Day 2 | Signing off
9.30pm: Okay folks! It’s been a ripper day here in Tamworth and as awesome as it would be to stay up late and party on with you guys, this TCMF-er needs some tucker and a caffeine-recharge.
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We’ll be back on deck, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed from 5am for all the action of Day 3!
Day 2 | The night life
9.28pm: Country Music first-timer Ella Smith was right at the back of the shoots at AELEC tonight. This is what she saw:
9.26pm: Good news! Another of our country stars has arrived in Tamworth!
9.01pm: It goes without saying. You can never have too much country music. Fact.
….. but no-one ever said a well-placed palette cleanser did any harm.
8.43pm: And Debbie and Doyle had their audience chuckling along at TRECC’s Star Room.
8.10pm:
8.00pm: The barrel races are getting underway at AELEC, but Tamworth is tuned to country music tonight. Cash Only brought down the house at the Longyard.
7.29pm: Alright! Inverell cowboy Lachlan Miller in an awesome 8-second ride.
7.27pm: Allan Powell makes it through 8 seconds with bucking bronc Big Bang. What a ride!
7.26pm: Ouch! A rough ride for Bernie McMaugh. He held his mark out for three jumps in the arena.
7.23pm: And here come the broncs. Gill Bros stock is in fine form tonight. It could be a tough night for the cowboys.
7.18pm: Alright! Michael Robinson evens the score with a brilliant 8-second ride!
7.09pm: Hang in there cowboy!
7.07pm: Ooo! There’s some mean monsters coming out of the shoots tonight! A close call for the legends of the rodeo circuit, the protection clown, as one of the bulls decides he doesn’t want to go backstage.
7.04pm: Novice bull rider Nick Primrose just claimed just over 70 points for an awesome ride.
7.02pm: Here we go with Cowboy Up! We’re three rides in. Bulls 3, Cowboys 0.
Day 2 | The evening
6.49pm: Interrupting your AELEC coverage for a moment for a special announcement from Casey Barnes.
6.46pm: Have you ever played Rodeo Bingo? There’s some tough competition to win $50 at AELEC.
6.27pm: Cowboy Up is just about to get underway. Eric Lee Beddingfield has left the stage, only a few moments to go now!
5.55pm: And back to AELEC where Eric Lee Beddingfield is rocking the house.
5.45pm: Meanwhile, in Peel Street:
5.43pm: Check it out! Our Country Music first-timer is here too meeting everyone outside. Be sure to check out Ella’s country music column in tomorrow’s NDL!
5.36pm: That’s you guys! On that screen. Is this breaking the fourth wall? Behind the scenes? Breaking the scenes? Probably breaking something. Photos coming!
5.32pm: Guess where we are now!
Day 2 | The afternoon
4.38pm: Have you run into 8Ball Aitken yet?
4.20pm: So, our Country Music insider has found the coolest show again. These photos came from Cash Only, A Johnny Cash Tribute show, at the Longyard.
4.18pm: I knew it! It’s Ziggy McNeil! You’ll remember him from TCMF 2016 when he stopped Peel Street with this moving tribute to late, great, Eagle Glenn Frey.
4.14pm: This cosmically awesome guitarist looks familiar ….
4.11pm: Here’s your chance for an early look at one of this year’s amazing Star Maker finalists.
4.00pm: Frozen fans! Be in Bicentennial Park tonight!
3.51pm: The Star Maker finalists are in town and ready to roll for tomorrow night’s big event. We can’t wait!
3.46pm: He’s come all the way from Nashville to play at Cowboy UP tonight. Take a listen to Eric Lee Beddingfield.
3.20pm: Here’s an Irish jig to lift your spirits as you get ready for a busy night at #TCMF2017.
3.00pm: Check out some of the day 2 highlights in our mega gallery here!
2.30pm: Country music fans dressed up for an intimate concert and a few drinks at Country Music Cocktails. Read more here.
2.00pm: The front deck at the Longyard Hotel is a good spot to relax and listen to the music this arvo.
1.45pm: The country queens are dancing up a storm!
1.30pm: Have you seen Adam Harvey around the Tamworth Country Music Festival yet?
1.10pm: All the way from WA! Peter Brandy performs with Kimberley Gold.
12.45pm: All the country stars and newcomers make their way to Tamworth at this time of year. Some of them are so good, we’d like to claim them as our own!
12.15pm: Which world star was asked not to play? What was it like before the booze ban? Find out here, where we look at the #TCMF2017 through four different lenses.
12.05pm: Take a look at Hayley Marsten performing at the Country Music Cocktails.
Day 2 | The morning
11.45am: The giant guitar is a great place to take a selfie, well, Fairfax journo Grace Ryan thinks so.
