Blake Billman Talks Tailgate Revival’s CMA Fest Takeover

A conversation on CMA Fest, new music, and what fans can expect at the band’s Whiskey Bent takeover.

Written by Amanda Tempel

Date Published: June 3, 2026

As country music fans head to Nashville for CMA Fest, Tailgate Revival is getting ready for a free takeover at Whiskey Bent Saloon on Saturday, June 6. Known for mixing country favorites with original music and a high-energy live show, the band is bringing fans an event that includes a meet and greet, live performance, and free afterparty. Ahead of the show, lead singer Blake Billman spoke with Across The Country about the upcoming show and the band’s latest single, ‘For the Record.’”

AT: For fans seeing Tailgate Revival for the first time, what should they expect?

Blake Billman: "Live shows can get rowdy in a good way. We play lots of country music, some of our original stuff, and some rock. It's a melting pot of music.

At the end of the night, we hope people walk away saying, 'Man, those guys played a ton of stuff, and that was a blast.'

You'll find a lot of patriotism, a lot of good people, a lot of good beverages, and hopefully a lot of good music from us.”

AT: CMA Fest has become a tradition for country music fans, and that’s certainly the case with you.

Blake Billman: "My mom actually attended Fan Fair for several years, and I never went. Then one year, my late friend Marc Manfreta said, 'Hey, let's go to CMA. Let's go to Nashville.' I'd never been before, and that turned into going to CMA Fest.

I'm a little different than most artists. I've actually been attending CMA Fest as a fan. Over the past four years, we've gotten to play some shows in Nashville during CMA Fest, but as far as the tradition goes, I'm on year fourteen of attending as a fan.

It's one of my favorite weekends of the year. Four days of country music and good times.

If you've never been, I highly recommend it. Nashville is so spread out with different stages that the flow of people is constantly moving. It's a lot of people, no doubt, but don't get scared about it. It's a great time. For me, it's a weekend that's on my calendar every single year, and I'm super thrilled to be a part of it and to be playing at Whiskey Bent."

AT: Are there any CMA Fest memories that still stand out after all these years?

Blake Billman: "One particular year, the lineup of '90s country artists in the convention center and on some of the free stages was incredible. I remember one day at the convention center, it was Daryle Singletary, Aaron Tippin, the Bellamy Brothers, and Lee Roy Parnell.

Just having that back-to-back-to-back — there's not much that's going to be better than that.

Another year, there was a free stage lineup with Little Texas, Tracy Lawrence, Daryle Singletary, and Shenandoah. That is a core memory for me of CMA Fest. Stuff like that doesn't happen very often, but I have tons of memories over the years at CMA Fest and many more to come."

AT: You’ve played major festivals and opened for artists including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Riley Green, and Trace Adkins. What has the past few years been like for Tailgate Revival?

Blake Billman: "We've gotten to open up for tons of artists over the past year. We recently signed a management deal out of Nashville, Tennessee, and we're pleased to announce that we will be playing two full-band shows at MetLife Stadium for the FIFA World Cup in 2026. That's a massive highlight for us.

We've also gotten to play new markets, release new music, and meet tons of fans on the road that have become friends."

AT: You have a new single “For the Record” that was recently released – how did this song come together?

Blake Billman: "A guy I knew, Shane Lunsford, posted a little snippet of a song that he was just kind of picking around on, and I was like, ‘Do you have more of that song? Because I want to hear it.'

He said, 'No, not really, man. It's not done.'

We got on the phone and kept compiling different things into the song - some of his favorite things and some of my favorite things. It was deer hunting, going to honky-tonks, and riding side-by-sides. If it wasn't something we liked to do, we had a ton of friends that did.

We just went full circle on a song about the things that we like that exes don't like, put pen to paper, ended up recording the song, and released it. We've had a lot of great feedback on it and certainly appreciate the support.”

Tailgate Revival Takeover at CMA Fest

Tailgate Revival's CMA Fest takeover takes place Saturday, June 6, at Whiskey Bent Saloon in Nashville. Fans can meet the band from 2:00 to 2:30 p.m., catch a live performance from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., and stick around for a free Power Hour Afterparty in the VIP area beginning at 6:00 p.m. The afterparty will include a Q&A with the band, photo opportunities, merchandise, and more.

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