en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en
The familiar final notes of “Achy Breaky Heart” poured out of Nissan Stadium as offbeat Nashville star Billy Ray Cyrus wrapped his CMA Fest.
Thousands chanted as he exited the spotlight. Three words.
"Old. Town. Road. Old. Town. Road."
Forty-five minutes later, Cyrus returned. And he brought company.
A hallowing banjo echoed from the stadium speakers as genre megastar Keith Urban emerged, bringing with him Lil Nas X and "Old Town Road," the year’s most inescapable song.
Once cut from country radio, the crossover rap phenomenon — and best-charting all-genre Billboard song of 2019 so far — “Old Town Road” bellowed from Nashville's largest stage with one of country music’s foremost ambassadors.
At CMA Fest 2019, a spirit of cross-genre collaboration pushed well beyond Lil Nas X and his boisterous summer jam. From Miranda Lambert debuting a self-described “country-punk” song to Kelsea Ballerini surprising attendees with hit-making electronic duo The Chainsmokers, artistic lines blurred as country music’s marquee festival embraced pop, hip-hop and rock ‘n’ roll.
As Cyrus told ABC News last week, “country music is a song that touches people’s heart.”
On the main stage, Ballerini and the Chainsmokers weaved through genre with 2018 hit “This Feeling”; Brothers Osborne channeled blues rock with heavy-hitting guitar riffs; Eric Church looked like an undeniable rock star as he performed a 17-song medley without pause.
And, as for "Old Town Road"? CMA Fest embraced the viral hit as it continues to dominate Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. The song notched its ninth consecutive week atop the all-genre list, passing pop tastemaker Ariana Grande and her track "7 Rings" for the year's longest No. 1 run.
Prior to the duet with Urban, hundreds of ecstatic onlookers greeted Lil Nas X early Friday at a pop-up Spotify House in Ole Red. A sea of cell phone cameras and waves of bobbing heads greeted the 20-year-old Atlanta native that night on the rooftop of Blake Shelton’s Lower Broadway bar.
Lil Nas X's appearance comes weeks after Billboard shut the burgeoning star out of the country charts for not embracing “enough elements of today’s country music in its current version.”
The jaw-dropping moments continued at Nissan Stadium, where, in one of the weekend’s best surprises, Grammy Award-winning Carrie Underwood welcomed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame icon Joan Jett for a full-on rock ‘n’ roll takeover. The two stunned with a medley of “Bad Reputation,” “Crimson and Clover” and “I Love Rock ‘n Roll.”
Before the show, Underwood told the Tennessean she met Jett at the Rock Hall. When she was thinking of dream collaborations, Jett topped the list.
“She is an icon,  trailblazer for women in music, period,” Underwood said.
Beyond “Old Town Road” and “I Love Rock ‘N Roll,” CMA Fest doubled down, too, on keeping country music faithful guessing as to which Nashville star would pop up next.
The main stage kicked off with an unannounced duet between Tanya Tucker and Americana luminary Brandi Carlile, performing “Delta Dawn.” Carlile produced Tucker’s incoming album, “While I’m Livin’,” her first in 17 years.
Carlile returned Sunday to perform "Common," a Maren Morris duet off the latter's latest album, "Girl."
Country Music Hall of Fame newcomers Brooks & Dunn and rising star Ashley McBryde unexpectedly joined Brothers Osborne for a revamped take on "Hard Workin' Man” and “You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone”; “Dirt On My Boots” singer Jon Pardi put back a cold one with Thomas Rhett during his Friday set.
Urban, reunited with a weathered Telecaster, and Luke Bryan, hips shaking and hit singing, brought the weekend home with a full-force display of each's respective showmanship.
Country pop darlings Dan + Shay and chart-topping everyman Luke Combs each bookmarked career-breaking year with two of the weekend’s heartiest singalongs, for “Tequila” and “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” respectively.
“I’m not taking it for granted,” Dan Smyers, one-half of Dan + Shay proclaimed Friday from center stage. “Thank you country music fans for changing our lives.”
The weekend pushed on despite moderate struggles with rain and lightning delays. Weather caused some Friday and Sunday afternoon events to be canceled as gates to Nissan Stadium were delayed in opening.
Still, CMA Fest welcomed capacity crowd Friday afternoon as showgoers waded through muddy and wet conditions. Ascend Amphitheater welcomed sold out crowds during the weekend and, on Friday, lines snaked around the Riverfront Stage in Riverfront Park on First Avenue North as “Road Less Traveled” singer Lauren Alaina entertained a capacity crowd.
More music: Subscribe to the weekly newsletter
The rain didn’t slow festivalgoer Ariel Lussier, 27, of Tampa, as she watched country singer Michael Ray perform under cloudy skies on the Riverfront Stage.
"(It) doesn't bother me," Lussier said. "It's actually cooler here than it is in Florida."
It didn’t seem to bother Nissan Stadium performers, either, as many acts lamented the audience for powering through unfavorable and swampy conditions.
A little wet can’t dampen the country spirit, after all.
"The fact that you are packing this place out in the pouring rain,” Ballerin said Thursday night, “shows how much you love country music.”
Tennessean reporters Cindy Watts, Mariah Timms and Natalie Neysa Alund contributed to this report.
From 'Old Town Road' to Joan Jett, genre-expanding collaborations were at the heart of CMA Fest CMA Fest stars reveal their hidden talents and Kelsea Ballerini is great at Netflix binging Eric Church rips a medley of his biggest hits at CMA Fest 2019 The best photos from CMA Fest 2019 in Nashville CMA Fest 2019: Here's what you missed from Night 3
Careers Staff Directory Accessibility Site Map Legals Our Ethical Principles Terms of Service Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy PolicyDo Not Sell My Info / Cookie Policy
Contact Us Support Local Business Advertise Your Business Advertising Terms and Conditions Licensing & Reprints Help Center Subscriber Guide My Account Give Feedback