A Mid Week Look Around The Country

Last night, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill held their Nashville Rising benefit concert to help victims of the recent flooding. Sandra Bullock was the big surprise guest of the night! Sandra introduced Faith before she sang and tried to play a few chords on a guitar before letting the professionals take over. The final amount of money raised isn’t tallied yet, but it’s expected to be around two to three million dollars. All of the money will go to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Performances included:
Carrie Underwood – “Undo It,” “Jesus Take The Wheel”
Blake Shelton – “Some Beach,” “Hillbilly Bone,” featuring Trace Adkins
Lynyrd Skynyrd – “What’s Your Name,” “Sweet Home Alabama”
Montgomery Gentry – “Something To Be Proud Of,” “My Town”
Taylor Swift – “Love Story,” “You Belong”
Luke Bryan – “Country Man,” “Do I”
LeAnn Rimes – “Swingin’,” “What I Cannot Change”
Martina McBride – “Anyway,” “Love’s The Only House/ Blessed”
ZZ Top – “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Le Grange/Tush”
Miranda Lambert – “House That Built Me,” “White Liar”
Jason Aldean – “Big Green Tractor,” “She’s Country”
Billy Ray Cyrus – “Could’ve Been Me”
Miley Cyrus – “The Climb”
Toby Keith – “I Love This Bar,” “As Good As I Once Was”
Faith Hill – “Stronger,” “Piece of My Heart”
Tim McGraw – “Southern Voice,” “Live Like You Were Dying”

Dierks Bentley was scheduled to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live Monday night, but things went wrong. About an hour before the taping, the power went out, closing down the control room, broadcast transmission center and tape operations. Reportedly, the guests and audience had to sit around waiting while the power problem was worked on. During this wait time, Kimmel grabbed his laptop and recorded the entire show with his computer’s webcam. Dierks soon tweeted some hints about the show: “Who knew you could shoot a late night show with a mac?” Look for Dierks tonight on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC.

And finally, if you make it to Nashville before the end of the year, you can check out a photo exhibit commemorating the 25th anniversary of Farm Aid. It opens at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville on Friday and will be displayed through the end of 2010. Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young organized the first Farm Aid concert to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to help keep farm families on their land. The first show took place Sept. 22, 1985, in Champaign, Ill. The exhibit features photos of numerous country artists, including Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Alan Jackson, Jamey Johnson, Kris Kristofferson, Martina McBride and Keith Urban.