We know Santa Claus is coming on Christmas Eve, the Bunny will bring baskets Easter morning – and just as surely, Luke Bryan will close CMA Fest.
Bryan capped Nashville’s four-day country music festival with his hat flipped backward, singing well after midnight and shaking his hips to his hits from all corners of the stage, much to the delight of cheering fans.
In addition to Bryan, Sunday night’s line-up included Rodney Atkins, Zach Top, Avery Anna, Kashus Culpepper, Ashley McBryde, Bailey Zimmerman, Tucker Wetmore, Dylan Scott, and Dierks Bentley.
Here are a few of the things you missed at CMA Fest:
Videos by American Songwriter
Rodney Atkins
Atkins, who has been making country music hits for decades, brought his son on stage at the beginning of the night to join him on the song about him. “Watching You,” a 2006 hit, is about how Atkins’ actions influenced his young son, for better or worse. Elijah is now 22, and the Atkins men have recently released a version of the song featuring Elijah’s voice titled “Watching You 2.0.
Bailey Zimmerman
While Atkins created a sentimental moment collaborating with his son, Zimmerman flung himself into a different vibe with BigXThaPlug.
BigXThaPlug is a Texas-based rapper. He and Zimmerman collaborated on the hit “All the Way,” which they brought to life on Nissan Stadium’s stage Sunday night.
Dierks Bentley
Bentley is one of country music’s contemporary statesmen. Able to lean into ultra-modern, humor, storytelling, bluegrass, ‘90s, or straight-down-the-middle radio country, Bentley is a unifier, supporter, and family man who has been making some of country music’s most singable favorites for more than 20 years.
The first time Bentley had collected enough hits to play CMA Fest without having to include his breakthrough hit, “What Was I Thinking,” it felt like a triumph. When he launched into it Sunday night, the moment felt like a celebration as thousands of fans sang about the “little white tank top.”
He opened with hits “Burning Man,” “Gone,” and “Free and Easy” before calling for Top to return to the stage. The men dueted on Alabama’s “Mountain Music.” Much of the crowd wasn’t alive when Alabama released the song in the early ‘80s, but they sang along to every word.
“That’s the future of country music, right there, Zach Top,” Bentley told fans as he encouraged them to go see Top play when he rolled through their town.
Bentley closed his set with perennial favorite “Drunk on a Plane.”
Luke Bryan
Many times at CMA Fest, sets are short and don’t give the impression of an entire show. Bryan worked in the timeframe he was given to take fans on a sonic journey that started with many of his early hits, spanning all the way to the present day. He even worked in a sexy piano ballad.
Bryan cranked the energy to 10, all but demanding people leap out of their seats with his sing-along smash, “I Don’t Want This Night to End.”
The band kicked off the next song, “Kick the Dust Up,” with a wicked banjo intro, ensuring fans kept dancing. Looking trim and full of energy, Bryan moved into the country lifestyle part of his set with “What Makes You Country” and “Huntin’, Fishin’, and Lovin’ Everyday.” He slid into some nostalgic love songs with “Love You, Miss You, Mean It” and “Country Song Came On.” The show took a sexy turn when Bryan sat down at the grand piano to play “Strip It Down,” and then he kept the mood going with “Knockin’ Boots.” The crowd exploded for the light-hearted up-tempo, and Bryan hung over the rails on the side of the stage to work them up even more.
He closed with “That’s My Kind of Night” and “Country Girl (Shake It For Me),” which fans had been calling for since he walked on stage. Bryan pulled a couple of people onstage to dance—and even slid into a chorus of “Brick House” before ending the set.
Thousands of people crowded through Nashville’s pedestrian bridge well after midnight to make their way back to their cars, with sunburns, selfies, and four days of memories to hold them over until next year’s festival.
Be sure to tune in to CMAfest presented by @SoFi on Thursday, June 26 at 8/7c on ABC to relive your favorite performances!
(Photo by Christopher Victorio/Shutterstock)
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