Reba and her husband Narvel Blackstock recently took time out from working on Reba’s sitcom Malibu Country to enjoy aa weekend getaway in Las Vegas.  The trip included seeing Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s Soul 2 Soul concert at The Venetian.  Reba and Narvel even spent a few moments with Tim and Faith before the show.

Reba describes the concert as an “hour and a half show packed full of great singing, wonderful heartfelt songs, with a super band and a stage chocked full of eye candy lighting and scenery!!!!”

She adds at Reba.com, “It’s a great show and they are SO cute together!!!”

Reba and Narvel also spent time playing blackjack and the roulette wheel at The Wynn and MGM Grand and eating at the restaurants Cut at the Venetian and a local favorite, Lotus of Siam.

Though she’s not hosting the show this year, Reba plans to return to Las Vegas for the ACM Awards on April 7.

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George Strait sold more than 77,000 tickets in two minutes when tickets went on sale for his March 17 show at Houston’s Reliant Stadium. The concert is part of George’s final trek, The Cowboy Rides Away tour, and also the closing night of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

The Rodeo’s vice president, Leroy Shafer, tells Billboard, “I have been involved with marketing rodeo and concerts here since 1973 and this is the hottest show we have put on sale in those 40 years. This is going to shatter all Reliant Stadium attendance records.”

The March 17 show will mark George’s 29th appearance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The Cowboy Rides Away tour continues Friday in Salt Lake City, Utah, with special guest Martina McBride opening all dates.

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Congratulations to newly engaged couple Brantley Gilbert and Jana Kramer.  According to People, Brantley popped the question to Jana Sunday on the stage at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, which he had rented out for the day.  Sunday was also Brantley’s 28th birthday.

The couple says in a statement to People, “We could not be happier.  We are so excited to share this special time with our loved ones and cannot wait to start the rest of our lives together. ”

The couple has been dating about a year, and Jana admits she was surprised by the proposal.

She says, “He asked my mom for permission before he proposed, which meant a lot to me.”

Brantley and Jana have been sharing a home in Nashville.

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Jason Aldean‘s March 2 show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden sold out in just 10 minutes when tickets went on sale Friday morning. The concert is part of Jason’s Night Train tour, which also includes sold-out stops at the University of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium, a two-night run at Boston’s Fenway Park and Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

Jason thinks this sellout at Madison Square Garden proves just how popular country music is in the Big Apple. He says, “I am blown away that my show sold out that quickly…it makes me even more excited to hit rehearsals this month and get the Night Train tour on the road.  I can’t wait to see you, New York!” 

Also, Jason’s single, “Take a Little Ride,” has been certified platinum for one million paid downloads. It was the lead single from his latest platinum album, Night Train. Jason is currently climbing the country chart with “The Only Way I Know,” featuring Luke Bryan and Eric Church.

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The Academy of Country Music is holding a two-day ticketed music festival in Las Vegas in the days leading up to the ACM Awards in April. The ACM Experience is set for April 5 and 6 at the Orleans Arena with Dierks Bentley, The Band Perry, Eli Young Band and Kix Brooks on the bill. Florida Georgia Line, Justin Moore and Hunter Hayes are also performing, and more stars will be added soon.

Tickets for the ACM Experience are available at OrleansCasino.com. The 48th Annual ACM Awards will be handed out live on CBS Sunday, April 7 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

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George Strait launched his The Cowboy Rides Away tour in Lubbock, Texas, Friday with a nearly 100 minute set. The first song performed to kick off his farewell tour was the 2011 hit “Here for a Good Time,” and George kept the party going with hits, including “Ocean Front Property,” “Check Yes or No,” “How ‘Bout Them Cowgirls” and “Marina Del Rey.”

Halfway through his set, George welcomed U.S. Marine Corps E-3/Lance Corporal Christopher Allen onstage to present him with the key to a one-story home in Bakersfield, California, through the Military Warriors Support Foundation’s Home 4 Wounded Heroes program.  George got involved in the program through his friend Lieutenant General Leroy Sisco. George will present 20 more mortgage-free homes to deserving military heroes at his upcoming shows.

Martina McBride also delivered a hits-filled opening set on Friday night, including “Anyway,” “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” “My Baby Loves Me” and “A Broken Wing.” She’s opening all dates on George’s The Cowboy Rides Away tour, which continues Friday in Salt Lake City, UT.

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Little Big Town‘s Kimberly Schlapman and her husband Stephen have launched The Dogwood Project to honor the memory of Stephen’s late brother, Allen Schlapman. Allen was killed by a drunk driver last Thanksgiving while visiting Kimberly and Stephen in Nashville, leaving behind a wife and children.

