Country music has always had a flair for the theatrical, from performers decked out in bedazzled suits or attention-commanding gowns, to wielding glittering guitars, to the genre’s exquisitely detailed story songs. See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news So the genre’s connection to stories, live musical performances and high-flying acrobatics feels natural in the upcoming Cirque du Soleil show Songblazers: A Journey Into Country Music , which opens at Nashville’s Tennessee Performing Arts Center today (July 2). Written and directed by Amy Tinkham, Songblazers runs at the venue through July 28.
The show serves as “a love letter to country music,” Universal Music Group Nashville chair/CEO Cindy Mabe tells Billboard . The production’s story arc centers on the journey of two characters as they work to forge their own path to country music stardom. UMG Nashville presents the show with Cirque du Soleil, with much of the label’s catalog of country music providing the heart and soundtrack for the production.
Songblazers features roughly 30 songs, with snippets of some songs being used while others are showcased in full. “I am sitting on this incredible catalog and watching how the storyline unfolds through the different eras and landscapes of country music,” Mabe says. One of those decades-spanning links appears most notably through the work of UMG Nashville artist Sam Williams.
A third-generation country music performer, he is the son.
