Garth Brooks Makes Surprise Appearance at Night One of CMA Fest 2017

CMA Fest returned to Nashville on Thursday (June 8) and the annual festival had no shortage of surprises at its nightly concert at Nissan Stadium that evening. The four days of fan appreciation kicked off with a stacked stadium roster with Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, Cole Swindell, Brett Eldredge and Kenny Rogers set to take the main stage. Shortly after 9 p.m., however, an unannounced country superstar appeared and the nearly 60,000 in attendance erupted and leapt to their feet.

Dressed in a pink button down, jeans and a ball cap, Garth Brooks ran out on stage with his guitar in hand. Understandably, the first chord of “The Thunder Rolls” garnered screams from the crowd. “Sing it loud,” he advised when he got to the chorus and fans more than obliged.

He then segued into the upbeat “Callin’ Baton Rouge” and fan favorite “The River.” The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year proved exactly why he received the coveted award as he ran around the stage, frequently shaking fans’ hands and pausing to take selfies. Throughout his 15-minute surprise set he performed hit after hit, including “That Summer,” “The Dance” and “Friends In Low Places,” as well as new single “Ask Me How I Know,” no doubt making Thursday a night to remember for those in attendance.

Cole Swindell and Lauren Alaina; Photo by Katie Kauss/Sounds Like Nashville

Brooks wasn’t the only surprise of the evening, though. Lauren Alaina graced the stage during Cole Swindell’s set for a powerful performance of “Middle of a Memory.” A No. 1 hit for Swindell, he prefaced the song by telling the audience that it is one of his favorite songs he’s ever written. “I think tonight we’re in the middle of a memory,” he said. Moments later, Alaina would join him for the second verse of the song and as her voice soared with him throughout the remainder of the ballad, even Swindell was in awe. “Wow. I have chills! My Georgia buddy, give it up,” he said at the song’s close.

Earlier in the evening Linda Davis joined Kenny Rogers for a striking duet with “We’ve Got Tonight.” Singing arm in arm, the old friends were at ease on stage beside each other. The mother of Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott, Davis told the audience that Rogers was the first person who believed in her daughter’s band long before anyone knew who they were as he took them on tour with him.

The surprises didn’t end there, though. While Swindell played his own set earlier in the night, he revisited the stage during Bentley’s performance for their collaboration, “Flatliner.” Before he took the stage, Bentley raved about his friend, who he called one of his favorite country singers. Noting that Brooks took the stage before he was scheduled to perform, Bentley also joked that the country legend “technically opened up for me.”

Dierks Bentley; Photo by Katie Kauss/Sounds Like Nashville

“Garth Brooks opened up for me, I’m just saying. The greatest of all time, Garth Brooks,” Bentley marveled. “That’s one of the first country concerts I saw and that he’s stayed the same is unbelievable. Also unbelievable, one of the guys I’ve been on tour with all year, one of my best friends in this town and one of favorite country singers, is here tonight. We get to sing [‘Flatliner’] every night on the road but there’s nothing like singing it back home at CMA Fest. Y’all, give it up for Cole Swindell.”

Highlights throughout the nearly five-hour concert at Nissan Stadium included Eldredge’s energetic set where he performed several of his previous hits including “Lose My Mind,” “Drunk On Your Love” and “Wanna Be That Song,” the latter of which he said he wrote for moments like CMA Fest.

“I love this job with all my heart,” he said. “I loved this job when I played across the river and there were 10 people at the stage that I was playing at and I love this job when there are 60,000 people in front of the stage. I want to thank you for supporting myself and all of the rest of us in country music. You’re the best fans in the world.”

Miranda Lambert; Photo credit: CMA/Dusty Draper

Lambert, also, had a memorable set. At ease and all smiles during her performance, the singer powered through her catalogue with fiery opener “Kerosene,” the folksy “Highway Vagabond” and poignant “Vice.” She would also thank fans for “supporting country music and giving us the most amazing jobs in the world.” Later, the singer showcased her swagger on the rocking “Little Red Wagon” before closing with the fierce “Mama’s Broken Heart.”

The first nightly concert of CMA Fest 2017, Thursday’s performances went into the early hours of Friday morning as Bryan took the stage at midnight. Well aware of the time, Bryan thanked concertgoers for staying up late. He also kept the party going until nearly 1 a.m. as he played a 45-minute set that had the crowd dancing and screaming along. The beat heavy “That’s My Kinda Night” saw the country star running across the stage shaking his hips much to the approval of the crowd. “We’re gonna get you dancing on Friday morning,” he said. He wasn’t lying as “I Don’t Want This Night to End” and “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” had fans at the stadium on their feet until the last note was played.

CMA Fest 2017 runs through Sunday, June 11, in Nashville.