Jodi Copus, her sister and her two grandchildren hustled to beat the crowds and stake out the right spot to spread out their blankets, as close as they could get to the looming Coca-Cola Stage floating on the river.
It was four hours before Billy Currington was supposed to take the stage and people already were trickling into Riverbend through the gate, unfolding chairs under the hot sun and settling in to watch the evening’s big act.
Waiting in the shade, Ms. Copus and her sister, Dawn McCracken, both from Lookout Mountain, Ga., giggled about how cute they thought the young country singer was.
Faith Nicole, 9, and Oscar, 10, recited the words to their favorite of Mr. Currington’s songs, “People are Crazy.”
“God is good, beer is great and people are crazy,” Faith Nicole sang. “I love that song because I always listen to it on my radio.”