcoming shows in San Diego had an interesting time Friday morning (Sept. 18), when demand for seats shut down the AXS ticket system.

Tickets went on sale for two dates at the Valley View Casino Center on Nov. 6 and Nov. 7, but demand was so high that a second show on Nov. 7 had to be added almost immediately. The additional seats could still not keep pace with demand, resulting in the entire AXS ticket system going offline.

Tickets for the San Diego shows will go back on sale on Thursday, Sept. at 10AM PDT, with an eight-ticket limit per purchase exclusively at www.axs.com/garth or by calling 1-855-411-4849. There will be no ticket sales at the venue box office or outlets on Sept. 18. All seats will cost a total of $74.98. Seats that have already been purchased will still be honored.

Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, are embarked on a massive tour that kicked off last year and marked the country legend’s return to the road after a long break from touring. The tour has been enormously successful, selling out multiple nights in many of the markets it has played. Brooks recently earned the top spot of any country artist on Forbes’ list of the top-earning celebrities, while Pollstar crowned him the top touring country artist for the first half of 2015.
Read More: Garth Brooks Ticket Demand Shuts Down AXS Ticket System | http://tasteofcountry.com/garth-brooks-tickets-san-diego/?trackback=tsmclip

ELI YOUNG BAND announced the dates of a winter tour that’ll pick up November 11th in Philadelphia.  Cam,Blackjack Billy, and Dallas Smith are opening select shows.  Details are at EliYoungBand.com.

 

VINCE GILL and LYLE LOVETT are launching an expanded version of the acoustic tour they did earlier this year.  This one will take them to 13 cities, starting with a February 17th date in Montgomery, Alabama.  Hit upVinceGill.com for details.

Faith Hill Used to Sing for Prisoners, Worked at McDonald’s, and More Facts You Won’t Believe About Her

 FAITH HILL’s 48th birthday was yesterday, so Taste of Country did  “10 Facts You Won’t Believe” about her.  Here are some highlights . . .

When she was a kid, she’d sing “Amazing Grace” for prisoners at Hinds County Jail, which was located near her school.  Sometimes she’d do Bible readings.

 

She used to work at McDonald’s, and once described the experience as, quote, “Fries, burgers, cash register . . . I did it all.  I hated it.”

Her 41st birthday present to herself was to get fit and pose for the cover of “Shape“ magazine in a bikini.

She auditioned to be in REBA MCENTIRE’S band, but lost out to a woman named Paula Kay Evans.  Tragically, Paula was one of Reba’s eight crew members who were killed in a 1991 plane crash.

You can see the rest in a slide show at TasteofCountry.com.