HARDY took the stage with surprise guests Big & Rich during CMA Fest in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee.
The “TRUCK BED” hitmaker joined duo members Big Kenny and John Rich to perform their iconic early 2000s anthem, “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy),” for thousands of fans at Nissan Stadium. HARDY headlined the main stage on Sunday night (June 9), the final night of this year’s festival. Other artists included in the stadium lineup that night included Josh Turner, Megan Moroney, Brothers Osborne, Carly Pearce, Jackson Dean and Bailey Zimmerman, plus Zach Top and Wyatt Flores on the platform stage. The performance arrived days after HARDY released “Six Feet Under (Caleigh’s Song),” one of 13 tracks appearing on his upcoming album. HARDY previously explained that the song serves as a tribute to his wife, with inspiration from a “powerful moment” they shared together at their wedding, weeks after HARDY was involved in a tour bus accident that resulted in “significant injuries.”
The star-studded event will air as a three-hour concert special hosted by singer-songwriters Ashley McBryde and Jelly Roll. Other artists who performed throughout the weekend include Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan, Jordan Davis, Cody Johnson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Parker McCollum, Jon Pardi, The War And Treaty, Thomas Rhett, Keith Urban, and Lainey Wilson, to name a few. The televised CMA Fest special will include “never-before-seen performances and surprise collaborations from Country Music’s most exciting acts. Performances will be revealed soon,” the Country Music Association previously stated.
CMA Fest will air on Tuesday, June 25 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on ABC, and will be available to stream the following day on Hulu.