The Dogwood Project seeks to help children who have lost a close relative by giving them a dogwood tree or perennial flower arrangement to plant in honor of their loved one. The project will also help the children’s caregiver find a grief counselor.

For more information, go to TheDogwoodProject.org.

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Scotty McCreery is heading out on his first headlining tour February 14 in Bethlehem, PA.  It’s called the Weekend Roadtrip Tour 2013, and the shows are all happening on the weekend due to Scotty’s college class schedule at North Carolina State University.  Newcomer Sarah Darling will be coming along as the opening act.

“I’ve  been lucky enough to play a lot of great cities over the last year with Brad Paisley and some other great country artists,” Scotty says.  “This time I get to play some new places with a show that’s all my own.  I can’t wait for my fans to see what we’ve lined up for them.”

Scotty has announced 16 dates so far, and more shows will be added in the coming weeks.  Fans attending the show will get to hear a few new songs from Scotty’s sophomore album, due out later this year.

Here are the dates announced so far:

2/14 — Bethlehem, PA, Sands Bethlehem Event Center
2/15 — Niagara Falls, NY, Rapids Theatre
2/16 — Atlantic City, NJ, Golden Nugget
2/21 — Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE
2/22 — Dover, DE, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino
2/23 — Charleston, WV, Clay Center for the Arts
3/8 — Plant City, FL, Florida Strawberry Festival
3/9 — Kansas City, MO, Uptown Theatre
3/28 — Aurora, IL, Paramount Theatre
4/18 — Albany, NY, The Palace Theatre
4/19 — Wallingford, Ct, Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre
4/20 — Wilkes-Barre, PA, F.M. Kirby Center
4/26 – Robinsville, MS, Horseshoe Casino
5/10 — Lancaster, PA, American Theatre
5/11 — Hampton, NH, Casino Ballroom
5/12 — Morristown, NJ, Mayo Performing Arts Center

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George Strait‘s appropriately launching his final tour Friday night in his home state of Texas. The Cowboy Rides Away tour gets underway in Lubbock, and it’s just one of the cities George hand selected for this last trek.

He says, “We’re trying to go to cities that we’ve been going to for a long, long time so we’re able to make one final appearance there during a tour.”

George is pretty sure he’s making the right decision to say goodbye to life on the road once this tour ends in 2014. He’s doing these final shows to honor the fans who have supported him since his 1981 debut on the country charts.

“I just hope they understand that it’s inevitable that it’s gonna happen at some point,” George says of leaving the road. “I kinda want to be able to pick the time instead of it come along when I’m the only one that shows up out there.”

George’s fans can expect him to dig deep into his catalog while making the set list for this tour. They can also look forward to an opening set from Martina McBride, who will be on all dates of The Cowboy Rides Away tour.

Says George, “She’s just incredible. An incredible singer, and a great person. We have a lot of fun out there with her. We were out with her last year, and we’re gonna go out with her again this year. And so, we’re happy about that.”

Check out GeorgeStrait.com for a full list of tour dates.

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Miranda Lambert first approached Dierks Bentley about hitting the road on the Locked & Reloaded tour in — where else? — a bar.  The two were having a few drinks in Las Vegas when Miranda suggested they revisit their 2006 tour together, which was called Locked & Loaded.  Back then, Miranda was Dierks’ opening act, but this time around they’ll both play full sets before joining each other for collaborations at the end of the night.

Dierks says of their collaborations, “We’re gonna do some country stuff.  Some unexpected stuff.  Some rock stuff, but it’s just gonna be a combination of different things.”  He adds, “We really want to do some things that the fans would expect, but also some things they might not expect to hear.”

Dierks also promises his fans more bells and whistles on stage than he’s ever had before.  He has a brand-new set and more video content than he’s ever had in his shows up to this point.

Speaking about his thought process going into this tour, Dierks says, “Let’s pretend this is the last tour we’re ever gonna do.  What would we do?  Well, we’d have a killer set that we can climb around on and shoot lights through and make it something really exciting and new for us and for our fans.”

Dierks and his band and crew are also looking forward to getting in the groove of a structured tour again.  Last year, Dierks played a lot of different types of shows in the U.S. and abroad, and he’s looking forward to consistency with this new trek.

He says, “It’s just really fun to be on, like, a consistent kind of deal every night and really be able to put forth the kind of show that we sit on the bus talking about until 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning.”

For a complete list of Locked & Reloaded tour dates go to Dierks.com or MirandaLambert.com.

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