“We are on a mission to make sure Saturday night is the loudest night of all of CMA Fest,” said Old Dominion lead vocalist Matthew Ramsey, as the six-time CMA vocal group of the year winners sailed through songs including “On a Boat That Day” and “One Man Band” on night three of CMA Fest on Saturday (June 8).
The country music kept flowing during day three of CMA Fest, as tens of thousands of music fans descended on Nissan Stadium, with Saturday night offering up arguably the most star-studded lineup of each of the evenings.
The roster of artists included reigning CMA entertainer of the year and newly-minted member of the Grand Ole Opry Lainey Wilson, CMA new artist of the year winner and four-time Billboard Country Airplay chart-topper Jelly Roll, as well as two-time CMA entertainer of the year Keith Urban, and “Boys Back Home” singer Dylan Marlowe. The lineup also highlighted performances from several Black country artists, including Grammy-nominated husband-and-wife duo The War and Treaty, in addition to “Buckle Bunny” hitmaker Tanner Adell and Brittney Spencer, who both saw a fresh wave of acclaim this year as contributors to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter project.
Grand Ole Opry member Terri Clark, who opened the evening, recalled first attending CMA Fest in 1987, when it was still called Fan Fair. “I can’t tell you how much it makes my heart burst seeing how much Fan Fair has grown over the years,” she said midway through a set that included hits “Better Things to Do,” “I Just Wanna Be Mad” and “I Wanna Do It All” (which segued into a version of Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do”).
Indeed, CMA Fest has seen a meteoric rise since its inaugural year in 1972, when it attracted 5,000 fans to Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium. Now, the festival dominates downtown Nashville each summer, attracting tens of thousands of fans to see performances from hundreds of country artists representing a vast sonic spectrum, and ranging from aspiring newcomers to many of the genre’s biggest artists.
Here, we look at 5 top moments from CMA Fest’s Saturday night lineup at Nissan Stadium.
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Brittney Spencer’s ‘Disco Hoedown’ Gets The Crowd on Their Feet
“Welcome to my disco hoedown,” Brittney Spencer said in introducing her performance at the front of the main stage.
Spencer, who was among those featured on Beyoncé’s cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbird” (stylized as “blackbiird”) on Cowboy Carter, released her debut album My Stupid Life earlier this year.
On Saturday night, flanked by background dancers, she offered up a soulful disco groove on album track “I Got Time.” The laid-back groove and Spencer’s flawless vocals had audience members dancing all the way in the upper reaches of the stadium.
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The War and Treaty Bring Their Standout, Mighty Country Soul
Husband and wife duo The War and Treaty — Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter — made their CMA Fest debut Saturday night on the Nissan Stadium stage, where they presented a fusion of elements of gospel, soul and country, such as the ’70s country-style “Yesterday’s Burn.”
They followed with songs such as “Steal a Kiss,” along the way expanding the canon of timeless musical duos whose music is built on passion and intimacy. Add to it their inimitable vocal power, and the sum is a musical standout. As is the case with many of their songs, their performance hinged on the life-shifting power of love.
“Thank God for dreams and visions,” Michael Trotter said. “No matter where we are from, love will always lead us back home.”
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Lainey Wilson’s Hope-Fueled Set Shows Her Entertainer’s Heart
Midway through the evening, reigning ACM and CMA entertainer of the year Lainey Wilson took the stage for a set filled with a blend of laid-back charisma and energetic entertainment. Wilson welcomed Terri Clark back to the stage for “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me,” but also offered up plenty of her own hits, including “Heart Like a Truck,” “Hang Tight Honey,” “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” and “Watermelon Moonshine.”
One of the most engaging moments came when the Louisiana native told the crowd she’s been coming to CMA Fest every year since she was 14. “I think I’ve sat in every seat in the stadium,” she joked, before offering advice to any dreamers in the audience.
“You dream big, sister, and don’t let anybody tell you no. If they do, that oughta make you want it that much more,” Wilson said.
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Keith Urban Teams With Lainey Wilson, Gets Up Close With Crowd
“I’m waiting on the sun to go down,” Keith Urban sang repeatedly during “Long Hot Summer,” which instantly became an early anthem for Saturday evening at Nissan Stadium.
Ever willing to take his performance above and beyond, Urban did something he’s often done at his headlining arena shows, making his way past the front perimeter of the audience and wading into the crowd as fans pressed in around him. At one point, he borrowed one concertgoer’s white hat, wearing it as he continued with his performance.
He offered up several hits, like “Better Life,” as well as a slate of new music, including “Messed Up as Me.” He also welcomed reigning CMA entertainer of the year Lainey Wilson to perform a hearty, well-blended vocal collaboration on “Go Home W U.”
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Jelly Roll Has a Triumphant, Hometown Stadium-Headlining Moment
Right next to Nissan Stadium in Nashville — just across the parking lot — is the Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center, where Antioch, Tennessee, native Jelly Roll spent years incarcerated as a teen. His underdog story has brought him from a jail cell to center stage at Nissan Stadium, headlining CMA Fest’s Saturday night show.
The crowd was already cheering before the hometown hero took the stage, and he rewarded their applause by performing “The Lost.” Pausing to take in the triumphant, full-circle moment, Jelly Roll — and many in the audience — were soon in tears. But those tears didn’t last long before turning into a joyous celebration.
“I am from Nashville, Tennessee!” he shouted to the crowd, which roared back with equal enthusiasm. “My father brought me here 23 years ago when the Tennessee Titans first came to town — this is a dream come true… playing to a sold-out Nissan Stadium crowd… and I’m getting to perform the No. 1 on country radio right this moment,” he said, before launching into his current (and fourth) Billboard Country Airplay No. 1, “Halfway to Hell.” The performance was heightened by Keith Urban playing guitar during the performance.
One year ago, he got a taste of headlining at the stadium when he performed on the platform stage at CMA Fest, but on Saturday night, he fully made that dream come true. He dedicated his set to the teens that are currently in the juvenile center.
“I know they can hear us because I was one of them, one time. I was in and out of jail and in and out of drug addiction, and tonight I am headlining CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium,” he said. Launching into “Son of a Sinner,” with lights aglow all around the stadium, he said, “I’m here to tell you you can do whatever you want in life, I don’t give a f— what anybody says,” before praising country music as “the genre that saved my life.”
Jelly Roll’s shows have become part concert, part therapy session, part spiritual revival for those who identify as an outcast, feel misunderstood, are struggling with addiction, or are simply working through any personal struggles — and his CMA Fest set was no exception.
“This is a come one, come all kind of crew,’ he said. He later added, “I am here to represent the lost and the broken,” before performing his new song “I Am Not Ok.”
Prior to making country music, Jelly Roll was primarily known as a rapper, and he passionately and effortlessly sailed through a medley of rap classics, including Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” and Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson,” before performing his own collaboration “Wild Ones” (sans Jessie Murph). The crowd’s reaction was so fervent that the singer-songwriter collapsed onto a riser on the stage, laughing in amazement. Later on, wife Bunnie XO made a brief appearance and shared a kiss with Jelly Roll.
From there, he offered up his four-week No. 1 Country Airplay hit “Need a Favor,” with the audience waving hands high in the air. He then followed up with his two-week No. 1 “Save Me,” welcoming labelmate Lainey Wilson back to the festival stage with a hug. Jelly Roll then returned solo to center stage, waving his hat to the crowd and thanking the audience for their part in his triumph story.