CMA Fest is in full swing in Nashville, Tennessee, and after a fantastic start on Thursday, last night we were back in Nissan Stadium for the second of this week's four nightly shows.
For those who don't know, every June, CMA Fest takes over Music City, drawing tens of thousands of country music fans from across the globe. Now in its 51st year, the four-day extravaganza showcases 300 acts across multiple stages – from the genre’s biggest stars to up-and-coming artists – spread across the bustling streets of downtown Nashville to historic Ryman Auditorium and the state-of-the-art Nissan Stadium. Fans can also get unparalleled access to their favourite artists through meet-and-greets, autograph signings, and intimate acoustic sets. Beyond the music, the event supports a good cause, with proceeds benefiting the CMA Foundation’s commitment to music education.
We were lucky to witness yet another star-studded lineup last night – here's what we made of the main stage performances…
Gretchen Wilson
After she popped up last night to duet with Ashley McBryde, tonight Gretchen Wilson was back to open the main stage at Nissan Stadium. Performing classics like ‘Here For The Party', ‘Redneck Woman' and ‘Work Hard Play Harder', alongside new song ‘Little Miss Runner Up', she had fantastic energy throughout and her vocals still sounded on point as they did three decades ago (yes, really). What a great way to kick off the night!
Parker McCollum
One of country music's brightest new stars, Parker McCollum was clearly.a huge draw for many of the crowd o Friday night, with songs like ‘Pretty Heart' and ‘Handle On You' getting the audience singing and dancing along. He also played a brand new song, the rock-influenced ‘Big Old Fancy House' before closing with a dramatic rendition of ‘Burn It Down'. The buzz around him indicates he's definitely one to watch and I think he'd go down well with a UK audience too.
Jon Pardi
We were wowed by Jon Pardi's performances on his recent trip to the UK, and his set at CMA Fest followed that in style. With plenty of high kicks and spinning around on the stage, leading singalongs on neo-traditional tunes like ‘Your Heart Or Mine', ‘Heartache On The Dancefloor' and ‘Night Shift' (which saw him bust out some slinky moves to the delight of a lot of the audience!), he showed why he's one of the premier entertainers of country music today. He also brought out country legend Clint Black for a performance of ‘Killing Time' before finishing with a rollicking rendition of ‘Head Over Boots'. Someone give him Entertainer of the Year already!
Kelsea Ballerini
It's clearly the year for 10th anniversary celebrations, because after Thomas Rhett last night Kelsea Ballerini also used her CMA Fest slot to celebrate the decade since she released her first single. Fans were treated to a mashup of early singles ‘Love Me Like You Mean It', ‘Yeah Boy' and ‘Dibs', as well as tracks from her recent ‘Rolling Up The Welcome Mat' EP such as ‘Mountain With A View', the sassy kiss-off ‘Blindsided' and a stunning rendition of ‘Penthouse'. That said, there was also still plenty of room for her playful side on the likes of ‘Hole In The Bottle' and finale ‘If You Go Down (I'm Going Down Too)'. Here's to the next 10 years!
Cody Johnson
One of our most highly anticipated performances of the weekend, Cody Johnson brought his brand of Texas country to the Nissan Stadium main stage. His big vocals, rocking guitars, traditional instruments and some dramatic leaps around on stage gave the crowd a huge jolt of energy, with songs like ‘That's Texas' and ‘People In The Back' getting everyone fired up! However, for me his particular shining moments came on the slower numbers, such as ‘The Painter' and ‘Dirt Cheap', before his soaring signature song ‘Til You Can't'. He had fantastic showmanship throughout, and I really hope we get to see that over in the UK sometime soon!
Luke Bryan
Closing the show last night was Luke Bryan – and he certainly ended it on a high note! Whilst there was certainly space for ballads like ‘Do I' and his first number one ‘Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye', it was mostly party time after midnight at Nissan Stadium with the likes of opener ‘That's My Kind Of Night', ‘One Margarita' and new single ‘Love You Miss You Mean It'. He also kept the crowd singing along throughout, especially on the likes of ‘Play It Again' and ‘Hunting, Fishing And Loving Every Day'. For his final song, he played ‘I Don't Want This Night To End' – and the sentiment was definitely mutual! A great set from an entertainer who's still at the top of his game and a real high to end on. (And yes, there was dad dancing to ‘Country Girl (Shake It For Me)'…)
We also saw a special guest appearance by Little Big Town to celebrate their 25th anniversary, as well as Platform Stage sets from Dasha – including her viral hit ‘Austin' – and new star Puddin (K. Michelle). They're both playing around town this weekend so make sure you catch their sets if you're free!
For more information about CMA Fest, please visit http://cmafest.com.
