Blake Shelton, Travis Tritt, Alabama, Florida Georgia Line, and more deliver musical tributes to Jason Aldean during a surprise 31 No. 1 hits celebration.
The 49-year-old country superstar thought he was arriving at the Omni Hotel Nashville to perform just one song at BBR Music Group’s annual party during Country Radio Seminar (CRS). However, much to his surprise, he was instead honored with a celebration recognizing two decades of hits. The evening paid tribute to those 20 years, during which Jason Aldean built a remarkable career, earning 13 Top 10 country albums and 31 No. 1 hits at country radio.
“This is crazy…this is wild,” Aldean admitted from the stage at the 31 No. 1 celebration, hosted by Jon Loba, President of BMG Americas/Frontline Recordings, and JoJamie Hahr, EVP of Recorded Music at BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville. “I feel like this is every songwriter that’s ever written on my records. I had no idea about tonight – I thought I was coming to play one song and hang out for a minute and go home. Thank you so much for being here. All the writers here tonight are why I have a career so thank you so much. Between these guys and you all at country radio, Jon Loba, and everyone at BBR, thank you for tonight and for the last twenty years. I’m blown away.”
Blake Shelton kicked off the festivities as Jason Aldean watched from the crowd alongside his wife Brittany Aldean and other members of his family. Shelton delivered a “When She Says Baby” and a hilarious poem he penned for Aldean that joked about his career and even threw shade at Dustin Lynch and Maren Morris.
Jason Aldean’s musical heroes and favorite band, Alabama, were next to honor him. The band performed their hit, and one of Aldean’s favorite songs, “The Closer You Get,” which Aldean used to cover in his early sets. Travis Tritt, a longtime friend of the Georgia native’s, then made his way onto the stage for a special tribute performance of Aldean’s chart-topping hit “Night Train.”
“I just want to congratulate you man. We’ve had a wonderful friendship over all these years, fellow Georgia boys. So, thank you so much for all of the wonderful opportunities that we’ve had to work together,” Tritt said before delivering an impressive “Night Train” cover.
Then it was time for one of the biggest surprises in CRS history, a reunion from Florida Georgia Line. Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard reunited to celebrate Aldean with a performance of “You Make It Easy,” a track they co-wrote alongside Morgan Wallen and Jordan Schmidt. Their performance together marked the first time the pair have shared a stage in 4 years.
“Man, it feels good to be here tonight. It feels good to be here with my brother to celebrate our other brother,” Hubbard said. “So, Jason I just wanted to say buddy thank you for believing in us. Thank you for taking us on tour and thank you for cutting a few of our songs and honestly you were one of the first artists to ever cut one of my songs. So I just wanted to say thank you for finding my tune on Myspace. That was amazing… We love you buddy. Congratulations man, you should be super proud. We’re proud to call you a friend and a brother and we love you bro.”
Kelley added, “Love you Jay, beyond proud of you brother.”
After Florida Georgia Line performed “You Make It Easy,” it was Jason Aldean’s turn to perform in honor of his milestone 31 No. 1 hits. Aldean graciously thanked all of his friends and heroes for coming to celebrate him and performing his latest No. 1 hit, “How Far Does A Goodbye Go,” and “Whiskey Drink.”
“Huge thank you to everyone who’s here. Are we responsible for getting Florida Georgia Line back together?” Aldean questioned, before adding, “I feel like Country music needs that, right? This is so cool. My favorite band Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry from Alabama… I mean you guys… when people talk about the goats, you guys are the goats for me, so thank you so much for being here. Travis Tritt, who I remember going to see when I was a teenager at the Omni in Atlanta, and I don’t know man what a night. I just thought we were coming… having a little party, I was going to play a song, drink a few beers, hang out, talk to everybody, and this blows my mind. Thank you guys so much.”
In addition to Shelton, Tritt, Alabama, and Florida Georgia Line, a number of Jason Aldean’s friends and collaborators shared heartfelt video messages during the surprise celebration. Those featured included Lauren Alaina, Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, HARDY, Chipper Jones, Miranda Lambert, Chase Matthew, Rascal Flatts, Thomas Rhett, Willie Robertson, Darius Rucker, Bridgette Tatum, Lainey Wilson, Carrie Underwood, and Trisha Yearwood.
Along with the tributes from his superstar friends, the songwriters behind Aldean’s 31 No. 1 hits were also on hand to be celebrated, including Rhett Akins, Kurt Allison, Dylan Altman, Brent Anderson, Thomas Archer, Brett Beavers, Jaron Boyer, Will Bundy, Rodney Clawson, Jim Collins, Dallas Davidson, Chris DeStefano, Michael Dulaney, John Edwards, Jerry Flowers, Colt Ford, Andy Gibson, Brantley Gilbert, Ashley Gorley, Ben Hayslip, Tyler Hubbard, Brett James, Paul Jenkins, Brian Kelley, Tully Kennedy, Brandon Kinney, Kelley Lovelace, Tony Martin, Jim McCormick, Vicky McGehee, Jeff Middleton, Josh Mirenda, Wendell Mobley, Ashley Monroe, John Morgan, David Lee Murphy, Danny Myrick, Alex Palmer, Bobby Pinson, John Rich, Jimmy Robbins, Deric Ruttan, Jordan Schmidt, Jason Sellers, Bridgette Tatum, Josh Thompson, Neil Thrasher, Chris Tompkins, Michael Tyler, Lydia Vaughan, Morgan Wallen, Brad Warren, Brent Warren and Brian White.
Additionally, Jason Aldean is currently gearing up to release his next album, Songs About Us, which is set to arrive on April 21, 2026 via Broken Bow Records/BBR Music Group. Produced by Michael Knox, Songs About Us will feature 20 tracks, including the collaboration with his wife, Brittany, as well as duets with Luke Bryan and “Dust On The Bottle” hitmaker David Lee Murphy. The project will also feature the previously released songs: “Her Favorite Color,” “What’s A Little Heartache,” “How Far Does A Goodbye Go,” “Help You Remember,” “Hard To Love” and “Lovin’ Me Too Long.”
Jason Aldean will take his new project on the road with the previously announced the extension of his 2026 Full Throttle World Tour. He will also reunite with his longtime friend and fellow country star Luke Bryan for a special show, dubbed Live Between the Hedges, in their homestate on April 25 at Sandford Stadium on University of Georgia’s campus. The concert will mark the first concert held at the stadium since 2013, when Aldean headlined his Night Train Tour with Bryan as his opening act. Supporting acts for the upcoming Between the Hedges concert at Dooley Field include Lauren Alaina, Zach Top, DJ Rock, and Dee Jay Silver.
Fans can visit www.JasonAldean.com for a full list of dates and more information.
