Dierks Bentley‘s Nissan Stadium set during CMA Fest got some extra wattage from his friend and tour mate Zach Top, who joined Bentley to sing a medley of Bentley’s “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)” and Alabama’s “Mountain Music.”
Top is currently joining Bentley on the latter’s tour amid his own headlining dates, and Bentley sang Top’s praises to the crowd before he left the stage, calling the Washington native the future of country music.
“Zach Top is just steering country music back towards that more traditional sound in a lot of ways and also has a great bluegrass component to everything he does,” Bentley added to media backstage before further complimenting Top and fellow opening act The Band Loula. “So that’s been fun, just having people on the road that you love watching their show.” He also reflected on continuing to perform at Nissan Stadium for CMA Fest, sharing that “it always just feels so grateful to be back.”
“The greatest fans in country music that are here, these are the ones that travel, they fly, drive, spend a lot of money to be here and be part of this weekend,” he continued. “So it’s a real honor to be on that stage.”
Along with songs with Top, Bentley packed his set with hits and new music, including his latest single, “She Hates Me,” from his recently-released album Broken Branches. The tongue-in-cheek song is all about a woman who “hates” the song’s narrator, though he seems convinced they’ll get back together at some point.
Top also performed a Nissan Stadium set of his own that included his recent hit “I Never Lie.” The heart-wrenching track finds Top’s narrator talking to a woman who had left him and attempting to convince both her and himself that he’s doing just fine.
Last year, Top performed on the Nissan Stadium Platform Stage, which was his first time playing in a stadium. While he’s since played the Houston Rodeo, he told media that he and his band aren’t “too used to it, not too bored of it yet.”
“So everybody’s real excited and little nerves and stuff, and it’s always a little more nervous when you’re going to be on TV and everything,” he said. “But very excited and honored that we get to share our music on that big platform.”
2025 CMA Fest
Dubbed “The Music Event of Summer,” CMA Fest Presented by SoFi featured 30+ performances from some of Country music’s hottest stars, including Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Cody Johnson, Riley Green, Jason Aldean, Trace Adkins, Jordan Davis, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Parker McCollum, Ashley McBryde, Rascal Flatts, The Red Clay Strays, Dylan Scott, Zach Top, Keith Urban and more.
The three-hour broadcast also included unforgettable collaborations from the 2025 CMA Fest. Brooks & Dunn teamed up with Lainey Wilson for “Play Something Country” and with Marcus King for “Rock My World [Little Country Girl],” Cody Johnson and Carín León performed “She Hurts Like Tequila,” Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll delivered a powerful performance of “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” Jason Aldean and Travis Tritt united for “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive,” Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins teamed up for “Hillbilly Bone,” and Bailey Zimmerman and BigXthaPlug showcased their new duet “All The Way” and more.
CMA Fest presented by SoFi was filmed at Nissan Stadium during Music City’s four-day country music festival, which took place Thursday, June 5, through Sunday, June 8. 2025 marked the 19th consecutive year that CMA has produced a summer concert TV special. The show is a production of the Country Music Association, executive produced and written by Robert Deaton and directed by Alan Carter. The 2025 airing marks the 22nd consecutive year CMA has produced a summer concert TV special.
The CMA Fest special aired on Thursday, June 26 at 8/7c on ABC and is available to watch on-demand on Friday, June 27 via Hulu.
