Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini Preview ‘CMA Fest’ Special

Kelsea Ballerini and Thomas Rhett are taking the reigns of hosting “The Music Event of the Summer” and feel honored to earn the huge responsibility of entertaining all the viewers at home.

Giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into the hosting process during one of the biggest country music festivals of the year, Ballerini and Rhett do double duty as both performers and emcees for the evening. Not letting anything get in the way of their typically busy schedules, both Ballerini and Rhett dedicated themselves to their new roles commanding the stadium stage in Nashville.

“A huge difference from last year…me and Brett [Eldredge] has shows also seated in kinda with this thing. Me and Kelsea, we’re here every night and rocking it live. So it’s gonna be a little different than last year. I think it’s going to be really cool,” Rhett said in a new video clip about CMA Fest.

Making the experience even more meaningful for the pair, Ballerini and Rhett used to sit out in the crowd as fans themselves. In a whirlwind 180⁰ twist on their lives, they now captivated the Music City masses throughout the four-day festival and captured the surreal emotions behind it all.

“The coolest thing about this is me and Thomas both came to CMA Fest as fans and we’ve both remembered where we sat in this stadium as fans. So I think it gives both of us a bigger appreciation for being able to sing our songs that have been on the radio now on that stage for all these people, because we were one of these people,” Ballerini explained of the opportunity.

The 2017 CMA Music Festival took place in the heart of Nashville on June 8-11, with the biggest stars coming out to perform for all in attendance. Everyone who was anyone played the nightly shows, from Ballerini and Rhett to Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellum and many more.

CMA Fest will air on Wednesday, August 16, at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.