Backstage Buzz - Night 2

Last night's show at LP Field featured Montgomery Gentry, Bucky Covington, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, and Little Big Town - all of whom came back and talked to the press - and Sugarland and Sara Evans, who did not.

It was a good night to be in the press room - the winner of the Crisco cook off came in with her award winning chocolate tart, which we all got to try. It was good, although I don't know I'd have called it $10,000 good!

Montgomery Gentry came in first, and Troy stepped up to the microphone and said he wanted to start off by apologizing for yesterday's incident. At first we all thought it was a joke of some sort, then as he continued talking he issued an apology for his behavior towards a policeman, admitting his actions were wrong. We all looked around wondering "what has he done now?"

Someone asked him pretty much that question, and he wouldn't say. But whatever it was he did, he's sorry.

The boys brought out Ted Nugent, who was their surprise guest for the evening, the trio was going to perform "Cat Scratch Fever." Ted was something else! He talked a lot about going hunting with hand grenades. Believe it or not, he was in town to play the Ryman Auditorium. "A lot of facilities invite me once a year," he explained, "to test the structural integrity of the building." Ted had us all in stitches.

Jason Aldean talked about his benefit concert last night at the Wildhorse Saloon, which is a breast cancer benefit. His next single is most likely going to be a song called "Laugh Until We Cried." Word had gone out that Jason was going to be playing DJ on a local radio station in Florida, but he didn't seem to know much about it. It's apparently something he recorded some lines for, but he wasn't sure whether it was running for a week or a month. Someone asked Jason to share a funny fan story, and he told of a guy popping off his prosthetic leg for him to sign.

Carrie Underwood came in looking like a million dollars. I would love to see her closet! We got a lot of time with Carrie, who is hard at work on her next album. The CD isn't done, but she's looking for a single in late summer and the CD in the fall, with 3-5 songs she's co-written on the album.

Carrie also said that she will not be touring this fall, focusing on album promotion, and then launching a new tour in 2008. When asked if she would headline she said the whole idea made her nervous, because "what if no one showed up?" She laughed and said "I will ride the opener wave as far as I can take it!" She did say she was open to the idea of co-headlining. "I know people would show up if I have someone else with me." Does she not know how many people bought her album? If she didn't then, she found out later that night when her record label presented her with a plaque for 6 MILLION cd's sold. I'm pretty sure people would show up.

Bucky Covington was asked if he'd ever sent his twin brother Rocky (who is in his band) out to sign autographs in his place. He said he couldn't for two reasons: 1) Rocky is left handed and 2) Bucky was afraid of what Rocky might say to embarrass him.

I hadn't ever met Bucky - I was out of town when he came in to cut his episode of Driver's Ed. But I knew he was a big Highway 16 fan, so I introduced myself to him in the hallway a little later. Super nice guy. He hadn't ever played a stadium before.

The big thing I wanted to ask Little Big Town - and did - was about their travel arrangements. For years they've talked about all being on one bus, and the guys joke that the girls make it smell nice. Well now that Jimmy and Karen are married to each other, Kimberly and Phillip are married to other people, and Kimberly has a baby on the way, SURELY they aren't all still on one bus?

They are. WITH their band. But later this summer their band is getting their own bus, but the four of them - and the baby - will still all be together. You'd think they'd be excited about getting a little more room, but they aren't happy about the price of gas! The quartet is about halfway through the recording of their next album, and they described touring with Martina as "the cushiest job we've ever had."

I think that's all the backstage buzz I've got -- tonight I'm expecting to talk to Jo Dee Messina , Josh Turner, Angela Hacker, LeAnn Rimes, Martina McBride and Hannah Montana's dad. I'm going to be the coolest mom on the block tomorrow!