Virtual FanFair

In preparing for last month's article, I looked for the FanFair web site. While the URL pointed to a server, any content was unfortunately missing. Then, in the middle of the month, as FanFair was going on, I checked the site again. Not only had the content returned, but it took advantage of the latest streaming technologies to bring a taste of the experience to those of us stuck at home. But if you missed my mid-month update and didn't get a chance to visit the site, fear not. It's all still there.

The FanFair is an event like none other. It has to be experienced to fully understand what goes on. Every Country Music fan should try to get there at least once in their life. I was there in 1995 and look forward to a return trip. But this year, a visit to the FanFair site brought back a flood of memories as well as a virtual trip to this year's event.

One of the first things to check out is the schedule of events. Here you'll find a list of which record labels appeared on what day and at what particular time period. On Monday, the "independent" labels get a chance to showcase their artists. During the next three days, Tuesday through Thursday, the big name labels get their chance. On Friday this year, some of the old-time artists provided a concert. This schedule results in almost non-stop entertainment from late Monday morning through Friday afternoon. Saturday is reserved for the fiddling Grand Championships.

In comparison, if you visit the Who's Appearing section, you can find out when a particular artist performed. The details includes a picture of the artist and the label and time of the label's show.

The main part of the site is the Webcast section. Here you'll find a number of options to experience the sights and sounds of FanFair. You can start out viewing RealVideo backstage coverage of the Music City News Awards. Some of the shows provide still pictures of some of the backstage events; these include Curb, Mercury Nashville, Decca, Capitol Nashville and Atlantic Records. Some of the labels provide RealVideo backstage coverage and a few provide RealVideo of some or all of their onstage show. The latter included Capitol Nashville and Atlantic Records; but don't miss the Mark Chesnutt performance from the Decca show. As usual, the video is a little jerky depending on modem speed and network congestion. It's a lot better now than the day of the show when it was broadcast live!

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