Both the Stagecoach Festival and its sister festival, Coachella, both held annually in Indio, Calif., were in jeopardy of not being held or being postponed next year because of a request by a neighboring city’s council. But those scares have been put to rest, and the Stagecoach Festival is not only happening, it’s expanding to three-days instead of the traditional two (Coachella is also expanding to two weekends instead of one). This year the Stagecoach festival will be held Friday, April 27 to Sunday April 29, 2012.

Stagecoach, known for the high profile county music acts it attracts, will this year feature Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton and a reunited Mavericks, a band that has been broken up since 2003.

Stagecoach began as a two-day country festival to compliment the successful Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which had started in 1999 and featured mainly alternative rock music. Since its inception, Stagecoach has been a two-day festival every year except 2008, when it was expanded to three days due to a reunion concert by the Eagles.

Other notable performers this year will include Alabama, Kenny Rogers, Martina McBride and Sara Evans. The festival will benefit the city of Indio, as well as charities like the Indio Youth Task Force, the Indio Teen Center and the Silverlake Conservatory.

The reunion of the Mavericks has been a big story in the country music world, and the group says that the Stagecoach date will be a part of a reunion tour, though no other dates have been announced. Initially formed in 1991, the Mavericks became known for hits such as “All You Ever Do is Bringing Me Down,” “There Goes My Heart,” and “Here Comes the Rain.” In the latter portion of the band’s career, they tended to find more success in the United Kingdom than in America.

It’s been less than a month since country superstar Brad Paisley wrapped up his most recent tour, the “H2O II Wetter and Wilder World Tour,” on September 25. But he’s already announced the initial dates of his first tour of 2012, dubbed “The Camobunga! 2012 World Tour,” which will feature The Band Perry and “American Idol” winner Scotty McCreery as support.

But Camobunga? We’d best let Paisley’s website do the explaining on that one:

Camobunga :n; : //kam,bunga/ –  The name of a live musical tour experience. A mind blowing blend of country, fiery 60′s surf guitar acrobatics, futuristic special effects, retro heart and soul, and mind altering liquid beverages. The spirit of the deep woods meets the breakneck excitement of the California coast.

Etymology of the word Camobunga :

camouflage - N: /kamfläZH/ -fabric w/ splotches of green, brown, black & tan, meant to make the wearer of this pattern hard to distinguish from the background;(or possibly stand out as a redneck). And Brad Paisley’s latest single.

cowabunga
(exclamation): Originated as a greeting by Chief Thunderthud on the 50′s cowboy puppet tv program “The Howdy Doody Show”, was later adopted by surfers in the 60′s.

So, there you have it.

Paisley is the reigning Country Music Association (CMA) entertainer of the year, so it’s fitting that he will co-host the 45^th CMA Awards on November 9 with Carrie Underwood. Paisley and Underwood had a number one country hit with their duet “Remind Me,” released in May 2011 as the third single for Paisley’s most recent album, This is Country Music, released that same month. That album reached number one on the Billboard country charts and number two on the Billboard 200, blocked from the number one spot by Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, which was released the same day.

The Band Perry is a group of siblings (2 brothers and a sister) from Mississippi whose self-titled debut produced three top 20 singles. Scott McCreery, winner of season 10 of “American Idol,” is a country singer from North Carolina. His debut album, Clear As Day, was released earlier this month and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

The tour kicks off January 12 in Grand Rapids, Mich.

It seems like the Country Music Association can’t get enough of Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. They have been asked to take on hosting duties for the fourth time for the association’s 45th annual awards show, to be held on November 9 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

The two singers shared the news to their fans via various social networking sites, straight from the set of their new music video, ‘Remind Me’.

“We wanted to take a minute to share some very exciting news…The CMA has asked Brad and me back to host the CMA Awards in November,” Underwood said in an online video posted on YouTube. On the other hand, Paisley tweeted, “Can you believe that? I can’t wait to do it again,” accompanying his 140-character-long expression of flattery and eagerness with a photo of the beach where the music video was being shot.

