Pictured (L-R): Kenny Laguna, Joan Jett, and Larry Vallon backstage with their IEBA Hall of Fame plaques. Photo: Courtesy IEBA

IEBA concluded its 49th annual conference on Oct. 29 with its Honors & Awards Ceremony in Nashville.

Six artists and/or executives were inducted into the IEBA Hall of Fame, including CAA Nashville Co-Head Rod Essig, rock star Joan Jett alongside her manager/producer Kenny Laguna, promoter Larry Vallon, Warped Tour creator Kevin Lyman, and booking agent Steve Dahl (posthumously). The Delaware State Fair was also inducted into the IEBA Hall of Fame on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.

Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena earned Arena of the Year, while Bridgestone Arena’s David Kells was named Venue Executive of the Year. Paradigm Talent Agency’s Zach Hartley was named Young Professional of the Year, while AGI’s Adam Kornfeld earned Talent Agent of the Year and NS2’s Darin Lashinsky earned Promoter of the Year.

IEBA’s 50th Annual Conference will be held Oct. 11-13, 2020 at the Omni Nashville.

Pictured (L-R): Stacy Vee (Messina Touring Group / Goldenvoice) and Rod Essig (CAA) backstage at IEBA. Photo: Courtesy IEBA

This year’s winners include:

Club of the Year – Troubadour – West Hollywood, CA

Casino of the Year – Choctaw Casino & Resort – Durant, OK

Ryman Auditorium Theater of the Year – The Fox Theatre – Atlanta, GA

Arena of the Year – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN

Amphitheater of the Year – Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO

Fair of the Year – Ohio State Fair – Columbus, OH

Festival of the Year – Stagecoach – Indio, CA

Club Buyer of the Year – Josh Moore – The Bowery Presents

Casino Buyer of the Year – Lori Otelsberg – Signature Entertainment

Corporate Buyer of the Year – Rick Whetsel – G7 Entertainment Marketing

International Buyer of the Year – Jim Cressman – Invictus Entertainment

Fair Buyer of the Year – Todd Boltin – Variety Attractions

Festival Buyer of the Year – Stacy Vee – Messina Touring Group

Venue Executive of the Year – David Kells – Bridgestone Arena

Young Professional of the Year – Zach Hartley – Paradigm Talent Agency

Talent Agent of the Year – Adam Kornfeld – AGI

Promoter of the Year – Darin Lashinsky – NS2

Pictured: Kevin Lyman on stage with his IEBA Hall of Fame plaque. Photo: Courtesy IEBA

Pictured (L-R): Young Professional of the Year Zach Hartley, Paradigm; Venue Exec of the Year – David Kells also celebrates Bridgestone Arena’s Arena of the Year win; Agent of the Year – Adam Kornfeld, AGI; Promoter of the Year – Darin Lashinsky, NS2. Photo: Courtesy IEBA

Pictured (L-R): Danielle Bradbery, Devin Dawson, Travis Denning, and Rachel Wammack at the Columbia Theatre in Berlin, Germany on Sunday, October 13th, 2019. Photo: Matt Carson/CMA

The Country Music Association’s international artist-focused touring series “Introducing Nashville” just wrapped a successful run in Europe and the U.K. The 10-date tour made stops throughout October in Oslo, Stockholm, Hamburg, Berlin, Amsterdam, Manchester, Gateshead, Glasgow and Brighton before wrapping with a sold-out performance at London’s Cadogan Hall during Country Music Week.

With ticket sales nearly doubling in every market since last year’s European and U.K. tour, audiences flocked to see Nashville artists Danielle Bradbery, Devin Dawson (on the European leg), Travis Denning, Walker Hayes (on the U.K. leg) and Rachel Wammack. Selling out a number of shows including London, Oslo, Glasgow and Brighton, these Nashville artists introduced audiences to new music and had them singing along to the songs they knew.

In each city, audiences were captivated by the show’s intimate Nashville-style writer’s round, with artists appearing on stage together in an acoustic lineup, sharing their stories as they performed their songs.

Pictured (L-R): Travis Denning, Danielle Bradbery, Devin Dawson, and Rachel Wammack perform at Gruenspan in Hamburg, Germany on Saturday, October 12th, 2019. Photo: Matt Carson/CMA

Pictured (L-R): Travis Denning, Danielle Bradbery, Walker Hayes and Rachel Wammack made stops in Manchester, Gateshead, Glasgow, Brighton and London as part of CMA’s “Introducing Nashville” U.K. tour. Photo: Matt Carson/CMA

Devin Dawson. Photo: Matt Carson/CMA

Danielle Bradbery. Photo: Matt Carson/CMA

Pictured (L-R): Rachel Wammack, Travis Denning, Walker Hayes and Danielle Bradberry perform during CMA’s Introducing Nashville U.K. tour in London on October 21, 2019. Photo: Matt Carson/CMA

Rachel Wammack. Photo: Matt Carson/CMA

Walker Hayes. Photo: Matt Carson/CMA

Travis Denning. Photo: Matt Carson/CMA

Thomas Rhett headlines Bridgestone Arena. Photo: Instagram / @thomasrhettakins

Thomas Rhett closed out his Very Hot Summer Tour with a sold-out show on an ironically chilly night at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Saturday night (Oct. 12). The CMA Male Vocalist of the Year nominee showed his earned road-chops with a high energy show, with plenty of moments of intimacy and charisma.

