The three-hour CMA Fest special airs tonight, August 3, on ABC. The show will air performances by numerous country music artists who performed in the Nissan Stadium during the four-day CMA Fest in June.
Dierks Bentley and Elle King will host CMA Fest. The two are friends, and have also collaborated together, on both his 2016 “Different for Girls” single, and more recently, her “Worth a Shot” single, out now.
“I think Elle brings so much to the table,” Bentley said. “Onstage she’s just a riot and also super talented – a great combination of talent with comedic humor. A lot of spontaneous moments between the two of us and just a lot of laughs.”
“I am co-hosting this whole shebang,” added King. “Not only do I get to do it with my buddy Dierks, I also get to see all these incredible performances and be a part of a big party!”
The idea for Bentley and King to host together dates back to their joint CMA Fest performance, six years ago.
“When Dierks and Elle first performed together at Fest in 2016, I knew they had something special,” said CMA Fest Executive Producer Robert Deaton. “The festival itself may be over, but thanks to these two, along with a solid slate of performances and special collaborations, the party continues in homes across America. It was a fun challenge to think differently with our setup these last two years, but it felt great to be back with a full house at the stadium.”
More than a dozen performers will be highlighted during the CMA Fest special, including Carrie Underwood, Carly Pearce, Luke Bryan, Cole Swindell, Thomas Rhett, Russell Dickerson, Lady A, Jason Aldean and more.
“It’s game time,” Swindell tells The Tennessean of being part of the TV special. “And it’s a TV performance, so that’s a big deal. You don’t want to forget a lyric; you also want to do the song justice in front of so many people. It’s always special to perform live, but in front of what, 60,000 people? In that circumstance? Yeah. It’s huge.”
Next year’s CMA Fest will take place June 8 to 11. Tickets are available here.
See a complete list of artists and the songs they will perform below. CMA Fest airs on Wednesday, August 3, at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.
Get ready for the performances of the summer! 🎤 Watch #CMAFest TONIGHT at 8/7c on ABC and Stream next day on Hulu. pic.twitter.com/lWBu4XHoSi
— CMA Country Music (@CountryMusic) August 3, 2022
Performers:
Jason Aldean – “She’s Country” and “Trouble With A Heartbreak”
Kelsea Ballerini – “HEARTFIRST” and “half of my hometown”
Dierks Bentley – “Drunk On A Plane”
Brothers Osborne – “Skeletons”
Kane Brown – “Like I Love Country Music” and “One Mississippi”
Luke Bryan – “Kick The Dust Up”
Luke Combs – “Beer Never Broke My Heart” and “The Kind Of Love We Make”
Billy Ray Cyrus and Dierks Bentley – “Achy Breaky Heart”
Russell Dickerson – “Love You Like I Used To”
Wynonna Judd with Carly Pearce – “Why Not Me”
Elle King – “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)”
Elle King with Ashley McBryde – “Ex’s & Oh’s”
Lady A – “Summer State Of Mind”
Lady A featuring BRELAND – “Need You Now”
Dustin Lynch featuring MacKenzie Porter – “Thinking ‘Bout You”
Parker McCollum – “To Be Loved By You”
Old Dominion – “No Hard Feelings”
Thomas Rhett – “Slow Down Summer” and medley of “Get Me Some Of That,” “It Goes Like This” and “Vacation”
Darius Rucker – “Wagon Wheel”
Cole Swindell – “She Had Me At Heads Carolina”
Cole Swindell with Lainey Wilson – “Never Say Never”
Carrie Underwood – “Ghost Story” and “Good Girl”
Zac Brown Band – “Out In The Middle”
Zac Brown Band with Darius Rucker – “Chicken Fried”