CMA head Steve Moore explained the choice to re-hire the two country superstars as hosts for this year’s awards. He said that both “have the unique qualities of humor, talent, credibility and natural rapport that makes them a hit with fans and the industry audience.”

Among the honors being vied by the genre’s finest and top-selling artists of the past year are Male and Female Vocalist of the Year, Group of the Year, Musician of the Year, New Artist of the Year, Music Video of the Year, Single and Song of the Year, Vocal Duo of the Year, Musical Event of the Year, and the much coveted Entertainer of the Year, which Brad Paisley won in 2010.

The 2011 CMA Awards will be aired live by ABC-TV.

On June 14, Alabama, the country music legends, will be reuniting to perform a rare concert. The show will be for a good cause. “’Bama Rising: A Benefit Concert for Alabama Tornado Recovery” is set to take place in Birmingham, AL at BJCC Arena. Other artists that are scheduled to perform include Ashton Shepherd, Darius Rucker, Kellie Pickler, Brad Paisley, Jake Owen, David Nail, Montgomery Gentry, Martina McBride, Little Big Town, Taylor Hicks, Sara Evans, Sheryl Crow, Luke Bryan, Bo Bice, Dierks Bentley and Rodney Atkins.

In a statement concerning the show, Randy Owen of Alabama said, I am hoping this will bring help and happiness to my fellow Alabama citizens. I think it’s very important to do this benefit. I want all Alabamians to feel a part of this. I am hoping we can pull together and help get through Alabama’s worst natural disaster ever. I appreciate my country music friends and everyone who is involved or helped.

Funds that are raised at “Bama Rising” will benefit victims of the tornadoes that ripped through Alabama and other parts of the south in April 2011. In addition to proceeds from ticket sales, additional funds are being raised through event corporate sponsorships.

Tickets for the concert will be going on sale on May 20 via Ticketmaster and range in price from $150 to $24. VIP packages will also be available.

Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley and Brad Paisley will all be participating in “Party On, Nashville,” which will take place one year after last May’s catastrophic flooding in the Nashville area. Not only were people houses and businesses (including the Grand Ole Opry) wiped out, but also tourism took a big hit, which is the city’s most important financial generator.

A concert will be held on May 3 at Grand Ole Opry as a benefit for area charities. They include the American Red Cross Nashville branch, Middle Tennessee’s United Way and Hands On Nashville. For each ticket sold, $10 will be going to benefit these organizations.

Bentley said, I can’t believe it has been one year since the flooding. Nashville, our country music community and the Opry were so resilient. We came together and rebuilt so quickly following the devastation. I’m so proud being a member of the Opry. I look forward to once again celebrating the sense of community.

Early on, Paisley filmed the clean-up efforts of the Opry’s. The Opry saved many of their historic artifacts, which included the center stage’s original, age-old circle of wood. It was restored and cleaned and just a couple months later placed into the new stage.

Immediately following Brad Paisley’s final performance of his H20 Frozen Over tour in Nashville, Brad Paisely released performances for his new tour, which will be called the H20 II World Tour. The first date of this new tour will be on May 28 in Pittsburgh at Heinz Field. From there, he will visit 32 other cities.

Of the dates planned, 5 will be in stadiums and several will be across the ocean in Denmark, Ireland, England, and Oslo, Norway. Jerrod Niemann and Blake Shelton will join Paisley for the tour. Darius Rucker will again be the opening act for Paisley for several concerts, just as he was for the H20 Frozen Over tour.

The Water World Plaza is set to be re-introduced on the H20 II World tour, which will feature performances by Brent Anderson, Sunny Sweeney, and Edens Edge. Moreover, Chevy, which is sponsoring the tour, is going to set up a Corvette simulator in which fans can fulfill a dream by racing against Paisley. The person who scores the best before each performance will be able to meet Paisley before he performs. In addition, there will be a slip-n-slide, a fishing simulator, and a dunking booth, all of which were a part of the original tour.

