Neal McCoy opened up the day on the Greased Lightning Riverfront Stage, enthralling the audience with some much needed energy to kick the festival into high gear once again. Included in his longer-than-expected performance were the #1 hits from 1994, “No Doubt About It” and “Wink,” and his 2005 Top Ten hit, “Billy’s Got His Beer Goggles On.” Receiving an ovation that nearly matched that of Phil Vassar’s the day before to open up the Riverfront Stage, McCoy ran up and down the edge of the stage, slapping hands and signing a few quick autographs with enthused fans.

Other artists’ performances of the day included Jennifer Hanson, whose set mirrored that of her performance of the evening before at L.P. Field, and seemed to bore the audience midway through, and Jake Owen, who provided a forgettable set, with the exception of his Top Ten Hit from 2006, “Yee Haw.” The heat intensified and the humidity thickened as the loyal “CMA’ers” endured the miserable conditions to catch mediocre sets by a number of acts, including Jason Meadows, Ashley Gearing, and Heartland.

Consecutive acts stole the show at Riverfront Park on this day through the latter part of the afternoon. Lonestar, at their first CMA Festival since replacing ex-vocalist Richie McDonald with Cody Collins, supplied the audience with one of the most impressive and elaborate sets of the entire weekend. Incorporating classic band hits, including “What About Now” and “Front Porch Lookin’ In” with their new single, “Let Me Love You,” from their forthcoming album ‘The Future Is Now,’ the hometown quartet rejuvenated the audience with a stellar performance, one worthy of a main stage primetime slot. Equally impressive was North Carolina native Eric Church’s grunge style performance to one of the largest crowds on the Greased Lightning Stage the entire weekend. Rocking through standout Top Twenty hits “How ‘Bout You,” “Two Pink Lines,” and “Guys Like Me,” as well as his latest single “His Kind of Money (My Kind of Love),” Church delivered on this day, cooling off the blistering crowd by tossing full ice cold bottles of water in between songs.

Other festival-favorite activities throughout the day were the Music City Rising Star Youth Vocal Competition at the Family Zone, as well as the Mary Kay Acoustic Corner inside the Convention Center, which featured some of the best up-and-coming acts in an intimate performance atmosphere, including Rachel Williams, Brooke Morton, and Ben Gregg. The CMA Songwriter Series was also one of the signature events of the day, featuring story trading and song playing from artists Marv Green, Brett James, Bobby Pinson, and Rivers Rutherford.

In perhaps the most star-studded lineup of the weekend, Friday’s performance schedule at L.P. Field felt like a country enthusiast’s dream. Ashton Shepherd and Jake Owen, having already played full band sets earlier in the day, slowed things down and offered a few tunes acoustic style for the audience. Texas native Jack Ingram provided a highly energized set early in the evening, belting out the hits “Love You” and “Where Ever You Are,” but much to everyone’s disappointment, exited the stage before playing his current smash single, “Maybe She’ll Get Lonely.” Hardcore country rocker Miranda Lambert and the traditional soulful Josh Turner delighted fans with “Gunpowder and Lead” and “Firecracker” respectively, but the rest of their sets, while impressive, didn’t draw the anticipated response from the restless audience, anxious to greet their favorite American Idol princess.

From the moment she pranced on stage, 2007 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Carrie Underwood had the audience in the palm of her hand. Belting out chart-toppers “Jesus Take the Wheel” and “So Small,” the ACM and Grammy awarding winning sweetheart astonished attendees with her incredible vocal range, and spiced things up a bit with her live renditions of her 2006 #1 smash single “Before He Cheats” and her current release, “Last Name.”

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