Rhett kicked off the show with his most recent No. 1, “Look What God Gave Her,” after leaping onto center stage to thunderous applause. He quickly transitioned into his 2015 hit “Crash and Burn,” complete with horns and pyrotechnics.

Using the full length of the arena, Thomas Rhett traveled from the main stage to the smaller stage on opposite sides of the floor often. Running from one end to the next, he connected with every fan in the arena.

After a few more back-to-back hits, he brought out Little Big Town for their collaboration “Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time.” The country supergroup was but the first special guest of the evening.

Pictured: Thomas Rhett with Little Big Town. Photo: John Shearer

“Can I take you back to 2012?” Thomas Rhett exclaimed with a grin as he went into “It Goes Like This.”

“Thank you for selling out Bridgestone Arena tonight, this is freaking incredible. This is a very full-circle moment for me because I was born in Georgia but I grew up in Hendersonville, Tennessee. I grew up on a street in Hendersonville called Center Point Road. I grew up going to shows in this arena, and in all the years I’ve been on tour, I’ve never gotten to play a headlining show in Bridgestone Arena,” he said.

Building on the full-circle moment, he played his tender “Remember You Young.” He and his wife Lauren celebrated their 7th anniversary with the Bridgestone show. When their children Willa Gray and Ada James were featured on the big screens, it elicited almost as loud of a cheer from the crowd as Thomas Rhett did himself.

More screams ensued when Rhett brought HARDY out for their “Nothin’ Out Here” tune. Rhett introduced HARDY as one of the best songwriters in Nashville.

Pictured: Thomas Rhett and HARDY. Photo: John Shearer

When it came time for the auto-biographical “Life Changes,” Rhett brought out the horns again. He then traveled to the smaller stage for a stripped down selection of music, playing a song from his 2019 Center Point Road album called “That Old Truck,” as well as a new song he had just written for his daughters called “To The Guys Who Date My Girls.”

While he was out at the small stage, Rhett invited Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard to perform FGL’s hit “Round Here,” that Rhett co-wrote.

Pictured: Thomas Rhett and Tyler Hubbard. Photo: John Shearer

Thomas Rhett picked it back up and invited openers Rhett Akins, Russell Dickerson and Dustin Lynch back to the stage to perform “Beer Can’t Fix.” Akins, Dickerson and Lynch wore Nashville Predators jerseys and drenched themselves in beer for the performance. They also took the time to sing happy birthday to Rhett Akins, who would turn 50 at the stroke of midnight.

Rhett exhibited his exceptional vocal pipes by sounding great on slower tunes like “Marry Me,” after a high-energy “Vacation.” When he played his multi-Platinum hit “Die A Happy Man,” Rhett brought out his saxophone player for a brief moment, leaving the audience wanting more.

During “Unforgettable,” Rhett helped a couple in the audience do their gender reveal. The lucky couple is having a girl, so Rhett warned the father about future dates.

Rhett closed his set with his 2016 hit “T-Shirt,” and left fans covered in confetti and wildly cheering.

Pictured: Thomas Rhett and band. Photo: John Shearer

Before Rhett came on, Lynch got the crowd warmed up with his radio hits and million-watt smile. “I can’t believe this is real, man,” he said. “I’m playing Bridgestone Arena!”

Lynch played his hits “Seein’ Red,” “Mind Reader” and “Where It’s At,” as well as his breakout hit, “Cowboys and Angels.” He also played a selection of songs that he felt told his story from his first love of country music, to his entrance into the format. He started with his inspiration with Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee,” transitioned into Tim McGraw’s “Something Like That,” then Dierks Bentley’s “What Was I Thinkin’,” and then finally Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You,” saying Urban was the first artist to take him on tour.

Lynch closed his set with his multi-week No. 1 “Small Town Boy.”

Dickerson offered a high-energy set full of dancing, and songs like his “Every Little Thing,” “MGNO,” and No. 1 hit “Blue Tacoma.” He also played his chart-topper “Yours,” with the whole crowd singing the words back.

Rhett Akins opened the show with some of the 30 No. 1 songs he’s written, as well as his 1995 hit, “That Ain’t My Truck.”