Nashville adds a burst of summer music

There’s another burst of music coming into TV’s rerun/reality summer.
The “CMA Fest” airs each summer on ABC, but this year it will be sooner (July 19) and longer (8-11 p.m.) than it used to be.
It’s being billed as the 50th anniversary and again has Dierks Bentley (ahown here) and Elle King hosting. This time, they’re joined by Lainey Wilson.
The summer event began in Nashville in 1972 as Fan Fair, later changing to CMA Music Fest. Attendance grew from 5,000 the first year to an estimated 250,000 over four days.
ABC began showing two-hour specials – combining concerts from several nights – in 2004. After pandemic cancellations in 2020 and 2021, the telecast returned last year, with Dierks Bentley and Elle King hosting the Aug. 3 telecast. They’ll do it again this year, joined by Lainey Wilson.
That’s part of a modest list of summer music specials, including:
— June 11: The Tony Awards, from 8-11 p.m. ET on CBS. With no script this year (due to the writers strike), it should be more musical than ever, with performances of the nominated musicals (new and revivals) and more. Performers are likely to include Ariana DeBose (who hosts), Josh Groban, Sara Bareilles, Ben Platt, Annaleigh Ashford and more.
— June 16: The Metropolitan Opera’s “Medea,” 9 p.m., PBS.
— July 4: “A Capitol Fourth,” 8 p.m. ET on PBS. Alfonso Ribeiro hosts, with a music line-up (not yet set) that includes country, classical, pop and R&B.
— July 19: “CMA Fest,” 8-11 p.m., ABC. The line-up hasn’t been announced yet, but tends to be packed with stars.
— Aug. 21: The Chicago Symphony performs Leonard Bernstein’s 3rd Symphony, 9 p.m., PBS.