CMA Fest’s Saturday Night Nissan Stadium Shows: 5 Top Moments

“We are on a mission to make sure Saturday night is the loudest night of all of CMA Fest,” said Old Dominion lead vocalist Matthew Ramsey, as the six-time CMA vocal group of the year winners sailed through songs including “On a Boat That Day” and “One Man Band” on night three of CMA Fest on Saturday (June 8).

The country music kept flowing during day three of CMA Fest, as tens of thousands of music fans descended on Nissan Stadium, with Saturday night offering up arguably the most star-studded lineup of each of the evenings.

The roster of artists included reigning CMA entertainer of the year and newly-minted member of the Grand Ole Opry Lainey Wilson, CMA new artist of the year winner and four-time Billboard Country Airplay chart-topper Jelly Roll, as well as two-time CMA entertainer of the year Keith Urban, and “Boys Back Home” singer Dylan Marlowe. The lineup also highlighted performances from several Black country artists, including Grammy-nominated husband-and-wife duo The War and Treaty, in addition to “Buckle Bunny” hitmaker Tanner Adell and Brittney Spencer, who both saw a fresh wave of acclaim this year as contributors to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter project.

Grand Ole Opry member Terri Clark, who opened the evening, recalled first attending CMA Fest in 1987, when it was still called Fan Fair. “I can’t tell you how much it makes my heart burst seeing how much Fan Fair has grown over the years,” she said midway through a set that included hits “Better Things to Do,” “I Just Wanna Be Mad” and “I Wanna Do It All” (which segued into a version of Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do”).

Indeed, CMA Fest has seen a meteoric rise since its inaugural year in 1972, when it attracted 5,000 fans to Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium. Now, the festival dominates downtown Nashville each summer, attracting tens of thousands of fans to see performances from hundreds of country artists representing a vast sonic spectrum, and ranging from aspiring newcomers to many of the genre’s biggest artists.

Here, we look at 5 top moments from CMA Fest’s Saturday night lineup at Nissan Stadium.