Surprises Rule Night One of CMA Fest Nightly Concerts
The 2016 CMA Fest Nightly Concert at Nashville's Nissan Stadium on Thursday (June 9) kicked off with a bang and numerous surprises!
The 2016 CMA Fest Nightly Concert at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on Thursday (June 9) kicked off with a bang, both figuratively and literally as a fireworks display closed Jason Aldean’s high energy, guitar driven 30-minute set. The four-and-a-half hour show included superstar surprises like Lady Antebellum and Cam’s spell-bounding duet of Cam’s first No. 1, “Burning House,” and Lady A’s timeless “Need You Now,” Maren Morris’ ethereal “My Church” with Rascal Flatts and Dierks Bentley’s “new best friend” Elle King on the sultry, banjo led “Different For Girls.”
The biggest surprise, though, was country legend Randy Travis, who Charlie Daniels introduced during his set early in the evening. Daniels and Travis are the newest inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame and both hail from North Carolina. Daniels called his induction “one of the greatest moments of my life” before he invited Travis to the stage.
“When the history of country music is written, he should have his own chapter,” Daniels said of Travis, who was escorted by his wife and waved to the audience as they erupted with cheers.
The Charlie Daniels Band then closed their memorable set with fan favorite and 1979 hit “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” before sharing their appreciation with the audience. “Thank you, we love you. God bless you!” Daniels said.
Throughout the evening, several artists shared admiration for their fans, including Kelsea Ballerini and Miranda Lambert, who both recalled being fans of the festival themselves having previously sat in the nosebleed seats for a chance to see their favorite country artists live.
“It’s my first time to play in this stadium and you guys have to promise me that you’ll sing, dance, scream and be as loud and crazy as possible,” Ballerini said. “Three years ago I sat in that section up there and I always wondered what it’d be like to be on this stage.”
Ballerini’s set included her two No. 1 singles, “Love Me Like You Mean It” and “Dibs” as well as the Taylor Swift approved “Yeah Boy.” As the crowd of nearly 50,000 country fans waved their phones in the air for the heartfelt “Peter Pan,” Ballerini put her hands on her heart and shook her head in disbelief.
“That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” she said.
Dierks Bentley also shared his gratitude for country fans throughout his hit-driven performance, likening playing the fan focused festival to Thanksgiving.
“This week means so much to us as country singers,” he said halfway through his animated set, which had him bouncing around from the main stage to a smaller setup on the floor and frequently running through the crowd to shake fans’ hands. It was on this small stage that he played “Freedom,” a song he dedicated to “all of our military families,” and his new single “Different For Girls,” featuring Elle King.
“I want to introduce you to my new best friend. She can drink like Blake Shelton and can play the banjo like Earle Scruggs,” he said.
Lambert, meanwhile, brought her sass and talents to her 30-minute set. The fiery “Fastest Girl In Town” began her high energy performance, which also included previous hits “Baggage Claim,” “Mama’s Broken Heart,” “Little Red Wagon” and “Gunpowder and Lead.” Like Ballerini, she attended CMA Fest as a fan before she took the stage as an artist.
“I want to say thank you so much about making this a family. We appreciate you so much. We celebrate the fans tonight,” she said. “This is my tenth year as an artist and fifteenth as an artist or fan. As long as y’all are willing to come out here and support us, we’re willing to keep playing for you.”
Rascal Flatts followed suit and played hit after hit including the fitting opener, “Summer Nights” and “I Like the Sound of That” before Maren Morris took the stage for a soulful duet of her latest single, “My Church.”
“Let’s see if y’all remember this one,” Gary LeVox said before launching into the band’s 2006 hit “What Hurts the Most.” By the screams of the audience, the answer was a resounding yes.
Aldean closed the show, but not before the night’s final surprise: Lady Antebellum and Cam. Much to the enjoyment of the audience, Cam performed “Burning House” with the help of Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley on vocals and Dave Haywood on guitar.
“Lady Antebellum is on the stage with me!” Cam gushed as the song ended.
But that wasn’t the only song the country singers had in mind.
“If you don’t mind, can we give you one more song while Jason is still getting ready?” Kelley asked the audience, who roared in approval.
The four artists than supplied spot-on harmonies for Lady A’s global hit, “Need You Now,” captivating country fans at Nissan Stadium who watched in silence before Aldean took the stage to close the country party.
“Let’s go for a ride, Nashville,” Aldean said, prefacing “Take a Little Ride.” “I know it’s a little late, but sometimes the party is just getting started at midnight. This is the highlight of our week.”
Playing his catalogue of hits including “Sippin’ On Fire,” “She’s Country,” “Dirt Road Anthem” and “My Kinda Party,” Aldean explained his brand of country music to the crowd.
“I’m as big a country fan as anybody, but I like a little rock and roll. Is it okay if we put a little rock and roll in it?” he asked the audience.
As they screamed along to every song, it was evident that a little rock and roll was more than all right with them. Aldean closed down the concert shortly after midnight while fans wondered what surprises are in store for night two.