Based on information from Pollstar, the touring industry magazine, in excess of 879,000 people attended the original H20 tour in 2010, which was the highest mark for any country music tour that year.

Paisley, who performed in his first stadium as a main act in 2010, is amazed by the amount of success he has experienced and how popular he is at this time. Paisley, the current Entertainer of the Year as named by the CMA, said to The Boot, “My dreams as far as my lifetime goal, early on, was to get what I call the level of tour musician – which was to have a tour bus to pile onto it to go play a show somewhere, other than where I lived, and then pile off of it, do the show, get back on it, and go to another town, and really stop there. That was what I wanted to do, and have hit songs that people knew. That was really it. I really felt like if I ever reach that league, that league of person, that has a hit song that people know their name, and go see them sing, I would be fine. That was the goal. I’m so far past where I planned to be that I’m here without a road map of any kind. I didn’t necessarily as for directions on the way. So, I’m certainly in more shock today than anybody.” Of course, his fans are not as shocked as he is.

Right now, Paisley ‘s song, “This is Country Music”, the hit from his soon-to-be-released album of the same name, is climbing up the country charts. The album will be released on May 24.

Brad Paisley will be releasing his new album on March 24. His last album, “American Saturday Night” was released in 2009. The forthcoming set was produced by Frank Rogers, a longtime Paisley collaborator. The title of the new set is “This is Country Music.”

Already the title track of album is getting added onto country radio play lists all over the U.S. It currently is available in digital single format. Fans preordering the new set will receive an immediate download of this single. According to a recent press release, they will also be given access periodically to exclusive content. More information is available on Paisley’s website.

In the latter part of February, Brad Paisley will be wrapping up “H20 Frozen Over Tour.” The outing is a followup to “H20 Tour” from last year. The only show in March on his schedule currently is a headlining spot at RodeoHouston. This music festival is part of Houston’s Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Currently, Paisley has several amphitheater summer dates on his itinerary. If history serves as a guide, there will many more to follow. Paisley is also scheduled to perform at a couple of country music festivals this summer, including Country Stampede taking place in Manhattan, KS.

Brad Paisley, country music super star, has become a regular on North America’s concert tour, touring every year on a regular basis.  The road dog is announcing plans for continuing his in-progress “H2 World Tour.”  A new name will be used for the tour in 2011 for the new set of dates.

The trek will be known as “H2 Frozen Over Tour” and will kick off  in Green Bay, WI at Resch Center on January 20.  The 16 date Canadian and U.S. outing will wrap up on February 26 in Nashville, TN at Bridgestone Arena.

Other stops for the one month tour include Evansville, IN at Roberts Stadium on January 22; Birmingham AL at BJCC Arena on February 11; and Orlando, FL at Amway Center on February 24.  Canadian events include London, ON at John Labatt Centre on January 27; Hamilton ON at Coops Coliseum on January 28; Montreal, QC at Bell Centre on January 29; and Ottawa, ON at Scotiabank Place on January 30.

So far public onsale dates haven’t been announced yet for the last “Frozen” leg, although it has been confirmed that Jerrod Niemann and Darius Rucker will be the openers.  Additional announcements will be made on the official website of Paisley’s as they come available.

On the current itinerary for his “H2 World Tour” Paisley has five additional dates to complete from November 12 in Uncasville, CT at the Mohegan Sun Arena to November 20 in Tulsa, OK at BOK Center.  Paisley’s brief jaunt in November is following a similar six date brief early October tour extension which wrapped up with a free concert in Alabama at Gulf Shores Beach on October 17.

In May “H2 World Tour” was launched.  The first leg stretched over the summer through September.  The trek’s second leg, with just a few gigs in October and November, are the last that will go by the original “H2O” name before the new title of “Frozen” takes over in 2011.

