It’s time for the 2010 CMA Music Festival! The Sixth Annual CMA Music Festival Kick-Off Parade got things rolling on Wednesday, and fans in Nashville are ready to catch up with their favorite stars for a packed schedule of concerts, autograph signings, and much, much more, as special events and artist fan club parties add to the official Music Fest schedule. So on this week of celebrating country music and the very special relationship between artists and fans, we’re bringing you a round-up of all-star audio, all about getting crazy, having fun, being a fan, and getting starstruck…even when you’re a star! (AUDIO INFO BELOW)

• Visit cmafest.com to learn all about this year’s event!

  Brad Paisley talks about the passion of the fans attending the CMA Music Festival. (:32)
“You’re talkin’ about your most intense fan base and group of people being in the same place at one time once a year. Fan is short for fanatic, and these people are fanatics. I mean, they plan their vacation around that festival. You know, I love playin’ that festival. It’s like I say, you know, these are people that are very serious about music. These people, they know every word, they want to hear certain songs, they want to meet you, they want access, and they get it at this. And it’s really a great thing to be a part of.”

  Carrie Underwood recalls loving her first experience with Music Fest back when she attended as a fan. (:08)
“I actually got the chance to come to CMA Music Fest back when it was Fan Fair when I was a little bit younger — about a decade ago actually. It was really awesome.”

  Carrie Underwood talks about the CMA Music Festival. (:16)
“Coming here, my very first CMA Music Fest right after Idol, that’s a moment I will never forget. It’s just…it’s amazing that country music does something like that, you know, for the fans. And the fans come to support their favorite country music people, doing a lot of autograph signing and things like that.”

  Chris Young’s The Man I Want to Be album includes a duet with Willie Nelson, and Chris admits he was a little starstruck around Willie. (:06)
“I have no idea what I said to him the whole day. (laughs) I know everything he said to me, but I don’t think I said hardly anything that was coherent or worth listening to.”

  Kellie Pickler recalls several occasions when she found herself starstruck. (:28)
“The first time I was really starstruck was, you know, of course, when I met Martina McBride, and when I met Dolly Parton. But the last time I was really starstruck, I met Shania Twain, and I started cryin’. I was so embarrassed, I was like, ‘Holy cow, I just totally, like, cried in front of Shania,’ and she was like, ‘No, don’t mess your make-up up.’ You know, I’m like, I know I probably scared her to death, but I made a fool of myself…sorry, Shania!”

  Kenny Chesney says that fans are great, but sometimes, things just get wacky. (:32)
“Some of the more rabid ones, you know, they’ll follow us to the next city and follow us to the hotel. You know? (laughs) This is no lie…my steel guitar player, Jim Bob, one night had a heart attack in Virginia Beach, and there were some fans that literally beat the ambulance to the hospital. And that’s when I realized it was gettin’ a little bit…we had to stop those people. (laughs) You know, you’re as nice as you can be! (laughs) Then you gotta…you know, but for the most part, it’s been, it’s okay.”

  Martina McBride says she always feels a little starstruck around Reba McEntire. (:29)
“I still get a little starstruck with her, and it’s, it’s…I don’t know what it is, I mean, ’cause it’s not her. She’s so nice and so sweet and down to earth, and she always goes out of her way to make me feel really welcome, but I just love her so much, and I admire her, and I never know what to say. I always kind of feel like a poser, you know? (laughs) I always kind of feel like, okay, she’s the real deal, and then there’s me, over here, you know? So, I don’t know, it’s just one of those things. But I just…I do get that way around her, definitely.”

  Martina McBride talks about the joys of performing for her fans. (:34)
“I love lookin’ out there and seein’ my fans, and people singin’ along, and when you think about the fact that they pay their hard-earned money for a ticket and they plan on it, and they, you know….I just remember the feeling going to concerts myself and how excited you’d get for weeks ahead of time and just all that excitement, and I think, ‘Wow! People are doin’ that comin’ to my show!’ And it makes me want to go out there and give ’em the very best show that I possibly can because it’s important, and it’s a privilege to get to be up there and to share that experience with them.”

  Miranda Lambert recalls completely losing her cool when she met “Angels in Waiting” singer Tammy Cochran. (:24)
“I completely mobbed Tammy Cochran…randomly, for no reason, and was freakin’ out…it was during Fan Fair week. And I was up here with my parents, and I just completely, was the biggest gherm, groupie, fan ever and would not shut up, and she probably hates me to this day. (laughs) She doesn’t know it’s me, though! She doesn’t know it was me. I’m sure she doesn’t remember, so, yeah, that was probably my stupidest moment.” (laughs)

  Miranda Lambert remembers meeting one of her musical heroes. (:33)
“I got to meet Merle Haggard. And most people don’t get to meet their heroes, you know? It’s very rare that people actually get to meet, face-to-face, their heroes, and that was really, really special. I said, like, 200 words in thirty seconds, just like, ‘blah, blah, blah, blah,’ everything I’ve ever wanted to say to him, and he signed my guitar, and he was so nice. And you know, I was honestly scared to meet him because, you know, meetin’ your hero is like, well, what if they’re in a bad mood? And then I’m crushed for the rest of my lifetime because they were mean. You know, it’s kind of like, ‘Oh, I hope he’s nice,’ but he was — he was awesome.”

  Miranda Lambert is trying to get used to the idea that there are people who think of her as an inspiration. (:22)
“My mom always tells me, she’s like, ‘You need to know how you feel when you…’ — I met Beyoncé, recently, too, and I love Beyoncé, and so, Mom goes, ‘You know how you felt? You need to remember that when people are meetin’ you, you know? That you’re their…’ ’cause I just don’t look at myself as somebody’s inspiration for whatever — you know what I mean? So, guess it can happen, but yeah, Mom always says, ‘Remember how you felt when you met Merle and Beyoncé, and that’s how your fans feel.'”