Old Dominion, Lindsay Ell & Jerrod Niemann Prepare for CMA Fest

How do the stars prepare for CMA Music Festival? With sunscreen and a lot of water, says Old Dominion, Lindsay Ell and more!

Old Dominion, Lindsay Ell & Jerrod Niemann Prepare for CMA Fest
NAPA, CA - MAY 15: (L-R) Trevor Rosen, Geoff Spring, Matthew Ramsey and Brad Tursi of Old Dominion perform on Day 1 of Live In The Vineyard Goes Country on May 15, 2018 in Napa, California. (Photo by Steve Jennings/WireImage)

CMA Fest is just a week away and some of the festival’s performers are sharing their tips for surviving the four-day country music extravaganza in Nashville. Sounds Like Nashville caught up with Old Dominion, Lindsay Ell, Jerrod Niemann, and Maddie & Tae during the inaugural Live In the Vineyard Goes Country event in Napa Valley, Calif., where each artist filled us in on their festival must-haves.

Old Dominion are set to perform at Nissan Stadium for the first time as part of CMA Fest’s Nightly Lineup on Friday (June 8). After years of playing in the Hard Rock Cafe parking lot on Lower Broadway and the Chevy Riverfront Stage during the heat of the day, the guys are excited for their slot on the main stage. Their festival necessities include: air conditioning, water, sunscreen and sunglasses.

West Palm!

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“We played so many times in that Hard Rock parking lot where I felt like it might have been 150 degrees,” Trevor Rosen admits. “We did that two years in a row.”

This year, Old Dominion are also set to perform at 10:30 p.m. at Nissan Stadium on Friday evening before Carrie Underwood closes the night.

“We play the stadium this year,” frontman Matt Ramsey adds. “It’ll be dark. That’s a good change.”

Maddie & Tae agree with Old Dominion’s sunscreen tip and advise country fans to drink lots of water, too. They’ll be making several appearances throughout the festival, including a stint at the Chevy Riverfront Stage on Sunday (June 10) at 10 a.m.

“One of my favorite things that I did last year was I got rose water spray so it’s really refreshing and it makes your makeup look really pretty,” Maddie admits.

Niemann, meanwhile, will bring back his joint fan club party with Lee Brice on June 6 and promises a fun time.

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“Lee and I started doing our fan club parties together years ago,” Niemann recalls. “This year, we said we have to do it.”

For their sixth Fan Bash, Niemann says he and Brice plan to show everybody a good time. “When we travel the country, they come out and show us so much hospitality on the road,” he says of his fans. “That’s what I love about CMA Fest — we get to host it.”

Ell says her favorite part about CMA Fest is getting to see her fans. She’ll be performing at the Chevy Riverfront Stage on Thursday (June 7) at noon, among several other appearances including her fan club party.

“CMA fest is always such a fun time. I love getting to see fans,” she says. “I love getting to hold my fan club party, I always hold it during CMA fest in Nashville every year. We’re playing Riverfront Stage for the first time this year and I’m so excited. So I will definitely need to make sure I have sunscreen and sunglasses.”