The 2010 tour of Paisley’s played in front of over 750,000 concertgoers in over 75 cities according to press statements from the musician.  The length itinerary this year also featured a number of sold out shows, including a run recently of four sells outs in early October in Canada.

2010-2011 Brad Paisley Concert Tour
November 2010
12 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
13 – Rochester, NY – Blue Cross Arena
18 – Memphis, TN – FedEx Forum
19 – North Little Rock, AR – Verizon Arena
20 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center

January 2011
20 – Green Bay, WI – Resch Center
21 – Ft. Wayne, IN – War Memorial Coliseum
22 – Evansville, IN – Roberts Stadium
27 – London, Ontario – John Labatt Centre
28 – Hamilton, Ontario – Coops Coliseum
29 – Montreal, Quebec – Bell Centre
30 – Ottawa, Ontario – Scotiabank Place

February 2011
10 – Atlanta, GA – The Arena at Gwinnett Center
11 – Birmingham, AL – BJCC Arena
12 – Lafayette, LA – Cajundome
17 – Hershey, PA – Giant Center
18 – Roanoke, VA – Roanoke Civic Center
19 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
24 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center
25 – Columbus, GA – Columbus Civic Center
26 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena

Looks like Jimmy Buffett is not alone in his efforts to help rebuild the local economy in the gulf area hampered by the disastrous oil spill.

Rock icons Bon Jovi and country music act Brad Paisley will both be heading south to Gulf Shores, AL to perform for free on two separate occasions to help revive the tourism industry in the area which is the bread and butter of the local livelihood in Gulf Shores.

Bon Jovi will perform on October 15 while Paisley is scheduled on the 17th.  The two acts will be performing on the same stage where Jimmy Buffett performed two months ago for the same purpose.

Most of the tickets – about 35,000 of it – will be given to tourists or even locals who will be checking in at any hotel in the area.  There will also be a good number of tickets appropriated for locals who would simply like to see the show without having to book a room at a local hotel.  Those tickets however, will be distributed on a first come first served basis for only one day, on September 11 at 8 AM.  Fans can come to any of these venues to avail of the free passes: the Foley City Hall, the Orange Beach Recreation Center and the Erie Meyer Civic Center in Gulf Shores.

As long as there is still a good amount left from the $15 million BP PLC donated to Gulf Shores for tourism upliftment and reparation, and as long as local city officials can convince more artists to come down and perform for charity, expect more of these free concerts in the gulf area in the coming months.

Brad Paisley, country music songwriter-singer, was examined at the hospital and then released after he took a very nasty spill on Saturday during his concert in South Carolina, according to Paisley’s Twitter account and website.

On Twitter, Paisley wrote I hit hard. I mean really freaking hard.

The country superstar was examined in Charleston at the Medical University of South Carolina Hospital and released on Sunday.

On Twitter, Paisley thanked his followers for their prayers and said that the hospital had discharged him. Nothing is broken, I am just very bruised. They did a cat scan and I’m ok.

According to Paisley’s website, he was singing “Alcohol” for his encore finale and was on the last note when he fell.

Paisley wrote, in case you are wondering I was on the tour’s last night and last song. I was running around on the stage real fast and tripped. I thought I had broken a rib.

Paisley also posted two pics of him posing with some of the medical staff while being treated in the hospital’s emergency room.

After falling Paisley was still able to finish the show.

On Sunday, his website said that he was able to bounce back up and finish the show. He also thanked the fans in the audience and said goodbye to them. After he exited from the stage Paisley was transported via ambulance to a local hospital for examination. Brad is fine, just badly bruised and the hospital has discharged him and he is headed home to Nashville, the website reported.

The 37-year-old Paisley was on the last stop at Charleston Coliseum for his “American Saturday Night Tour.”

In November, Paisley won his third Country Music Association Male Vocalist Award in a row.