Hot, Hot, Hot!

I don't have any meteorology experience, but I can predict the weather for CMA Music Festival week with 50/50 chances: It's either going to be HOT, or it's going to rain.

This year, it's hot. Really hot. And I think it's going to get hotter as the week wears on. A little while ago I popped outside of our studios here at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Musuem to watch the Chevrolet Parade. I'm pretty sure that most of the people lining the streets were there to see Jon Anthony in the XM Vehicle, but it was also fun to see stars like Pam Tillis in the back of a convertible, and Van Zant in the back of a pickup truck.

From there I walked across the street to the Chevy Block Party, happening in front of the Sommet Center (which you might know as the Gaylord Entertainment Center, or the Nashville Arena, depending on how long it's been since your last trip to Music City.) Jon is emceeing the event, and it was wall to wall people. Hot, sweaty people! I caught a little bit of Jason Michael Carroll's set - I love his deep growly voice.

We've gotten to meet a lot more listeners who have come by the studio or stopped us on the street. The whole XM Crew is decked out in XM shirts and usually carrying these awesome tote bags we're giving away, and we LOVE hearing from subscribers about how much XM has changed their life. Yesterday I had one of my favorite listener experiences yet, at the Hall of Fame.

I was in the live studio, talking to Jay Thomas, when this woman came into the gift shop and got all excited to see the XM booth. You could see her getting really animated and she starts waving and talking to her friend and gesturing towards us. She was pointing at me and trying to ask me something through the glass. I see a lot of fans from year to year at CMA Music Festival, and I'm racking my brain trying to figure out why I don't recognize her, or how she'd know me. I'm just the producer, most people could care less about meeting me!

So she very goes around to the entrance to our booth where our intern opens the door and we hear her ask excitedly "Is that really Amy Paige?"

I hated disappointing her, but I knew I couldn't for even a minute pull off Amy's east coast accent. She'd only missed Amy by 20 minutes too! But she's going to come back Thursday and hopefully get to meet her. And I know Amy is working on a blog for this spot, so keep checking in, and you can meet her too!

- Joyce Rizer