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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Nashville. Written by Nate Rau and Adam Tamburin.

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CMA Fest launched as a way for country music fans to meet their favorite stars, but it has evolved into a downtown tourism colossus.

From its humble beginnings at the fairgrounds as Fan Fair to its current iteration as a massive concert spectacular at Nissan Stadium, we're looking back at CMA Fest through the years.

Billy Ray Cyrus sweats onstage in 1992. Photo: Laura Levine/Corbis via Getty Images

Brad Paisley shreds on guitar in 2002. Photo: Rusty Russell/Getty Images

Garth Brooks and George Jones backstage in 1991. Photo: Beth Gwinn/Getty Images

Martina McBride in 2002. Photo: Rusty Russell/Getty Images

Ascending singer-songwriter Taylor Swift in 2007. Photo: Rusty Russell/Getty Images

Tell us: Email nashville@axios.com to let us know your favorite CMA Fest memories. Or do you celebrate each year by avoiding the festival altogether?

💭 Adam's thought bubble: Growing up in Nashville, I was always excited by the events going on at the fringes of the festival. Attending Trisha Yearwood's 2006 fan club party was a teenage dream come true.

WPLN's Jewly Hight wrote a fascinating story about the legacy of fan club parties at CMA Fest, which offered face time with the biggest stars of the day.

A look at country stars at CMA Fests from the past

Tanya Tucker, Taylor Swift and Brad Paisley are among the artists who have played CMA Fest.

Tanya Tucker performs at Fan Fair in 1987. Photo: Beth Gwinn/Getty Images

CMA Fest launched as a way for country music fans to meet their favorite stars, but it has evolved into a downtown tourism colossus.<ul><li>From its humble beginnings at the fairgrounds as Fan Fair to its current iteration as a massive concert spectacular at Nissan Stadium, we&#x27;re looking back at CMA Fest through the years.</li></ul>

Music

As a rule, Axios Nashville takes great care not to begin stories by asking a question, but we've disregarded that policy for this story.

What's happening: In a sideline interview during Tuesday's playoff game against the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori made a Nashville reference that has us truly stumped.

What they're saying: "The big key for us is the start of this second quarter ... starting these second quarters we had that Nashville glaze look in our face and now we make sure we come out and throw the first punch," Nori said.

The reference threw off the TNT broadcast team as well. Commentator Reggie Miller asked his broadcast partners if they knew what Nori meant.

Miller: "Do you know what the 'Nashville glaze' is?"

Miller: "Kev, you've been down there a lot. What does the 'Nashville glaze' look like?" 

Kevin Harlan: [long pause] "I don't know."

📬 Adam and Nate think "Nashville glaze" is either a reference to hot chicken or drunken tourists, but we want to hear from you. Email nashville@axios.com with your expert opinions about what the heck Nori was talking about.

Investigating "the Nashville glaze"

Animated illustration of a pattern of Axios logos changing into blue word balloons with black question marks in them.

What is &quot;that Nashville glaze look&quot;?As a rule, Axios Nashville takes great care not to begin stories by asking a question, but we&#x27;ve disregarded that policy for this story.

Sports

Abortions in Tennessee are now outlawed starting at about six weeks into a pregnancy.

A federal appeals court allowed the six-week ban to go into effect following the ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court last week that overturned Roe v. Wade.

Flashback: Lawmakers initially passed the six-week ban in 2020, but it was held back by a preliminary injunction while a legal challenge was underway.

Driving the news: The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday vacated the injunction, allowing the law to take effect.

State of play: Tennessee already had a "trigger law" designed to bar abortions in almost all cases if Roe v. Wade was overturned. But that law includes a 30-day waiting period that will start after the Supreme Court's official judgement, which should happen by mid-July, before the ban goes into effect.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery acted quickly to restrict abortions in the meantime.

His office filed an emergency motion Friday urging the federal appeals court to allow the 2020 law to take effect immediately, based on the new Supreme Court ruling.

Abortion providers acknowledged the Supreme Court ruling had changed the legal landscape and did not fight lifting the injunction.

Between the lines: The 2020 law makes it a crime to perform an abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually six weeks into gestation.

It will be superseded by the stricter trigger ban. But it effectively ends legal abortion access in Tennessee in most cases.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that the trigger law will take effect 30 days after the U.S. Supreme Court issues its judgment on Dobbs, which should occur by next month. Tennessee Attorney General Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III's office originally indicated in a filing that the law would take effect 30 days from last Friday, June 24.

Tennessee's six-week ban goes into effect

A federal appeals court allowed the six-week ban to go into effect.

Illustration of roman style columns falling like dominos 

Abortion

Abortions in Tennessee are now outlawed starting at about six weeks into a pregnancy.<ul><li>A federal appeals court allowed the six-week ban to go into effect following the ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court last week that <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="overturned Roe v. Wade" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/24/roe-wade-decision-abortion" data-vars-content-id="3b25a263-2daa-44ab-b258-7013941f490c" data-vars-headline="Tennessee&#x27;s six-week ban goes into effect" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/24/roe-wade-decision-abortion" target="_self">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>.</li></ul>

Axios Nashville

Featured stories

A look at country stars at CMA Fests from the past

Investigating "the Nashville glaze"

Tennessee's six-week ban goes into effect