A little into his set at Nashville's Nissan Stadium on Friday night (June 7), two-time CMA Award winner Cody Johnson challenged the crowd with a simple question: “Are you ready for some country music tonight?”
For more than three hours, around 70,000 fans filling the stadium answered that question with a resounding “Yes”. As the four-day CMA Fest country extravaganza hits its halfway mark, Friday night's lineup at Nissan Stadium offered a triple take on Texas country, thanks to a lineup that included Johnson, Parker McCollum and Jon Pardi.
Female artists also made a strong showing on Friday night, with the lineup featuring the “Redneck Woman” herself, Gretchen Wilson, as well as “Austin” hitmaker Dasha, singer-songwriter K. Michelle's entertaining backdrop at platform stage and Kelsea Ballerini. who just announced the addition of the coaching gig The voice.
In the process of the lineup of artists taking the stage, the second night at Nissan Stadium showcased country music's continued economic power and international appeal, with die-hard country music fans in attendance from all 50 states and several countries. The second night also underscored the power of songs that transcend the core of deep emotion — be it heartbreak, regret, love or celebration — to fuel careers that connect with headliners.
Throughout the evening, the songs pouring out of the two stages highlighted enduring country classics, some of the biggest hits of the moment, ready for parties and moments of self-reflection and frustration — with those emotions sometimes stretched into a single song .
As the clock struck midnight, two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year winner Luke Bryan kicked off his show, asking the crowd, “Are you ready to take it to the next morning?” He then went on to fill his late-night set with a string of hits he's amassed over the past decade, including “My Kind of Night” and “Huntin', Fishin' and Lovin' Everyday.” Most of the concertgoers stayed ready to continue an already long, music-filled day in downtown Nashville into the wee hours of the morning at Nissan Stadium.
Here, we look at five top moments from the second night of CMA Fest.
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Dasha Takes Nashville to “Austin”
Dasha played her first stadium gig on Friday night and made the most of it, performing a short but impressive performance of two songs on the platform stage, surrounded by audience members. He delivered the worldwide hit “Austin,” bringing a defiant, danceable groove perfect for a stadium full of boot-wearing revelers.
“I wrote this song last year and it changed my life,” Dasha said. Actually.
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Jon Pardi and Clint Black offer a snapshot of '90s country
Pardee, a Texas native, walked around the massive stage with a buzz on Friday night. He launched into hits like “Dirt on My Boots,” “Head Over Boots” and “Heartache on the Dance Floor,” bolstered by career-defying rock guitar and fiddle soundboards. Pardi's own music showcases his inspirations from the '80s and '90s, but his set took on an extra shot of bona fide '90s country when he welcomed guitarist-singer-songwriter trio to the stage threat and four-time CMA awardee, Clint Black. , sparking the crowd's excitement, which jumped another notch. Calling Black “one of my heroes,” Pardee joined Black for “Killin' Time,” with the crowd singing along as if the heartbreaking hit had been released in recent years, no more than three decades ago.
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Little Big Town brings a 'Crush' to CMA Fest
Little Big Town are celebrating 25 years as a group this year, and they made a surprise appearance on Friday night, delivering a moment of soulful suspense when they performed their hit “Girl Crush.” Flanked by her bandmates Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook and Philip Sweet, Karen Fairchild delivered an impeccably pleading lead vocal, enhanced by the group's signature swirl of tightly stacked harmonies. Although their performance at Nissan Stadium on Friday night consisted of only one song, this group always stands out.
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Kelsea Ballerini's Cathartic Songs make for a wonderful moment
Appearing on the Nissan Stadium main stage in front of a backdrop of light columns, Ballerini took fans on a trip down memory lane during the opening moments of her set with a trio of songs from her first album: “Love Me Like You Mean It “. “Dibs” and “Yeah Boy”. From there the Knoxville, Tennessee native showcased a decade of artistic growth with songs from her recent work Rolling Up the Welcome Mat.
Calling her life “unrecognizable” from what it was two years ago, she admitted she's “had some tough things to go through” but continued: “I've never been more proud to be exactly where I am.”
“We're in the acoustic penthouse,” he hinted, delivering an emotionally cathartic rendition of songs from that Grammy-nominated set, starting with breakup anthem “Penthouse.” Arriving at the opening verse 'You got half', the crowd roared with delight, as they did when he delivered verses from the 'healed version' of the song, with the women in the crowd cheering on the liberating verse 'Now I don't care where you sleep. ” He delivered a double punch of heart-wrenching songs with his blistering “Blindsided,” as the crowd poured their pain and venom into the sarcastic “Yeah, sure, OK.”
“Well, that was therapy,” he quipped.
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Cody Johnson brings Texas to Tennessee, Teams With Jelly Roll
Texas native Johnson kicked off his set with a tribute to the Lone Star State in “That's Texas,” turning Nissan Stadium into a massive honky tonk for a night. This was followed by a tribute to The Charlie Daniels Band via a rendition of “Long Haired Country Boy” (a staple of Johnson's live show), as well as renditions of his current single, the excellent ballad “Dirt Cheap” and an impressive performance. first Billboard Country Airplay No. 1, “Til You Can't”.
But one of the defining moments of Johnson's set came when he teamed up with four-time Country Airplay chart-topper Jelly Roll for the poignant ballad of regret that leads to major life changes in “Whiskey Bent.” Solid songs, plus two of country music's most expressive, unfiltered singers made for one of the most exciting moments of the night.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/lists/cma-fest-2024-friday-night-nissan-stadium-nashville/
