Country music fans can be forgiven if they confuse this weekend’s WMZQ Fest with a mini version of Nashville’s annual Fan Fest — yeah, the lineup is that good.
Superstar Miranda Lambert, whose solo album “Four the Record” and Pistol Annies’ disc “Hell on Heels” have both burned up the charts, is headlining, but the other musicians are truly support acts in name only. There’s Chris Young, who has had five No. 1 singles. He joins hit-makers Jerrod Niemann, Lee Brice, Love and Theft, and Jana Kramer.
“This whole tour has been unreal,” said Young, who has been touring with Lambert since January. “She is one of the best people ever to tour with — she’s all about what is mine is yours.”
| Onstage |
| WMZQ Fest with Miranda Lambert, Chris Young, Jerrod Niemann, Lee Brice, Love and Theft, and Jana Kramer |
| When: 4 p.m. Sunday |
| Where: Jiffy Lube Live, 7800 Cellar Door Drive, Bristow |
| Info: $30 to $65; wmzq.com; 703-754-6400 |
Of course, Lambert, who is married to country chart-topper Blake Shelton, is as down-to-earth at they come, maintaining her pet-filled home in Oklahoma, although she’s a constant presence at major country events and award shows. Lambert told The Washington Examiner last year that one way she keeps herself grounded is to remain true to her music.
“I mean, every word I say in every lyric of every song on this record, and every record I’ve ever done,” she said at the time. “I would never take back one word or lyric or point I’ve ever made, because it’s part of who I am. And there are plenty of artists who wouldn’t do so much of that, if that’s the kind of music you’re into. But if you’re into honesty, I have the records for you.”
As does Young, whose 2011 album “Neon” is still generating singles and has sold more than a quarter of a million copies. It’s not a stretch to imagine that Young will soon be a headliner. Not only has he had major chart success, but he won the highly coveted Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Single of the Year awards at the American Country Awards, and he was nominated for the Male Vocalist of the Year as well as the Single Record of the Year (“Tomorrow”) at this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards.
Not that Young is even focused on headlining right now; he’s too busy enjoying the hard-won success he has found.
“We are just having a lot of fun,” he said. “We are booking [concerts] a year out. I remember when I was excited to book six [shows] out.”
