The 51st annual CMA Fest launched on Thursday (June 6), with a cavalcade of artists performing on nearly a dozen outdoor and indoor stages in downtown Nashville. As the sun set, a swarm of festivalgoers — many sunburned and already having taken in hours of music that day — descended upon Nashville’s Nissan Stadium to see some of country music’s biggest artists of the moment perform their hits.
“Last year marked 50 years of CMA Fest, and the next 50 years start tonight,” Nashville, Tennessee mayor Freddie O’Connell told the crowd. Last year’s CMA Fest saw a reported 90,000 daily attendees from all 50 states, as well as more than 50 countries. CMA Fest also generated $74.7 million in estimated direct visitor spending, according to the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. The yearly festival serves as a massive welcome party from Nashville to country music lovers, with an estimated 61 % of last year’s CMA Fest attendees being new to the festival, according to a survey from the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp.
The artists on the main stage Thursday night highlighted a patchwork of sonic framings, beginning with featured Cowboy Carter contributor and current America’s Got Talent contestant Reyna Roberts performing the national anthem — followed by performances from Craig Morgan, Jordan Davis, Ashley McBryde, Shaboozey, Thomas Rhett and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The Nissan Stadium Platform stage featured Chapel Hart and Dylan Gossett.
Of course, it wouldn’t be CMA Fest without a few surprise guests — and the Thursday night lineup didn’t disappoint, as Post Malone made an appearance, performing with longtime country hitmaker Blake Shelton.
Here, we look at 5 top moments from CMA Fest’s Thursday night lineup:
