The week leading up to 8 Man Jam is probably the busiest and most stressful time here at Y100. Imagine being the person that is responsible for finding the artists to play 8 Man Jam and the night before the show you get a phone call from Michael Ray that he can’t make it because he is extremely sick. How do you think you would feel? Well, let me tell you how it feels. It feels like the world is falling down on your head. You start scrambling calling every person you know in country music to see if their artist is close by or is willing to hop on a plane and fill in. Once the panic starts to subside you look at your lineup and say to yourself, “Christi you’re fine. You still have 7 amazing acts taking the stage tomorrow. Don’t panic.”

Then the world decides to beat you over the head a little harder. You get a text from Lainey Wilson that she has tried everything she absolutely could to make her voice come back and nothing has worked. She’s not going to be able to perform. Surely not. Surely this is a joke. Your phone immediately rings and it’s Lainey’s record label, absolute total depression then sets in because you know it’s not a joke. Lainey isn’t coming.

((Insert Christi’s absolute freak out meltdown moment here))

I am really happy my husband did not think to film that moment.

So now what?! Being one down is ok, but being 2 down, not ok. I had already started trying to fill Michael Ray’s spot and was getting no’s right and left because people were just simply too far away to make it to San Antonio by show time. Except for one. I thought maybe, just maybe, George Birge was visiting family in Austin and could drive over for the show. He wasn’t visiting family in Austin but he had just landed in Nashville, and said “I can get on a plane right now. I’m headed that way!” I was so grateful. I had known George for awhile and was so glad that he was going to join us to help us out. Like for real had tears of joy.

The best part of the whole thing was walking through the lobby with George at one point and a lady came walking up and telling him how long she had been a fan of his. She was so excited that he was there. That moment made her night, and honestly mine too. Now George’s current single “Mind On You” is headed towards the Top 10 and you can hear it regularly on Y100. All because a few people got sick.

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George Birge - 8 Man Jam 2022