11.30am:
Country stars Amber Lawrence, the Davidson Brothers (Hamis and Lachlan) along with Ginger Cox and Garry Ellis were announced as the 2017 Hands of Fame Recipients.
Lawrence was overhwhelmed by the honour and spoke of her first trip to Tamworth in 2003 and it was “crazy” to think the honour would be bestowed on her 14 years later. Read more here.
11.05am: Another spectacle to check out is the Tamworth Strongman competition. It’s on until 4pm today.
11.00am: Setup is nearly complete for Country Music Cocktails!
If you head over you may even spot our country queens.
10.40am: We’ve got you covered! Watch our video live from the Hands of Fame and Broadcasters Hall of Fame inductee announcement.
10.30am: Like a beacon guiding ships to shore – Tamworth singer songwriter Ashleigh Dallas’ new album Lighthouse guides listeners into her deepest thoughts.
“It’s a happy kind of album, there were obviously a few sadder songs on there, but it’s a mixture of love, life stories and songs. It’s been a lot of fun to record and a lot of fun writing it and all the songs are great to play live as well and I can’t wait to get it out.” Read more here.
10.20am: Queensland singer and 2016 Star Maker Finalist Dana Hassall is one of the artists performing at Country Music Cocktails this morning.
10.15am: Country music staple Troy Cassar-Daley shared this fun snap from 1994.
10.00am:
It’s time for Karin Page to hand over her Toyota Star Maker crown. The grand final of the competition will be held tomorrow night at Toyota Park. We caught up with Karin to find out what the last year has been like for her. See the full story here.
9.45am: It’s not called Australian Country Music for Nothing – join some patriotic musicians at a concert at the Tamworth Town Hall today from 7pm. Full details are here.
9.30am: In other news and over to politics – the Nationals have denied there is a rift in the ranks of the Coalition after they distanced themselves from the controversial forced council amalgamations agenda.
9.15am: What’s a queen without a sash and a cowboy hat to match? – Our Queen of Country Music constestants were officially sashed ahead of a week of competition which at the end will see one crowd Festival royalty.
9.00am: Your latest headlines have arrived.
8.45am: The State Emergency Service received 89 calls for assistance last night as storms lashed the region. Tamworth remained relatively damage free but Gunnedah and Guyra were the worst hit. We have an update on the situation from officials. Check it out here.
8.30am: Brekky, check, coffee – check! – What’s next? It’s time to plan your day. It’s Day 2 and there’s plenty happening across Tamworth this morning. We’ve made it easy for you to decid. Scroll through our guide here and plan your day.
8.15am:
Meet the Germein Sisters – The Corrs and Ronan Keating think they’re pretty cool, and so do we!
8.00am: It rained and stormed in Tamworth, but other parts of our region were hit by fierce storms too. Here’s what it looked like from the outside.
7.45am: Buskers and boots galore, and more – here’s what Day One of the festival looked like through the eyes of Ella Smith, our roving reporter and festival columnist.
7.30am: Merry Christmas! – or at least Beccy Cole thinks it’s Christmas for Country Music Fans. Here’s what she had to say to us about tonight’s gig.
7.15am: How about that opening concert? Rain did not deter thousands of festival goers in celebrating the official opening of our big event. If you missed out – you’re in luck, we’ve got a recap for you here.
It’s country music time!
It’s Day 2 of Tamworth Country Music Festival 2017! There’s so much in store today to check out. Don’t miss tonight’s Family Support concert in Bicentennial Park!
Keep up with rolling updates of the latest Festival news, gig times and all the stuff you just can’t miss!
What’s making headlines
They’re getting married!
Newcastle country music star Morgan Evans has announced his engagement to rising American country music star Kelsea Ballerini on Christmas Day.
Ballerini spilled all of the details about the romantic proposal by Evans on her Instagram account. Want to know more?
The three things you need to see today:
Weather report
Did you know: If the last 25 years have been anything to go by, it’s likely today is going to be one of the hottest of the festival.
What to expect today
On this day in country music …
1970: Special guests on this week's Johnny Cash ABC television music variety show included, Arlo Guthrie, Jose Feliciano (who performed a duet with Cash on "I Guess Things Happen That Way"), and Bobbie Gentry who performed “Fancy (Don't Let Me Down)” and a duet with Cash on "On The Banks Of The Old Pontchartrain.
2012: Lady Antebellum were at #1 on the US County chart with Own the Night which won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album at the 54th Grammy Awards. Four singles were released from Own the Night, "Just a Kiss", "We Owned the Night", "Dancin' Away with My Heart" and "Wanted You More".